Showing posts with label bacaan seputar dunia kerja. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bacaan seputar dunia kerja. Show all posts

Monday, July 26, 2010

Using the Right Strategy in Salary Negotiation

Using the Right Strategy in Salary Negotiation

When you are asked about your salary expectation in a job interview, how do you respond?

If you answer right away without a strategy, you need to rethink your approach.

The fact is that sharing your expectations puts you at an immediate disadvantage. I suggest that you defer a discussion of your salary expectations for as long as you can. Employers use salary as one of the discriminating factors in choosing suitable candidates. They do that to protect the company’s financial interests. Even when a position is advertised with the salary being described as "negotiable", the employer always has a salary range for that position in mind.


Revealing your salary expectation can either push you off the employer’s short list, or it can tell the employer that they will be safe in limiting the upper bound of their offer to you. In either case, you are at a disadvantage.

You should be aware that you cannot make a realistic appraisal of your salary expectation if you do not have the complete picture of the job. There are many factors that go into determining fair compensation. A job requiring you to fly frequently and work overtime definitely commands a better compensation than one with stable working hours.

Therefore, when deferring the discussion of salary, the best strategy is to communicate more about your job motivations and desires to the interviewers. In that discussion, bring up questions about job responsibilities, and inquire as to the upper and lower boundaries for the compensation.

Don’t ever present yourself as having a minimum salary expectation. If you are asked about your expectation, try to respond like this:

"I would certainly like to discuss compensation with you. But before we do that, can you please tell me more about the job responsibilities and any other special assignments associated with this position?"

Or,

"I would like to learn more about the job before we talk about this question. Could you share with me some more information about the job?"

Try your best to gather as much information as possible before you offer your opinion. You should always emphasize that your expectations are negotiable, and position your interest on other factors of the job including the possible experiences the job would expose you to, the job responsibilities and opportunities to learn new skills, etc. This gives a good impression to your prospective employer, and gives them an incentive not to discriminate against you because of the salary expectation.

How should you handle a situation where an employer offers a salary below your expectation? Subscribe our newsletter. I would tell you more in the next issue.

-career advice-

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5 Tips to Networking

Networking can feel intimidating if you don’t know where to start. In today’s world the ability to effectively network is needed in the corporate environment. By knowing how to effectively network, you can build potential life long contacts that can help your business and personal life in the future. Below are five tips I recommend for effective networking.

Prepare yourself. Know who you are both professionally and personally. If you are confused when explaining who you are and what you do, you might have a difficult time establishing credibility. The first impression is important so make a good one. Set high expectations for your first impression by fully preparing yourself mentally. Know your industry’s jargon and learn about the types of people you hope to meet.

Don’t miss the events. Stay cognizant of events, conventions, and seminars that have to do with your line of work. Many career industries have their own organizations and affiliations so check them out, find out what works for you, and then join. By participating in events you create visibility for your business, and visibility is needed if you want to increase your bottom line.

Get a card. While it’s ok to scribble your name down on the back of a napkin, it’s far more professional to be able to hand out a business card to people. If you write your name on something that looks like a piece of trash, it will probably be treated like a piece of trash and eventually get accidentally or intentionally thrown away. Invest the time and effort in obtaining professional business cards. Make sure your cards display the image you want others to have of you and your business.

Don’t be shy. How do you expect to meet people with your back against the wall? Effective networking requires getting your back off the wall and mingling. While it is true shy types can still have great success, wisdom tells us an outgoing personality has a better chance. Take the first plunge into introducing yourself, eventually the shyness will wear off and speaking with others will become easier.

Keep in touch. It doesn’t do much good to receive a business card from a potential contact if you don’t plan on using the numbers or emails on the card. The first part of networking requires getting in touch, the second part of networking requires keeping in touch. Give people a ring and say “hi”, eventually that contact may turn into a resource.

-career advice-

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Moving and Relocating to Advance Your Career (A US Study)

Sometimes, being ‘stuck’ in a position and not being able to work your
way up is the direct result of location, rather then a reflection of
your skills and abilities. That ‘next rung in the ladder’ may already
be occupied. If this is your situation, you may find it wise to look
for jobs in other towns, cities, or states. This case study is applied
to those in the US only. But I think for people outside of the US, you
can consider the shortlisted cities below if you have plan to move to

work in US.

Moving and relocating to advance your career can actually be one of the best decisions you ever made. CNN recently published this article, which details the 10 US cities which have the most $100,000 jobs. We chose 4 of these as our favorites (plus added one more,) based on location, attractions, and cost of living. For example, the city highest on their list, New York City, did not make our cut because of its incredibly high cost of living.

Houston, Texas

Houston is the one of the cities with the most Fortune 500 companies, second only to New York City. It also has a very low cost of living compared to New York City (you can live roughly the same in Houston on $88,000 as you could in NYC on $200,000,) which is why it deserves the top spot on our list. Top companies that call Houston home, include BP, Cabot Oil, Centerpoint Energy, Citgo, ConocoPhillips, Continental Airlines, Dynegy, Gelb Consulting Group, Geokinetics, Gexa Energy, Halliburton, HCC Insurance Holdings, Integrated Electrical Services, Kinder Morgan Energy, Marathon Oil, Minute Maid, Oceaneering International Services, Parker Drilling Company, Pennzoil, Prisma Energy International, Shell, United Space Alliance, Vinson & Elkins Walter P. Moore, Waste Management, Inc., and that is just to name a few!

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Home to the Mall of America and close to the US border with Canada, Minneapolis is one of the most favored Northern cities to love in. There are many Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in San Francisco, including Target, General Mills, US Bancorp, Xcel Energy, and Ameriprise Financial.

Boston, Massachusetts

The major universities around Boston, such as Harvard, not only employ thousands of people, but help to attract high paying technology, biotechnology, and financial companies to the area. Some of these major employers include EMC Corp, Analog Devices, Vista Print, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Genzyme, Biogen, Fidelity Investments, Liberty Mutual, and Bank of America.

Washington, DC

Of course, Washington is the cent point for federal government careers. You can find employment with the Treasury, Pentagon, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI,) or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA.) Georgetown University, which is a Level 3 health care facility, is a top university that also employs thousands of people.

San Francisco, California

One of the most culturally diverse and liberal cities in the US, many people are fascinated by this city. If you have always wanted to live here, there are many Fortune 500 companies waiting for your application that are headquartered in San Francisco; including Gap, McKesson, Pacific Gas & Electric, Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo.


Of course, moving and relocating will not be the right choice for everybody; however, it does have sizable advantages for many people. Ultimately, you should consider the needs and goals of yourself and your family to decide if moving and relocating to advance your career is the right option for you.

