Career Spring Cleaning: Put the "Work" in Network

You made it! Here we are in our final week of Career Spring Cleaning. If you've been organizing along with us, your documents are wrangled, your resume is renovated, and your contact database is consolidated. There's only one thing left to deal with—your network. Professional networking is a career management essential that should start as early as possible - preferably in college - and if you put in consistent effort, your work will pay off immeasurably. This week, put the “work” in network! Follow these tips to streamline your efforts.

Go for the "Goldilocks effect." Create a list of all the groups you belong to, both in person and online. Assess each one for fit: Do you attend sessions regularly? Are you an active participant? Is the group beneficial to you? Are you able to contribute to the group? Are you spending too much time in one or two groups when you could be broadening your reach? Find synchronicity in the groups that you're involved in, and if you find that some are not working for you, it may be time to move on. You are looking for the "Goldilocks effect"—the type and number of groups that are “just right”.

Stay in touch. Do you connect with people at events and then forget to follow up? Focus on building relationships and trust over time. The art of networking is slow process, much like gardening—it takes time to cultivate a garden, and the same is true of a network. Be sure to follow up with people you want to get to know. A good rule of thumb is to reach out within 48 hours of meeting someone—a simple “nice to have met you” email will suffice. Take some time this week to catch up on your follow-through.

Get linked. If you're on the hunt for a new job, be sure to touch base with your network every few weeks. One way to do this is through LinkedIn, an online professional network and a great way to share current job information. Explore the “Group” feature, a simple way to connect with recruiters and hiring managers—but remember to keep things manageable. Rather than joining a million groups, be selective. Focus on niche groups in your career field. And participate!

This concludes Career Spring Cleaning 2012. You're ready for whatever curveballs the rest of the year has in store for you. Enjoy the fact that your organizational work is done...until next year, that is!

Week One: Document Wrangling

Week Two: Resume Renovation

Week Three: Contacts, Contacts Everywhere

—Kristi Enigl, Global Career Coach