Kendra Reddy wrote an article on “Career Management Netiquette,” and it is a good read. The bottom line … it’s not enough to “be” [visible] you must “do” [networking].
Now, we are human BEings. But networking is a verb and, whether online or offline, it demands action. It requires you to be actively DOing. And to do networking well requires you to be proactive … networking before you need to network.
My finance exec clients are busier than a one-armed fiddler most weeks, and the first thing that falls by the wayside is often managing their career. However, more important than quantity is consistency. Networking regularly in shorter blocks of time will ensure that the energy and synergy around networking will not ebb and flow, or even run dry.
I’m seeing a pattern evolving during this tight economy for those at the senior level to hunker down and stay where they are. That’s a fine strategy … as long as you have Plan B working in the background. Getting caught unprepared and then trying to ramp up puts every candidate at a serious disadvantage, despite how talented they are.
Career Management is something that most people would avoid, but in this day-and-age, if you don’t aggressively manage your career you will be at a huge disadvantage. Networking is a very important part of that management practice. Because the employer/employee relationship has moved from a ‘relationship’ to a ‘transaction’ you WILL have to job-search more than you have in the past.
Great stuff,
Will at virtualjobcoach.com
Thanks Will. Your comments are right on! Appreciate your input.
Best, Cindy