-career advice-

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Careers in India: Top 5 career websites for Indian Jobs

Finding a career in India has never been easier. Many companies now specialize in bringing together well paying companies with qualified employees. Business and accounting positions, computer technician jobs, call center staff, IT analysts and many other opportunities are awaiting employees with the training and desire to fill their expanding positions. Five websites designed for this purpose are

CareerIndia.com, Naukri.com, MonsterIndia.com, ClickJobs.com and TimesJobs.com.

CareerIndia.com (http://www.careerindia.com)

CareerIndia organizes jobs based on location. They have categories for Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Cochin & Ernakulam, Coimbatore, Hyderbad & Secunderabad, Delhi, Gurgaon & Noida, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Goa. Each area is broken down further into categories such as IT jobs, where you will find listings for computer technician jobs, engineering jobs, call center and BPO jobs as well as listings for current walk-in interview opportunities and a category to post a location specific resume. The site offers services to employers and job seekers free of charge.

Naukri.com (http://www.naukri.com)

Naukri.com allows job seekers to post resumes and receive matching job notification via email. The website lists all jobs by category with a search option that will allow you to match keywords, experience requirements, locations, functional area and expected salary. Resume posting and search options are free however the site also offers resume development and response booster services for fees starting at 40 USD.

MonsterIndia.com (http://www.monsterindia.com)

Monster India allows users to search for jobs by category, location, or company. This site also rates placement consultants and hosts blogs for job seekers to exchange knowledge. A quick search for computer technician jobs turned up over 6000 entries that can then be sorted by freshness or relevance and narrowed down by location and experience requirements.

ClickJobs.com (http://www.clickjobs.com)

Clickjobs has, at any time, over 65,000 active job listings. The website offers free resume posting as well as premium resume services which include resume writing, assessment and delivery to consultants and recruiters. Smart Search and Power Search options provide the ability to find very specific opportunities. For computer technician jobs and other jobs in the quickly growing field of technology ClickJobs.com also powers tech.clickjobs.com.

TimesJobs.com (http://www.timesjobs.com)

In addition to free resume posting services and job search functionality, TimesJobs.com organizes Job Fairs where several employers and job seekers can meet face to face in one location. The site has organized over 600 job fairs in the last three years. Career services offered for a fee include MagicResume, a resume writing service, and ResumeZapper, which delivers resumes to placement consultants.

All over India, companies are eager to find employees to fill new positions. These websites look to fill those vacancies and offer tools and information to make this difficult task much easier. Whether seeking a job in manufacturing, healthcare, education or as a computer technician, open positions are waiting.

-career advice-

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How to Look for Job Opportunities During a Recession

People everywhere are anxious about looking for job opportunities during a recession. Is there any effective way to look for a job during the present depressive economic situation?

It does not matter what type of job opportunities you are looking for. If you have this question in mind, read on.

Studies show that the majority of hiring involves candidates referred by internal staff – that is, candidates coming from the connections of an organization’s existing staff.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon. First of all, hiring from internal referrals saves a lot of administrative and advertising cost. It also eliminates money spent on head hunters and employment agencies for their search support.

Also, it may be a proven way to reduce the chance of recruiting inappropriate people because internal staff should understand more about a company’s requirements, and are more likely to recommend suitable people for a company’s job openings.

Some have commented that this practice is especially popular for finding suitable candidates of management job opportunities. However, I would say the practice applies to all kinds of job opportunities, no matter whether they are management job opportunities, or other popular job offers such as accounting job opportunities. I even see people securing openings for overseas job opportunities in this way.

Okay, then, how can we increase our chances of getting job opportunities in this way?

The number one thing you should do is become engaged in widening your personal networks. There are two online resources that can help you to do this immediately.

The first one is Linkedin.com . This is a social network facility. Unlike other social network facilities that focus more on promoting your personal network for non-work related activities, this network very much focuses on promoting your professional background. I have personally seen many head hunters and hiring managers using their personal Linkedin network to look for suitable people for their own company or clients’ hiring needs.

The second resource is Plaxo.com . It was originally a contact address database used to build your contact list online, but has grown to be successfully used as a network tool. With this tool, you can easily update your close contacts with your present working information, including your phone and email contacts. Keeping your connections updated about the ways to contact you ensures that when any new hiring opportunities suitable for you come up, you can be reached immediately. When I was a head hunter, I experienced many occasions when one of my contacts would like to refer suitable people to me, but the connection failed because they did not have updated contact information for those people.

There is one more beautiful feature of this service: it constantly reminds you of the birthdays of your close contacts days before they come. You can then send emails to greet them, and at the same time mention your present working condition. People will be impressed by your good “memory” and more likely to keep you informed of any good job opportunities suitable for you.

Remember, it is always to your own advantage to be contacted by someone for job opportunities rather than actively looking for them yourself. Do you agree?

-career advice-

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What is Today’s Most Popular IT certification?

Boost your IT Management Career with ITIL Certification and ITIL Training


If you are interested in the developing your career in IT management, then ITIL certification may be a worthwhile consideration for you.

ITIL is the acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It is a standard developed by the UK government dating back to 1980. The reason that this standard has not gained the attention of the public until now is probably because the wide adoption of Information Technology (IT) that started in 1990 in modern organizations did not grow into the concept of treating IT as part of the corporate governance processes until the 21st century.

ITIL is a set of best practices, and as such does not seek to lay down the exact procedures to manage IT. Instead, the main idea of ITIL certification is to train you to have the appropriate concepts of managing IT as business services, whether it’s to external customers or internal users.


There are many training schools around the world that offer ITIL certification examinations, and there are three levels of certification:1

Foundation Certificate
The Foundation Certificate enables people to understand the terminology used within ITIL. It focuses upon foundation knowledge with regard to ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery sets, and also covers generic ITIL philosophy and its background.

Practitioner’s Certificate
This is a qualification on the specific disciplines within the ITIL Service Support or Service Delivery set, including customer and IT organization communication.

Manager’s Certificate
This is aimed at experienced professionals, who will be involved in the management of service management functions.

Taking the ITIL certifications step by step is a proven way to help you move into a successful IT management career. There are many ITIL trainings you can take in the market. Simply search for the term ITIL trainings or ITIL certifications for a school in your area.

When you move to attain the Manager Certificate, it is also a good tactic to take other management skills courses such as project management training. A project management certification like PMP is one of most sought after certifications. There are also many PMP Preparation Courses that will help you attain PMP certification.

