Rejuvenate Your Network to Find New Opportunities

If you have lost your job, feel "stuck" in your current job, "satisfied but exploring" or seriously looking for a job and career change, rejuvenating your network of connections could be the avenue to new opportunities.

Whether your network has former colleagues, friends and family, someone you met at a formal networking event, folks you might have taken a class with or a neighbor you met at your kid's soccer game, building a viable web of contacts is important to successful career change.

Although networking can sometimes be an overused word, there is not debate about the effectiveness of of networks. Whether you are committed to social online networking sites or to building your on land network, keep these two specific tips in mind as you recommit to building your network.

Make time to maintain your contacts
How many networking events have you attended, collected business cards and found them months later tucked away and forgotten in a coat pocket? Have you changed jobs, vowing to keep in touch but find that months later you are completely out of the loop? All of us have. It is also understandable since new roles come with new responsibilities and routines and often lead to a whole new group of contacts.

As people move in and out of town and sometimes in and out of our lives, some of us are definitely much better than others at staying connected. Some people who are masters of networking make it a rule to spend 20 to 40 minutes daily just keeping in touch. If you are one of these people who plan to stay in touch use your calendar software to schedule calls or emails. Look for software with reminder capability to jog your memory.

Become a resource for the people you know
It is important that you connect with people not just for your own benefit, but so that you can become a resource for others as well. Too many people think that networking means getting information and help from others, but never think it means they can also connect to offer help.

Always think of how you can help people connect with each other as well. This way you will have not only one, but two people looking out for you. Certainly you also want to follow through quickly with new contacts that may have been referred to you. It is common courtesy also to make sure you alert people you know that you might be passing their information on to someone else who could benefit from the referral.