6 Ways to Improve Your Professional Networking Skills

Networking is a critical part of career development. In fact, not paying attention to one's network is the most frequent and more harmful mistake job searchers make. That's because the majority of positions in most every profession are obtained through a network. Think about it - if you are going to hire someone for a position and you have to choose between two people with equivalent qualifications, how would you choose? Most often the person you know (or who knows someone you know) gets the job.

Even though networking is very important, it sometimes gets a bad name because people think of it as schmoozing, or simply using other to get what you need. That's not cool, and that's not networking. Ideally networking should be done all the time, not just when you're looking for a job. And networking does not have to be painful. Consider these seven tips for incorporating networking skills into your regular professional and personal life.

Join your high school or college alumni group. These are folks with who you share experiences, automatically giving you something to talk about. Attend your reunion - it might not be as bad as you think, and you never know who you might meet. This is particularly important for all school reunions or reunions that encompass several class years. At these events, be sure to introduce yourself to people you didn't graduate with. You may meet someone who can become a mentor or advisor. Likewise, you may meet someone you are willing to help out. This may hold true for family reunions as well.

Stay in touch. When you attend reunions, conferences, etc. be sure to get email or snail mail addresses of those you meet so that you can stay in touch. Drop a quick note when you return from the meeting. Tell the person how you enjoyed meeting them, remind her of a conversation you had and express interest in seeing her again, perhaps at the next meeting. Nothing pushy, not harassment, just a note to say hello and help her remember you. Keep the address handy so you can write again when something relevant presents itself. Perhaps she published a letter to the editor - let her know you saw it. Maybe she's going to be a guest speaker at a conference - tell her you'll be there. Working on a project in her area - ask for advice. Wow, she won an award - send a note of congratulations. Now if you need to get a job at her company, you're application, assuming it's strong, is likely to be reviewed favorably.

Keep your resume updated. You never know when you are going to need it, even if you are not actively looking for a job. You can even post it online, so that potential employers can find it if they google you. That's right, employers will often do a quick web search on their applicants names. So make sure to present a good face online. Consider having a website, and by all means, remove anything unsavory or incriminating from your Facebook profile and similar sites.

Join LinkedIn or another online networking service. These help you stay in touch with people with whom you've worked or gone to school. It can evolve into a visual representation of your network. Joining can help you keep up with your colleagues' and classmates' careers. It can also give you access to the networks of the people you know. That increases your range significantly. Visit http://www.linkedin.com to join.

Use personal business cards. This sounds like an oxymoron but it's not - these are just business cards you design for professional use. Make sure to include a professional email address - some version of your name, and your website with online resume. This can be a very effective networking tool especially when used at conferences, reunions, meetings, and the like. People are often curious, and will visit your website to find out more about you. That way you don't have to give someone you entire professional history when you first meet. If he want to know he can just go online and find it. He can also forward the link to others who may be hiring or interested in working with you.

Perfect your elevator speech. The elevator speech is a very short summary of who you are, what you do, and what you're looking for. You should be able to finish it in a short elevator ride. Make sure you can clearly articulate your work experience and goals so you can easily tell someone about yourself. Remember you will need to practice your elevator speech and it may need occasional revision as your goals and priorities develop.

Remember the key is to develop relationships with lots of different people so that they will be happy to recommend or refer you to the job of your dreams and to be willing to help out others with their career development.

Happy networking!