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The Top 5 Career Websites for Asian Jobs

The top 5 career websites for Asian jobs are also the most user friendly. If you need an uncomplicated way to search for Asian jobs, these websites are the way to go.

The top 5 sites are:


http://ph.jobcentralasia.com for Philippines Jobs

Here you will find everything broken down by career type. They have everything from BPO/Customer Service to Pharmaceutical, and from Human Resources to highly technical opportunties where you would look to find computer technology jobs.

http://jobsdb.com for all Asia Jobs

You can search this site by category, country, position, and qualifications. There is a list of career headings such as Accountants, Public Relations, Engineering, and IT that makes it easy to find the job you are looking for. If you are looking for Computer Technology careers, their IT listing further breaks down career options in that category.


http://ecentral.jp for International Jobs for Japan (For English version, visit http://www.ecentral.jp/index.php?l=e )

A major advantage of this site is that they list job postings in both English and Japanese. You can use a basic search or a more advanced search to find more specific top salary jobs. This site lists position, company, location, and salary. You can look for specific jobs such as radiology technician jobs or banking jobs.

http://zdnetasia.com/techjobs/ for Tech jobs in Asia

This is the only web-based site "where technology means business". They list jobs by company, city, and posting date. Examples of job types include lists for Administration, Help Desk/Tech Support, and Programming, Software Engineering. If you are looking for a career in Computer Technology, you’ll want to look here.

http://recruit.net for all Asia Jobs

You can browse this site by company, jobs, date posted, or recent job searches. With this site you can elect to receive e-mail alerts. You can search using keywords such as radiology technician jobs.

This list represents the best job websites for the Asian job market. They are all user friendly and can be searched in multiple ways. If you are looking for specific jobs, such as medical technician jobs (e.g. radiology technician jobs), then these are the sites that you want to visit.

In addition to relying on online recruitment sites, there is another way to look for jobs – using your social network. Refer to this article for the techniques for using some free online tools for social networking.

-career advice-

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Top 15 Highest Paying Jobs with an Associate Degree

A two year degree, also known as an Associate Degree, is a cheaper and faster way to go through college. Yet you can still earn the extra money from your job simply by having this degree. Best of all, you can get many of these degrees through the nation’s top online colleges. Here are fifteen of the great paying jobs you can get with an Associate Degree.


1. Dental Hygienist – $58,000

As a dental hygienist you'll help the dentist and perform services such as X-rays and cleaning of the patient's teeth. You will help to instruct them on how to care for their teeth, and will be responsible for collecting information from them during the appointment. Typically a 2-year degree is acceptable for this line of work, which you may be able to obtain through a top online college.

2. Funeral Directors – $49,620

Funeral directors must be able to work with people respectfully and compassionately. They speak with the family and help make arrangements for the funeral. These jobs range from putting an obituary in the local newspaper to planning the date, time, and place of the funeral. Many are also embalmers at their funeral parlor as well.

3. Registered Nurses – $54,190

Registered nurses are in charge of not only collecting information from the payment, but recording the symptoms they are experiencing and performing various medical tests. They may give shots and draw blood.They usually do the tests, and work along side the doctor who does the initial check-up and diagnosis. It is one of the most in demand and sought out jobs today.

4. Engineering Technicians – $45,850

Many engineering technicians work as assistants. They must have a good grasp of math and technical skills as well as science. Primarily they conduct research and assist in development. Experiments may be performed also, but vary greatly by the type of engineering that you choose to do.

5. Court Reporters – $45,610

Court reporters are responsible for recording what is said doing a trial. They will transcribe the conversations, usually by typing them,so they can be reviewed later on. Their job is essential for legal matters as well as helping the trial to be reviewed later in time. If you have held a job that requires excellent typing skills, then you may want to look into a related dress program at a top online college.

6. Radiological Technicians – $48,170

Radiological technicians are responsible for administering materials into the bloodstream of patients, and primarily taking X-rays. They are trained in X-raying different parts of the body and giving the images to the doctor for review.

7. Respiratory Therapists – $40,840

As a respiratory therapist you are responsible for caring for patients with breathing problems. You will evaluate their condition and help with treatment and diagnoses of it. Training for most physical therapists, such as this, are usually 2-years.

8. Science Technicians – $40,629

Technicians help scientists to set up and monitor experiments. They record the findings of their research and at times come up with the conclusions of the experiment, either alone or working with scientists.

9. Heavy Equipment Mechanics – $34,520

Heavy equipment mechanics are responsible for repairing machines,whether on the job or for a private company. They check the machines for problems, and make repairs if necessary. They may have their own shops, or work for a specific company on the job site.

10. Automotive Body Repairers – $38,500

Automotive body repairers work on cars that have been in accidents.They repair dents and make repairs to broken parts of the car or truck. As an automotive body repair person you will be in charge of restoring parts as well as paint jobs to cars that have been wrecked.

11. Paralegals – $50, 670

Paralegals are responsible for helping lawyers in their work. They research laws and past cases that may help in their current case. They are responsible for having a thorough understanding of the current case so that they can inform the lawyer of the details both before and during the hearing. Some paralegals can work as virtual secretaries for lawyers who are more flexible on telecommuting. If you have never held a related job, you can look into a telecommuting program at top online colleges.

12. Cardiovascular Technologists – $42,300

These technologists are responsible for assisting with the treatment and diagnoses of patients with cardiovascular, or heart, problems. They work with a doctor as their assistant.

13. Sales Worker Supervisors - $33,960

As a sales worker supervisor you are responsible for overseeing the sales going on in various departments. You will also be the one to interview and hire new employees. Many times the supervisor assists in training the new workers. People skills are important in this line of work. The courses required for this degree would be obtainable through a top online college.

14. Machinists – $24,960

Normally working in a factory, machinists are responsible for building a specific metal part. Normally they produce many of the same part during the course of day. They have various mechanical and engineering skills, but must only be able to put together their specific part inmost cases.

15. Surgical Technologists – $36,080

Working under a surgeon, a surgical technologist is an assistant. They help by setting up equipment, and cleaning the patient before surgery. During the surgery itself they monitor the patient's vitals and assist the surgeon.

More Career Choices! (newly added in 2010)

16. Auto Mechanic - $55,000 to $60,000

An auto mechanic serves by solving problems of vehicles. There is also plenty of room for advancement in the auto mechanic‘s field.

-career advice-

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Job Fair Success in 5 Minutes or Less

By James E. Challenger


The first five minutes of the job interview are critical in the selection process. In a job fair situation, five minutes may be all the time a candidate is allowed.

A jobseeker has to be qualified in order to get the job, but there will always be several other people who are equally qualified as far as the interviewer is concerned.

