Regards, Steve

Stephen Forsyth, Director Product and Strategic Management Link: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenforsyth/.

WHERE ELSE TO NETWORK ONLINE

Chat rooms, networking web sites, and other community forums exist all over the Internet. Many industries have specific sites they use for sharing knowledge and discussing trends. Yahoo! has the largest a.s.sortment at groups.yahoo.com. Some other accessible ones include: * Vault.com ( (www.vault.com)* Lycos Communities (www.lycos.com)* America Online (www.aol.com)

There are hundreds of networking sites on the Internet. The easiest way to find one that may be useful for you is to enter this phrase into Google: "List of social networking web sites." It will bring you links to web sites that have indexed all the major social networking sites.

The biggest challenge with social networks is that you're still relying on the kindness of others to send your request for a referral forward to the intended recipient. Of course, nothing stops you from finding the name of someone you want to talk to and contacting the person directly. If you do this, bear in mind that there's no guarantee the person will be receptive to hearing from you. They may report the violation of the terms of agreement for using the site and that may cause your account to be suspended. I suggest you obey the rules posted on each site. It's been my experience that most people respond to my request for a referral within 24 hours. I know other recruiters who will simply pick up the phone and call, saying "Hi you and I are connected on and I was wondering . . . . . ."

SELECT TWISTS ON TRADITIONAL NETWORKING

Okay, so maybe you want to network in person. If that's the case, here's how to find the venues you need and what to do when you get there.

Networking Venues

Every town and city in the United States has a "hot spot"; a place where all the "heavy hitters" congregate. Find it and join. The easiest way to locate these business or professional alliances is to ask professional people such as your banker, insurance agent, or investment consultant what groups they belong to. The main job of bank managers is to solicit new business, and to do that they go where the influential people in town congregate. It will probably be a civic organization, golf club, or industry a.s.sociation. It really depends on where you live.

Your contact network should always be growing, and the best way to expand it is to seek out new people and build relationships. It doesn't really matter whom you choose, as long as you like them, they like you, and you can help each other. And when you get a job, let them know they helped with a quick note of thanks.

Cla.s.smates.com

The granddaddy online community-based networking is Cla.s.smates. com. The basic version is free. Using Cla.s.smates is closer to traditional networking because it's based on your alumni. At Cla.s.smates, you can join a network of people you went to school with (high school, college, or university) as well as military, industry, or company alumni. The challenge with using it to source contacts is that you need to search by state. I did a search for PeopleSoft in New York State and found only one connection.

On the other hand, if you want to reach out to people you went to school with to reconnect and network, then Cla.s.smates is the way to go.

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A WAR STORY.

Dave Opton

One Cla.s.smates.com member, a Notre Dame alum, read in member, a Notre Dame alum, read in BusinessWeek BusinessWeek that more CFOs attended his alma mater than any other university, so he obtained the list and wrote to them all. His "good old college try" netted him 3 interviews and one offer. that more CFOs attended his alma mater than any other university, so he obtained the list and wrote to them all. His "good old college try" netted him 3 interviews and one offer.

Another member leveraged his college connection when he learned his school was going to be in the NCAA tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As a demonstration of school spirit, he decided to attend the event, but not before attending a professional a.s.sociation meeting. At the meeting, he learned of an Ann Arbor position that perfectly fit his credentials, so he scheduled an interview while he was in town for the tournament. He became happily employed in a new location as a result.

Dave Opton, president, ExecuNet (www.execunet.com). Reach Dave at www.linkedin.com/in/dopton/.

Other Alumni Networks

If you're looking to make inroads with Fortune 1000 companies, then use a keyword search in Google to see if they have a corporate alumni web site. Many do and it's the easiest way to find people. The command for Google is "[name of the company]" and alumni (see Figure 8.3 Figure 8.3).

Figure 8.3 Alumni approach. Alumni approach.

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If former employees have an alumni site, this will find it. We were looking for Lotus Notes people recently and found this site through that query: www.axle.org.

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.

Women and Networking Penelope Trunk

One of the reasons the gla.s.s ceiling persists is because networking is key to getting ahead and women are not as effective as men at building a network. For one thing, men, more than women, are likely to be invited out to dinner (since men are doing the inviting). Also, men, more than women, are likely to have the time to network outside the office (since women are the primary caretakers of children even when both spouses work).

If you are a woman who thinks you do not have a problem networking, you are wrong: when men entertain clients at basketball games and strip clubs, you are not invited. Don't tell me you don't work with men like that. How would you know? They'd never tell you. Additionally, men talk differently to men than to women. The subtext of an all-male conversation is let's-be-friends. The subtext of a male-female conversation is let'shave-s.e.x.

