GO BIGGER THAN YOURSELF: THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Now that you have convinced yourself that you are worth a second chance, lets do some networking. Networking is interacting with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s career. Networking can make a major difference in how quickly you get a job, the type of job you get and your future success. Networking can be done at school/college, job fairs, in the community, at your church and more places, too! Your opportunities are as much as about who you know as what you know. There are so many people working jobs in which they are overqualified for all because they don’t know anyone that know anyone. Get it? You need to know people, don’t be afraid to talk because that will get you nowhere. As the old people say, “closed mouths don’t get fed”. Networking is especially important for individuals like us (who has an unfavorable background) because it is such a challenge to convince some employers that we are worthy of a second chance. When you know someone who is already working for “xyz” company who refers you AND speaks highly of you, helps to boost your chances of being considered for employment with that company also.

You should always stay in the know about upcoming job fairs. Job fairs are usually where personnel representatives of many businesses are present to seek out potential candidates to fill current job openings and future openings. Aside from skills, your appearance will be very important. It will say a lot about you and you only get one chance to make a first impression. To prepare for job fair, you should always have at least three copies of your resume( or more than that to be safe). The letter of application would not be necessary at job fairs because you can speak for yourself better in person than on paper. Always smile, it will add sugar to your confidence and remember to give “firm” handshakes while introducing yourself. Along with your resumes, you should have multiple copies of your references list also. References should be professional, or at least beyond family members. I mean family members will speak well for you even when you don’t deserve it. So it would not be wise to include any family as references to make a genuine judgement about you. Furthermore, a great way to grasp someone’s attention is by offering to help them in some type of way, before asking them to help you. Show them that you are capable of making things happen to their advantage as well. For example, if you are into sales or the automotive industry, you can refer a family member or friend to an automotive sales manager so that they can possibly make their next purchase with them. This will show the sales manager that you are capable of bringing in customers and the “big” bucks. Very impressive!

Also if you chose to enroll in school, while determining which school is the best fit for you, I want to inform you that the online schools are extremely convenient but they are not the best place for networking. The power of networking involves meeting people and getting to know them in person. You have to get out of your comfort zone and interact with all different types of people. That’s how you will learn. If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Furthermore, be very involved. Always be an active listener and participator in your class; instructors appreciates active listeners. That’s a great way to build a relationship with your instructor. Who knows, he or she may have great job leads. Also, interact and try to build friendships with classmates. There are many already successful individuals enrolling or re-enrolling back in school to continue their education in some sort of way, such as plant managers, accountants, operation managers, team leaders, and more. I would also suggest that you create a LinkedIn account: https://linkedin.com/ if you do not already have one. On LinkedIn, you can build your professional or technical profile and begin to connect directly with many employers and relative employees in you field of interest immediately within the click of your mouse.

I think you get the point. Right? Your future success will weigh heavily on how much or how little you conduct your networking. Make new friends, impress people, help people, give favors…..it’s all about the people. You have to give something before you can expect to receive. Skills are important, experience is better but having connections are AWESOME!