In the end, you will be granted a second interview because the interviewer personally likes you the best, not necessarily because you are the most qualified in the field of candidates. And many interviewers will know whether or not they like you within the first five minutes!

First impressions at a job fair are vital. If you do not make a good impression immediately, the chances are that you will not be able to recover, however excellent your qualifications are for the job. It is a sobering thought to the average jobseeker. It means that you have little margin for error in presenting yourself. If you do make a mistake or present yourself in an unfavorable manner in the interviewer’s opinion, you have erased your likeability factor.

If you wish to sell any product successfully, it is necessary to know all you can about that product. With respect to the job search, the selling is done at the job interview and the product you must know so thoroughly is yourself.

Winning Ways

To maximize your chances of having a successful interview, you should keep the following points in mind:

Look the interviewer directly in the eyes and smile when you meet, with a firm (but not hard) handshake. You may be surprised how important those initial gestures are to the interviewer’s impression of you. If you avert your gaze, you may give the interviewer the impression of being shifty or unsure of yourself. If you give the person a "wet fish" handshake instead of a solid one, the impression may be that you are timid and ineffectual. If you crush the interviewer’s hand, the pain will dim your luster. Smiling sounds simple but is one of the most important rules of the interview. It sets the tone for the entire session, projecting you as a pleasant person. Make it a point to look at the interviewer directly when you are answering his or her questions.

Body language is important. Do not fidget. Assume a comfortable posture from the outset and avoid shifting your position or crossing and recrossing your legs. If you can’t sit still, it may give an interviewer the message that you are uneasy or nervous, which can be interpreted as an attempt to conceal something that you do not want the employer to know.

Know your resume thoroughly and be ready to elaborate on any point contained in it. Resumes do not get jobs, interviews do; but you have to be in mental command of all of your important accomplishments. You cannot risk trying to ad-lib an unprepared answer to a pivotal request such as, "Tell me about yourself." Interviewers are after specific information about job candidates, not generalities. That is why you should commit your major accomplishments to memory before going into any interview.

Always try to be "up" psychologically for the job fair. That is often the most difficult thing to do, especially if you have been job hunting for some period of time, but it is very important for the success of the interview. If you appear downcast or depressed, or are unresponsive to the interviewer’s questions or listless in your approach, you will rule yourself out of consideration. Interviewers want enthusiastic, happy people who show a strong interest in the job. If you do not, another candidate most assuredly will.

Do everything you can within moral bounds to get a second interview and, ultimately, a job offer. Do not be overly concerned about what the job is in the beginning. Get the offer and then decide if you want it! You should listen for clues as to what the interviewer wants and try to be the person he or she wants you to be, within the scope of your own skills, desires and talents. Anticipate the interviewer’s questions as much as possible and be ready with all of your homework done. Then let the interviewer pick and choose what is to be discussed in the interview.

Follow their lead. Bear in mind that job fair recruiters are operating within a limited amount of time and will talk about what is important to them. Therefore, you should be nondirective: allow the interviewer to choose exactly what he or she wants to talk about. Most interviews last 20 to 30 minutes, so that is no time for you to interject with an agenda of your own or discuss points that you think should be covered. Doing that is an invitation to an early exit.

Be relaxed. It relaxes the interviewer. Focus all of your attention on the interviewer. You want him or her to feel witty, charming, urbane. Why? Because it makes the person feel good, and the better the individual feels in your presence, the more likely you are to be making a favorable impression.

Respond to the interviewer’s hospitality; accept anything that is offered. Even if you do not drink coffee, if the interviewer offers it, take a sip or two and then just leave the cup. Let that person be the host and you be the gracious guest.

Dress appropriately: conservative business suits, shirts and ties for men; suits or conservative dresses for women. Avoid any excesses such as long hair, heavy jewelry or earrings for men, flashy outfits or excessive makeup for women.

If you handle all of these matters well, you should make a favorable impression on the interviewer. Which leaves just one last thing – do not forget to ask for the job before you leave.

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Job Fair Finesse

By Leslie Nye


Job fairs are more than just a place to go search for a new job. They hold the potential to be a gold mine of influential personal business contacts, which can be key to finding an exciting career position with a great company. Networking – defined as making a meaningful one-on-one personal introduction with an individual who can support your career – is one of the best ways to uncover your next opportunity. But before you can jump into ‘networking’ mode, you need to build your foundation for making these important and, perhaps, career-advancing contacts. Here are the essential steps you should follow:

Before the Event

Do your research! Confirm the date of the job fair, the location, hours, and if preregistration is required. What is the focus or theme of the event? Identify the companies participating through promotional literature, Internet postings, radio, TV or newspapers. Determine the industries being represented and the number of companies attending.

Next, identify and research target companies so you can maximize your time during the event. Select the companies you are most interested in based upon your industry preferences and position, and find out basic information about each of them. What is their primary business focus? Where are they located and what would be your commute distance? How many employees do they have? Are they publicly or privately held, nonprofit, well established or relatively new? Is their business growing or simply maintaining a status quo? What is the company culture? Questions such as these help you determine overall fit and suitability for long-term job satisfaction.

Check out posted jobs under the ‘Career’ or ‘Job Opportunities’ section of their website. Even if they do not have a posted job for your desired area, keep them on your list as ‘hidden jobs’ may become available, particularly if you impress the recruiters.

During the Event

You have one chance to make a great impression! Dress professionally for business, as you would for any job interview. Be organized and prepared. Carry sufficient copies of your resume, a writing pad, pen, and your organizer. You’ll want to be able to set appointments for future interviews on the spot.

Work your plan! Start by visiting the companies you have prioritized on your list first, with your goal to speak personally with the representatives of those companies. When you sense an opening to make an introduction, acknowledge them, smile and make eye contact. If offered their hand, extend yours as well.

While making introductions, it’s important to quickly determine the role of the person to whom you are speaking. Are they a corporate recruiter, HR manager or HR assistant? Or are they a hiring manager or senior manager in the company? You can adjust your presentation accordingly. Once introductions are made, be prepared to provide an overview of your focus – the job role you are seeking, plus a brief (30 second) statement about how your expertise and experience can benefit their company. Why should they be interested in you as a candidate and future employee?

Attempt to connect on a deeper level with the company representative. Show genuine interest by making a comment about their recent product announcement or industry trend, a successful partnership relationship, industry awards or recognition, etc. Knowing some relevant information or current news also demonstrates you have done your research and makes you stand out from the crowd.

