You can find job leads through Networking by making new contacts and sharing information with other groups of people.
- Organize your contacts. Include your parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, neighbors, past classmates, co-workers, and friends. Tell them about the kind of job that you’re looking for.
- Set up your account on Linked In, a networking site for finding jobs.
- Set up your Twitter account and start following employers, organizations, and friends.
- Set up your Facebook account. Send friend requests to your contacts and “Like” pages for businesses and organizations.
- Make sure the information on the Internet is what you want employers to see. This is creating your own personal brand to market yourself.
- Keep personal information safe. Use virus protection, spam filters to avoid dangerous junk mail and always use creditable websites.
There are many places to network. You can:
- Use Facebook, Linked In and/or Twitter for networking.
- Use Linked In and/or Twitter job search to find job leads.
- Volunteer in your community.
- Attend events in your community.
- Visit your college Career Services office.
- Go to professional organization websites
- Use blogs to build relationships with readers and other bloggers with similar interests.
- Use wikis to collaborate with groups.
- Join or start a job club
- Find local associations
- Practice introducing yourself. Put together a short 30 second elevator speech. This should highlight your skills, work history and education. Be positive and smile.
- Practice your handshake.
- Carry business cards that include your contact information, a bulleted list of the types of job you are interested in and a list of your skills.
- Listen and show interest in the person who is talking.