10 Ways to Build a Productive Professional Network
Whether you're afraid of getting fired or are about to be promoted, having a solid professional network behind you is a necessity, says Dan on Newly Corporate. He offers ten tips to check the health of your network -- and these same tips can help you get started if you are building a group of connections from the ground up.
- Make sure your network includes an executive. You'll never get to the top unless you know people at the top.
- Avoid stagnation by constantly building relationships. Have you connected with someone from another company or industry in the last 30 days? If not, get moving.
- Get a mentor. This is a good way to learn from someone's experience at no cost.
- Mentor someone else. You'd be amazed how much you can learn from someone coming up the ladder.
- Find a champion. Someone one or two rungs above you in the corporate ladder of your own company can be an effective advocate come promotion time.
- Keep your connections up-to-date. Let your network know what you've been doing lately. LinkedIn is a great way to do this, but other social media like Twitter or Facebook work as well.
- Check in about career opportunities. This is the only way to keep abreast of insider jobs your network may know about.
- Ensure that your profile is current. Update your LinkedIn details regularly.
- Make sure your references are recent. If you haven't spoken with the people listed on your resume in over 18 months, find new references.
- Consider connecting with a headhunter or recruiter. Because you just never know when you'll need one.