Request their contact information. Make sure to get names and titles of the people you speak with at each company for follow-up. Ask for a business card or, at minimum, their phone number or email address. Pick up company literature and brochures, annual reports, etc, whatever is available. Hand them your resume if possible; don’t just drop it into a resume bin. Your goal is to make person-to-person, meaningful contact with a key representative at each target company and to make a positive, professional impression. Also, be sure to make notes after each contact, so you don’t forget important details that could be useful in the next phase of your plan.
After the Event

Follow up with your company contacts! Think about the people you met and prioritize the contacts at the companies where you feel you have your best employment opportunities.

Following up with representatives you have spoken with is good business. Ideally, make a telephone call or (second choice) send an email. Remind them about your qualifications and what you can offer to their organization. Express your sincere interest in pursuing a career opportunity with their company. Most importantly, strive to make a positive impression in the minds of the company representatives so they remember you and want to help you. That is the key to successful networking.

Since 95 percent of jobseekers who attend career fairs fail to do this kind of follow-up, you will be in a class by yourself – an applicant who has displayed initiative. What company wouldn’t be impressed by that?

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Long-Shots Can Pay Off

By Claudia Jordan


Cindy had relocated to a different state and after three years decided to change professions from real estate to retail store management, her previous occupation. Her first step was to contact her former boss to ask him to be a reference. She had not spoken to him for more than three years. When he found out that she wanted to get back to retail management, he said, "Cindy, that's great! Did you know that, as we speak, our company is negotiating to buy six stores in your state? If it goes through, we'd love to have you back on board." The deal went through, and Cindy was instrumental as the regional manager since she had lived in the state three years.

Mary was re-entering the job market after her children started school, and decided to target an accounting job. Her career counselor recommended that she start networking, but Mary was so shy, she was embarrassed to tell anyone. Finally, the counselor suggested that she tell at least one person: her brother who lived in California, several states away. When the brother learned of her decision to be an accountant, he recommended a friend he knew in her hometown, and Mary got the job.

Tom was seeking a position as a technical writer. He had been looking for a long time and was about to give up. One day his father was talking to the tree trimmer he had hired. The father told the tree trimmer of his son's job search. The tree trimmer said, "My wife heads up a technical writing group, and she's looking for a writer." The wife interviewed the son (who lived in another state), and he was hired for a job he loved, in a location he loved.

It is indeed a small world. It has been said that any individual is only seven acquaintances away from any other person in the United States. Networking does work, whether it be local, out-of-town, or out-of-state. And today, with the Internet and e-mail, people keep in touch with lightning speed.

Where the Leads Are

Professional and trade associations can open doors to industry news, rumors, new contacts, and job leads. People are friendlier and easier to approach in a more casual setting, and where else can you meet so many good contacts in one place?

Find the appropriate associations by asking contacts in your field or at the library in the Encyclopedia of Associations. Before you go, do a little background work on the association by talking with a member you know or contacting the association and asking for its brochure and membership materials. Ask for a membership roster, too, (very helpful!). Some will provide it, some won't unless you are a member. Armed with information, head for the meeting. Don't forget your personal calling cards.

Your aim is to meet new contacts, learn of job leads, and hear industry news. Use finesse when meeting people. The last thing you want to do in this kind of situation is bludgeon people over the head with your job search. Think of some tidbits of information you can share with others, making your interaction more like an exchange of ideas and information. Do hand out your networking card to everyone you meet, everyone at your table, and leave some on the brochure table. Your cards spell out that you're in the job market and describe your target job. On the back of the cards you receive, write the date and event as well as why you'll call or write later.

Try to obtain a list of attendees at the meeting. The list is a gold mine of excellent sources of employers. Approach these employers in person at the meeting or future meetings, call them if appropriate, and/or send a personalized letter with your resume.

If you want to go the extra mile, join the association and volunteer to be on the membership committee - you'll have a lot of contact with the members.

The association you choose doesn't have to be your job target's trade or industry. Leads come from all people. A non-industry association may be very helpful because you're the only one from your field.

Once you hear about a job opening, a possible opportunity, or a company you would like to work for, find out the exact name of the hiring person. This person would probably be your boss if you were hired: a department head, vice president, or CEO in a large company or the owner or manager in a small company. You can learn the person's name by asking your contacts, through research at the library (both always verified by calling the company), and calling the company and asking the receptionist the name (and spelling) of the owner, department head, manager, or VP you are targeting.

Do not go through the personnel or human resource (HR) office. The HR office usually doesn't know about a job opening until late in the game and its primary purpose is to screen people out. Besides, the majority of jobs are with smaller companies, which don't have human resource departments.

Think Small

Did you know that more than two-thirds of all job openings are in small businesses with fewer than twenty-five employees? You'll find a job much faster by targeting this lucrative market. Small companies are also the easiest to approach.

The most effective ways to arrange a meeting or interview with prospective employers are:

* Using your contacts

* Applying directly to the company in person.

* Using a combination of methods: making an appointment by phone, sending a marketing letter and resume followed by phone calls, using information from networking and research in your approach, and having a systematic method for your entire job search.

This is where your preparation pays off. Use the valuable information you have assembled - your top skills, the employer's needs, contacts, and company research - in your presentations to set up a meeting. Above all, be politely persistent, and follow through diligently.

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Notes from a Grouchy Networker

By Penelope Trunk


I met a not-friend at a not-cool-but-not-cheesy restaurant. I was networking, because this is what you must do to further your career. Even if you hate it you have to do it. I did not wear work clothes, because even though networking is work, you’re not supposed to look like you’re on the job. I knew we weren’t really friends, because I wasn’t wearing my really ratty overalls.

We discussed segmented marketing, but in a cool, maybe-we’re-not-working kind of way. For example, we talked about who is using Napster now, and about which bands get downloaded most. We moved a little in the direction of which bands we each like, but my not-friend didn’t share my musical tastes, so we danced away from the topic quickly.

Vital Connections

If I were really looking for a friend, I would have gone full-steam ahead into topics that may be controversial, but can weed out inappropriate people: politics, money, sex. These are make-or-break topics. But I could not afford a "break" on this occasion, because this person was one of my best connections in the advertising world.

Early in my career, my boss was having trouble because someone who reported to her hit on her, and was upset that she said no. The story got out, and soon the whole office knew about it. She pulled me into her office one evening and said, "What do people think of what’s happened with _____?" At the time, I was flattered that I was the one she pulled aside. Now I realize that I have to be extra careful to edit myself as I go. Complete honesty is not completely good: It alienates people – specifically, me.