So women need to approach networking differently than men. Women are at a disadvantage and need to figure out ways to get ahead in the game. Here are some times when men don't typically network, but women can:* During work hours: During work hours: While men tend to network before and after work, women usually feel too strapped for time for that. So women should concentrate on creating a network during office hours. This means setting aside time to speak informally with people inside your office and taking long lunches with people from other companies. This sort of schedule requires careful planning to start and maintain relationships-something women are usually better at than men. While men tend to network before and after work, women usually feel too strapped for time for that. So women should concentrate on creating a network during office hours. This means setting aside time to speak informally with people inside your office and taking long lunches with people from other companies. This sort of schedule requires careful planning to start and maintain relationships-something women are usually better at than men.* During family time: During family time: Most moms work. So get to know the parents at soccer games or at gymnastics practice. You never know who might be there, especially on the weekend. In many cases, you will spend as much time with these parents as you do with some of your coworkers. So make the time count for your career. Most moms work. So get to know the parents at soccer games or at gymnastics practice. You never know who might be there, especially on the weekend. In many cases, you will spend as much time with these parents as you do with some of your coworkers. So make the time count for your career.* During book clubs: During book clubs: The recent flurry of book club groups has not caught on among men, but women love them-even high-powered women you'd expect to be too busy to read The recent flurry of book club groups has not caught on among men, but women love them-even high-powered women you'd expect to be too busy to read Middlemarch. Middlemarch. So while you're at the book club, don't be timid about letting people know what you do, and how you can help them. In that context, they are likely to reciprocate. So while you're at the book club, don't be timid about letting people know what you do, and how you can help them. In that context, they are likely to reciprocate.* At the gym: At the gym: It doesn't matter how busy you are, how many kids you have, you have to get some form of exercise. Sadly, most moms do not take this advice to heart, so the women at the gym are usually the single, no-kids, high-power types-great for networking. If you start going on a regular schedule, you'll meet the other people who are on your schedule-men and women. It doesn't matter how busy you are, how many kids you have, you have to get some form of exercise. Sadly, most moms do not take this advice to heart, so the women at the gym are usually the single, no-kids, high-power types-great for networking. If you start going on a regular schedule, you'll meet the other people who are on your schedule-men and women.

Each of these situations will be awkward for most women because generally, women don't like mixing business with pleasure. But here's my advice to you: get over it. Men do it all the time. In fact, for many men, there is rarely pleasure to be had unless it's mixed with business. So if you want to compete in a man's world, which corporate America definitely is, then you need to take the small opportunities you have and work them as hard as you can.

Penelope Trunk is the New York-based author of Brazen Careerist Brazen Careerist (New York: Business Plus, 2007). She has started Internet divisions at Fortune 500 companies, founded 2 technology-focused companies, endured an IPO, a buyout, and a bankruptcy. Contact her through (New York: Business Plus, 2007). She has started Internet divisions at Fortune 500 companies, founded 2 technology-focused companies, endured an IPO, a buyout, and a bankruptcy. Contact her through www.linkedin.com/in/penelopetrunk/.

THE KITCHEN SINK APPROACH

While I would advise you not to specifically count on your friends and relatives, you would be remiss as a guerrilla if you did not use every possible tool. So, involve all your friends and colleagues in your job search.

Many companies post jobs internally before going to newspapers or third-party recruiters, or have referral programs that pay employees a bonus for referring people. Ensure that your network of friends has your resume in electronic format and permission to forward your resume to hiring managers on your behalf. When referred by a colleague within your network, always ask the referrer how you should follow up. Some people will want you to call, others won't. You need to abide by their wishes or they will not refer you again.

GUERRILLA TIPS.

* Start with the people you know best. This encourages you to make the calls, and it's a great way to ease into networking because they'll be nicer than strangers.* Don't jump right into your agenda; start off by asking them, "Is this is a good time to talk and what's new?" They'll get around to asking about you soon enough.

Your goal is to get referrals. So how do you ask in a manner that won't put people off? Generally, it is better to be subtle, so instead of "Can you give me the names of all your friends?" try "Who else should I be talking to?" or "I could really use your advice on something." People like to be asked for advice because you're acknowledging them as an expert.

If you're wondering what to ask, try these openers: * Are there any groups or organizations I should join?* Are there any books or publications I should read?* Is there anyone else I should be talking to?

And my 2 personal favorites: 1. What would you do if you were me?2. Whom would you be talking to?

Dig for information about industry trends or trends in your functional area or specialty. Listen for plans for new products or services. Seek out emerging markets, hidden jobs, and companies that are hiring. Focus on anything change-related. Change equates to opportunity.

Whenever you network, it is your responsibility to set the stage and ask how much time they have. State your purpose clearly and directly. Share your excitement and enthusiasm. Ask for advice and ideas. In general, listen more than you talk. This meeting is a courtesy call that must reflect well on the referee or they won't continue to help.

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A WAR STORY.

Ross Macpherson

One of our clients worked for a large financial inst.i.tution and desperately wanted to move up in the company, but kept hitting barriers in HR (not enough experience, not the right education, etc.). When we were working on her resume and job search campaign, she mentioned that the person she really needed to get in front of was a divisional president. Since she couldn't work "within the system" at her firm to show him how great she was, we devised a long-range plan to work around it.