The not-friend I went to dinner with asked me if I liked her yellow scarf. I thought it was gross, but I was afraid to tell her the truth. (In fact, I’m not even telling you the real color of the scarf, in case she ends up reading this.) Maybe if I told her the scarf was awful, we would have immediately become good friends, and she would always love me for my honesty. But maybe not. It was the maybe-not part that kept me from telling her the truth – because I would rather have a good network than a good friend. (I don’t need a Rolodex full of friends; I do need a Rolodex full of contacts: people who will have dinner with me at innocuous locations and help me navigate my career.)
Still, I wanted to tell my not-friend that I hated her scarf. I want to show people who I really am. I want to see if they would still like me. I want to distribute surveys (to be put on file later in my Rolodex) that ask people if they enjoyed my honesty, and if they would be willing to do favors for me now that they know the real me.

Instead, I ordered a cosmopolitan because she ordered one – even though I don’t really drink. And I told her little things about me that she didn’t already know, so she felt like she was getting to know me.

Stressful Necessity

I did not tell her that I find networking so exhausting, my Rolodex is actually shrinking from atrophy. I decided that maybe a good step would be to buy her a new scarf – a way to express my true feelings in a positive way. If I could only be more positive.

I told her things so banal that they would annoy you. When we parted I pretended to take the train home and instead of going straight home I bought a milkshake at a diner and sat in a booth to decompress. The most tiring part of networking is having to be clever and interested for so long. And the cruel truth of the work world is that people who love to network don’t need to do it.

People like me, who hate networking, need to be diligent. I tell myself I have to endure one of these nights each month. I remind myself that I might meet the perfect person to help me later, that networking is like money in the bank.

So even if someone has terrible taste in music and scarves, I work hard when I’m with her, because you never know when networking will pay off. But I really believe that it always does, even after all my complaining.

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Networking's Easier Than You Think

By Penelope Trunk


Today’s careers are made and broken by one’s ability to network.

Please don’t post comments about how unfair this is – I know that people who are bad at networking think it’s not fair that the world rewards networking so much. But that’s the way the world is. You’re not going to change it by whining.

Instead, be giddy: Networking is actually a lot easier than you think. Here are four reasons why:
You don’t have to be a manipulator.

Networking is about being nice. It’s about figuring out what someone needs, and determining how to help him get it. Be aware of what people are trying to accomplish in their lives so that you can help them reach their goals – either by helping them yourself or putting them in touch with someone who can.

People who are ineffective at networking think you have to manipulate people to get what you want. These are the same people who fail at office politics because they don’t understand that office politics is about being nice. Networking is what you do when you’re doing office politics well.

Networking is about adding value to people’s lives. If you do that as much as you can, people will be happy to help you. Be generous with your time and energy as well as your contacts.

You should understand what you have to give, and then look for people who need it. Not only is that the place where you can add a lot of value, but those are also the people who likely have skills and connections that you don’t have, so they’ll be able to help you. The more diverse a group of people you can help, the more diverse the type of help you can get.
You don’t have to be funny and clever.

The people who are most afraid of networking think they have to open up a conversation with something really smart or witty. You don’t have to be either of those. The best way to start a conversation is by being nice.

If you pontificate on your brilliant ideas you’ll seem smart, but you won’t necessarily connect with people. And if you tell a lot of jokes you’ll seem funny, but that, also, is not necessarily inviting more conversation. Being nice, though, makes people want to talk. By being nice, you’re saying, "I’m safe to talk to. I’ll listen."

People want to be listened to, and they want to feel interesting. So you can be good at networking by caring about other people. And you can’t fake being interested – it’s almost impossible. That means you have to genuinely care about other people.

The best networkers understand that everyone is interesting if you ask the right questions. So ask someone an open-ended question, figure out what they’re interested in, and ask them about that.

Your job is to discover what you can learn from people, and you can learn something from everyone. If you really try, you’ll be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
You don’t have to network when you’re job hunting.

Don’t talk to me about job hunters who are networking. Let’s be real: When you need a job, you’re not networking, you’re calling in favors. You’re asking people for jobs.

Networking is something you do when you’re feeling great about your work. After all, who wants to network with someone who either hates her job or doesn’t have one?

This is how networking works to get a job – you make friends. Real friends. Not like the 46,000 ‘friends’ Barack Obama has on MySpace, but the kind of friends to whom you’ve revealed something significant about yourself, and who have revealed something significant about themselves to you.

If you have 30 such people in your life who have diverse networks of their own, you’ll be able to get a job when you need one. So focus on making real connections with people instead of trolling the Internet for jobs. It’s not only a more effective use of your time, it’s a more fulfilling one.
You don’t have to be agreeable.

Connecting with people doesn’t mean agreeing with them, it means growing with them. Personal growth is one of the best things you can get from a relationship. So it’s fine to disagree with someone you’re getting to know. You send the signal that you’re the type of person who challenges friends to think more clearly. Just be sure to disagree in a non-confrontational way.

A couple of weeks ago I met Annalee Newitz, editor of the book She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff. In the short amount of time we spent together, we managed to disagree on a lot.

For example, on the question of whether little girls’ affinity for pink is an issue of nature or nurture (I say nature). But I liked Annalee. She was easy to talk to and full of energy. That we could disagree on a wide range of topics means that we both think about the same wide range of topics.

So don’t assume that networking requires you to agree with everything someone says. It just requires you to care about what the person says. Caring is how you make a connection.

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Struggling to Stay Networked

By Penelope Trunk


In the ongoing development of me as a brazen careerist, my weak point has been networking. I know it’s my weak point because I meet a lot of powerful people who could do a lot for me and, instead of leveraging the relationship, I end up losing touch with them.

Where I fail is that I don’t know how to maintain regular contact once I have established a base relationship. There is an art form to the "just checking in to see what you’re up to" email that is lost on me.

I try to pay close attention when I get one from someone else. Here’s what I’ve noticed: That I always appreciate the email, no matter how long it’s been since I heard from the person. So probably other people would appreciate an email from me. But still, I put off sending these emails because I fear I have nothing to say that the person cares about.
Keep It Simple

If I were giving advice to myself I’d say, "Just a short, simple email. Nothing huge. To remind the person you are thinking about them and also to tell them what you’ve been up to." But I always feel like I need some sort of excuse to email. If I were a guy, I’d send an email about sports, like, "Rah rah, my team beat yours. Rah rah." Or, "I thought of you sitting in my court-side seats." My instinct as a woman, I’m sorry to say, is to send stuff about kids. Like, "Congratulations on your son’s first birthday. I remember seeing the photo last year and he was so cute." But the kid emails have not gone over that well in the world, and, right or wrong, I never get the kid emails from men, so I stopped sending them to men.

I had this idea to buy into a service that scans newspapers every day for names of people I know. Then I could say, "I saw your name in the paper. Congratulations on blah blah blah," I would look like I’m really on top of the industry news, and that I’m concerned about the person. But the services were all really expensive. And, let’s face it, if I were a millionaire, my networking could be, "Hi. How are you? I’d love to chat with you again. Do you want to fly on my jet to my island next week?"
Google to the Rescue

But recently I noticed that Google has a service called Google Alerts. This is how the company website describes the service: "Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic."

It seemed too good to be true, but I tried it. I set up an alert for a former boss of mine who was really supportive of me, and then about a year after I left his company I stopped contacting him because I couldn’t think of anything to say. (Insane, really. A complete violation of any networking rulebook. And just writing about it here makes me realize how absurd it is that I can’t figure out how to write a "just saying hi" email. After all, I’m a writer!)

I thought I’d redeem myself by contacting him next time his name is in the press. But after a few days of hearing nothing from Google, I realized I didn’t even know if the service worked.

So I set up a Google alert for my sister-in-law, who just landed a job big enough that she’s popping up in newspapers all over the country almost every day lately. And sure enough, her name landed in my email box today: The Google alerts worked. My sister-in-law didn’t know she was in a Seattle newspaper today until I told her.

Tonight, I created Google alerts for twenty of the people I most wish I would be good at staying in touch with. I feel like I’m on the cusp of making amazing headway in the networking department.

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BRAZEN CAREERIST: Three Networking Missteps

By Penelope Trunk


In case you don’t consider networking the highest priority in your career, here’s something to think about: Most jobs aren’t listed, so they aren’t available to you unless someone tells you about them.

Also, people who have mentors are more likely to get promoted than people who don’t. And mentoring doesn’t just fall into your lap – you need a network to provide you with choices until you find a mentor who fits.

Are you networking well? You might think you are doing all the right things, but here are three common mistakes many people make:

1. Thinking in terms of data collection.

You don’t have to keep track of tons of little details about people you barely remember, because they aren’t the people who can help you. The people you can count on are the ones you make a real connection with, probably over time, with repeated meaningful exchanges. They’ll stay at the top of your mind because of your genuine connection.

There will be people you really want to connect with because you know they’ll be able to help you a lot. You don’t need a databank to remember them – you just need a to-do list, where you can add an item that reminds you to ‘ping’ them.

Other relationships will grow organically, over time – if you are patient, responsive and vulnerable. Just remember to focus on making memorable connections, not remembering data points.

2. Telling yourself that you’re shy.

Everybody feels shy sometimes. People assume I’m an extrovert when they meet me because I do so much public speaking. But, in fact, I was so shy in college that I used to bring books to parties because I couldn’t imagine having to talk with people – so I just read in a corner. Crazy, right? But I’m proof that you can overcome shyness.

The Shyness Research Institute reports that shyness is actually the fear that you won’t be the smartest, funniest person in the room. The irony, though, is that a good icebreaker is about being nice, not about being a genius. People respond well when you use a basic overture like, "Hi, how do you know the hostess?" because they know you’re being vulnerable and starting a conversation with someone you don’t know.

Some people truly are shy, but it's typically about sensory input. They can’t receive a lot of input and give a lot of output at the same time, and need a very controlled environment. This doesn’t mean they can’t network – it just means the networking must take place in a small, intimate setting rather than a large, bustling room.

3. Scoffing at anything resembling courtship.

You already know how to network – you’ve been doing it ever since you started dating. So you’ve had a lot of practice.

Think about your comfort zone for dating, and then get into it for business as well. Do you open up socially in bars? Then go to a lot of cocktail parties. Did you meet your mate on JDate? Then focus on online networking opportunities like LinkedIn and instant messaging.

Even if you’re meeting someone you’d never be interested in for a date, you can still use dating techniques. After all, you have to woo the person into your corner of the company somehow. Besides, Cosmopolitan magazine recently reported that men say the best place to meet women is at work, which really sheds light on the dating analogy.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, really takes this to heart. He sent me flowers after blowing off an interview we’d scheduled, and you know what? It worked.

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Finding the Right Words

By : Denise Leo

As you actively pursue your next career move, you’re going to be talking to a lot of people. That’s a given. So there’s no excuse to walk around unprepared for conversations about your work experience and skills. How ready are you to have an off-the-cuff, five-minute conversation about yourself with an interviewer, a new network contact, or a complete stranger?

I’ve interviewed dozens of candidates who hesitate and stumble for words when I ask the simplest of career-related questions. Then there are candidates who go on and on, saying many words but not conveying much. Not only is it obvious they have not prepared, but they are also sending a message that they don’t know what they want to do. And that’s no way to impress an interviewer.

When you talk about yourself, your experience, or your job aspirations, you must exude confidence, hope and preparedness.

Write It Down

This is very important, so block off an uninterrupted hour or two to jot down positively phrased comments on these seven topics:

1. Your current job (not just your title, but the inspiring side of what you do and why it makes a difference to the company you work for).

2. The job you are seeking (see item 1).

3. What you want to do with your career.

4. The benefits you can bring to a firm.

5. A few major work-related challenges you’ve had, and how you overcame them (be succinct and pick several different kinds of challenges).

6. The things you love about your field.

7. The reasons you left, or are about to leave, your job.

Add a few more topics related specifically to your field. Pretend you’re the hiring manager; what would you want to know about a candidate before making a job offer?

Write out, refine and edit your thoughts down to two good sentences on each topic. Make them clear, simple, engaging and conversational. Say them out loud; you must feel comfortable delivering the words. Commit them to memory as best as you can. With these positive, streamlined insights queued up in your mind, it will help you make quick, confident conversation, even if you’re caught off guard or nervous.

Topic 7, why you left your last job, may call for some extra time and attention. It’s a big-daddy question – and I’ve seen it torpedo candidates’ confidence, as they apprehensively or loquaciously dance around the real reason they left their last job. Don’t be that candidate. Get your head squarely around a positive and truthful reason why you are no longer working for your previous employer. Write it down. Edit it until it no longer sounds like an excuse, and then practice it. Your diplomatic, positive response will let prospective employers know you have a healthy outlook on work, change and opportunity.
Prepare an Elevator Speech

I’m amazed by how few people can clearly and succinctly say who they are and what they want. So you’ll really stand out if you can spell it all out in 20 seconds or less. It’s called an ‘elevator speech.’ You can think of it as a tiny, prepared speech that you could deliver during a short elevator ride if needed. You’ll use it often, as in when you make a new networking contact or when someone casually asks what you do.

Write it out and work on the wording you use. Make it compelling. It should feel like storytelling at its best. Be specific, provocative and complete. And be you. As you work on your elevator speech, remember that it sounds a bit boring and selfish to simply say you’re looking for a job and you have a bachelor’s degree in English. Rather than use limiting job titles, give your audience concrete and memorable ways in which you solve problems or help people. It is much more likely to generate interest, conversation, and job leads.

Here is an example of a conversation that might take place at a job fair:

"Welcome to the Widget Works recruiting booth. What field are you in?"

"I help high-school students make some of the most important choices in life. For the past six years, counseling and college prep have been my passion. With each kid, I make sure I share a few of life’s hard realities and provide plenty of warm fuzzies. I love it, but my new career goal is to transfer that thinking into human resources. What can you tell me about the entry-level HR opportunities that Widget Works might have?"

Before you craft your own elevator speech, you may want to go online and review the useful dos and don’ts by author Katharine Hansen at quintcareers.com/elevator_speech_dos-donts.html.
Take Your Time

In an interview, once you say it, it’s out there. So take your time, even when you’ve rehearsed the answer. If you get temporarily stumped, stay calm and don’t get flustered. Try leaning on a phrase that will buy you some time while you consider your response:

* "I’m glad you asked that; it’s a topic I wanted to be sure we discussed today."
* "Funny you should ask. Of all my current job responsibilities, that’s actually one of the most ."
* "That’s a good point. I think you’re bringing up one of the most important aspects of the work we do in this field."

Now that you’ve taken a breath, let your mind fall back on the solid prep work you’ve done ahead of time. If you still can’t think of exactly what to say, just start speaking your mind and you might get lucky. And don’t forget the words of Seneca, a First-Century Roman philosopher: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

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Virtual Networking

By : Denise Leo

So you want to do more online networking for career advancement or job hunting. Whether you are Internet-experienced and comfortable with making things happen online, or you have little knowledge beyond using email, it can be daunting trying to determine where your online networking efforts should be focused.

In exploring the online networking world, I quickly realized one thing. This is a world where your own personal preference matters a great deal. The key is to find a site or two that feels right for you, and go from there. I can share with you a few of my own observations as I evaluated some online career networking options, but the rest is up to you.
Is Partying the Priority?

Most of us have heard about social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Friendster. Though these sites are usually used for socializing, sharing photos, and staying in touch with friends, they also have subject-specific discussion groups — so I decided to see if any of them might benefit a jobseeker.

On MySpace.com, I checked out the professional societies and discussion groups, and quickly found a list of 276 MySpace members interested in civil engineering. At first blush, I was impressed. However, that changed when I clicked on the first group member, whose page greeted me with "Who wants to party?" and a paragraph that included a curse word, all on a background photo of money. Under the MySpace group for "Law, Lawyers, and Legal Matters," the first member I noticed had a racy photograph on her page. Turns out, she’s a junior in college studying theater, with no background in law whatsoever.

Obviously, social sites like MySpace aren’t the best places for career networking. These sites just aren’t very densely populated with people who have a goal of true, business-focused online networking. You need a site designed with that goal in mind.

LinkedIn

By contrast, when you go to LinkedIn.com, you will be greeted with: "Our mission is to help you be more effective in your daily work and open doors to opportunities using the professional relationships you already have." Now that’s more like it. Here’s what you can do with LinkedIn:

* Create a professional summary/profile.
* Find and be found by future employers, existing connections, and new business contacts.
*Build a network, which will eventually consist of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know – potentially linking you to thousands.

Though you can join LinkedIn for free, you may also choose to pay for a premium service that might enable you to reach people beyond your immediate network.
Networking For Professionals

At NetworkingForProfessionals.com, you will find a similar approach to LinkedIn. You can:

* Create a profile for others to see.
* Add other members to your "My Contacts" list.
* Send and receive emails from members.
*Give & receive endorsements of other members.

At present, membership in NFP is free to residents of all US states, except New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Georgia.

Ryze

If you become a Ryze.com member, you receive a free networking-oriented home page and can send messages to other members. You can also join special networks related to your industry, interests or location. If you spring for a paid subscription, you can take advantage of more advanced services such as contacting distantly connected Ryze members.

Executive Networking

ExecuNet.com is based on paid memberships. The site bills itself as the peer network for business leaders seeking connections and executive-level jobs. Membership fees run about $400 a year, with plans as short as one month.

Pulse

If you are more interested in a combined (career and personal) networking experience, Pulse (at plaxo.com) may be the place for you. Created by a company called Plaxo, Pulse is a networking tool designed to span professional and personal life. It’s based on the idea that the people you know, both personally and professionally, are creating and sharing interesting content online. They’re writing blogs, bookmarking sites, recommending things, and sharing items of interest. Your experience with Pulse will be greatly affected by whom you have in your network and how active they are in sharing.

Getting Started

Most of these sites won’t yield much until you start populating your page with connections. This means you’ll need to send invitations to people you know, past co-workers and bosses, and friends or family with business connections. You’ll want to set aside time each week, not only to build a good-sized network, but more importantly to tend it frequently and stay in touch with your connections.

In the networking world, both in person and online, you must give to receive. Don’t wait to be asked for information or connections; actively reach out to others by finding things of value that you can share. And don’t expect a perfectly reciprocal relationship to form instantly – the person you gave information to today may not be able to help you tomorrow or next week or ever. But if you give easily, selflessly and often, you will find over time that you occasionally receive links to interesting articles, possible job leads, or a new connection that could lead to your next big career move.

Networking Sites Gaining Employers’ Attention

Social networking sites are gaining popularity among employers interested in finding and recruiting new college graduates for their workforces, according to a report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Nearly 17 percent of employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2008 survey reported plans to use social networking sites as part of their recruiting efforts. In a similar survey conducted in Fall 2006, only 11 percent of employers reported such plans.

How employers use the sites is also evolving. "Previously, employers indicated they were using the sites to check profiles of potential hires," reports Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "Now nearly two-thirds of those who expect to use the sites say they plan to advertise there, and more than half will use the sites to network with potential candidates."

With more companies checking in, jobseekers need to be extra vigilant about the content of their online pages. Nearly 38 percent of employers using social networking sites in their recruiting efforts say they will check candidate profiles.

Despite the increased interest in social networking sites and the variety of high-tech tools now available to employers, the majority still favor ‘high touch’ recruiting methods, including on-campus recruiting, internships, cooperative education programs, and employee referrals.

"These results demonstrate that personal interaction is essential to recruiting success," says Mackes. "Although they can’t replace face-to-face communication, social networking sites provide employers with another option for building personal relationships with potential employees."

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