Hopefully you were able to add some “Career Pampering” to your holiday. If this sounds fun, but you aren’t sure you indulged fully, (or just want to know what in the world I am talking about) check out my previous guest blog post here titled How To Increase Your Network Over Winter Break. I offered delightful, yet responsible steps toward filling your winter break with new networking activities. As a mother, an investor and an entrepreneur focused on college students, it fills my heart when budding young professionals take a break from their intense drive toward success to pamper themselves, not only personally, but professionally, in a thoughtful way.
Are you are just getting started on identification of your best professional contacts and don’t already use a CRM, or contact management tool like Salesforce, Highrise or Evercontact? Then I recommend you use an excel spreadsheet. Yes, there are lots of tools and apps that help an established networker but… do not think about those now! We don’t want to get distracted from the goal of actually getting started. If you need a simple tool to start tracking your relationship portfolio, check this out:
Here we go!
Name. Employer. Title. Relationship. Next Step. History.
Only six column headers needed across the top to get going in the right direction.
Get The Daily Relationship Manager
TAKE THE NEXT STEP.
Hey, Girl Boss, it's time to take the next step. Download the FREE daily relationship manager so you can keep up with all of the new contacts you will be making. This freebie has daily spaces for the entire 2017 year so you can keep up with all the next steps you want to make, contact information you have, and so you can begin to see the network you are building this year.
Identify immediate family.
This includes brothers and sisters that are in high school and beyond, even if they do not have a “profession” or are “currently employed”. Some of the most capable entrepreneurs are under 20, so a title of “student” can be very welcome to your list. An important aspect to this exercise is to transition your mindset toward thinking about people professionally. Then planning actionable steps toward connecting on that level.
Look Outside of your immediate family.
What families are a part of your tribe? We’ve always said it takes a village to raise a child. As a college student and young professional, your tribe is stronger than 90% of all the other tribes across the world (yes, even with your challenges, you are more blessed than many others across the globe). Think about each and every family. What do the adults do for a living? Open up that search engine and start with LinkedIn, and then Facebook, then their business’ website. Do not neglect the full time volunteers in your village. They often have professional training and community connections that are more robust than the professionals that go to work day by day. Put all this information in the “History” field. Have any of your friends’ parents offered to help you in anyway? If so, within the “Next Step” field, make a note to connect with this person… and include a specific date for task completion! Find this date on your calendar, and schedule an event reminder.
Have you stayed in touch with more than one teacher or coach?
Put these names down after reviewing their educational and professional profiles online.
Do you know your current advisor or counselor in a personal way?
Do you know your favorite club or organization’s advisor in a personal way? Review these contacts’ professional profiles online also. Take particular note in the professional circles they have had over the years. Who do they know? Someone in your field of career interest? Someone in your new city of choice? If so, make a note of this in the “Next Step” field and schedule an event reminder on your calendar.
Do you know any organization alumni well?
The last group we are going to add today, is often the group with the most potential to assist you… but often the most overlooked and undervalued. These people are what I call “low hanging fruit”. Spend particular time here.
National Honor Society. Robotics Club. Key Club. Varsity Basketball. Spanish Club. Your Sorority. The Student Government Association. The International Student’s Union. The Quidditch Club and The Cake Club (my son’s favorite – ha!)
Think about the organizations you have been involved with since your start. Who are the alumni that were in the organization when you first joined, that graduated before you? These are friends that are just a few steps ahead of you on their career path with similar interests. They are fresh into the companies that might love you too… with the added benefit of knowing who is hiring and when. You likely have not thought of these friends as career portfolio potential. Add these names to your list. Take as much time as possible to thoroughly research who these friends are with now.
Get The Daily Relationship Manager
TAKE THE NEXT STEP.
Hey, Girl Boss, it's time to take the next step. Download the FREE daily relationship manager so you can keep up with all of the new contacts you will be making. This freebie has daily spaces for the entire 2017 year so you can keep up with all the next steps you want to make, contact information you have, and so you can begin to see the network you are building this year.
Whew! That’s a great start toward identification and planning! (Do we have dinner plans yet?)
It’s my hope that you have 20-30 names on this list now…. or more. And with that, it’s my hope that you have 5-10 contacts identified to visit, with specific dates and times scheduled to your calendar. But don’t worry that yours looks a little different. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. It is meant to be the most important thing: A JUMP START.
So before you save this list and get back to planning your next semester…one more thing to firmly add to your “Next Steps” column. The one point from which all successful networking habits emerge.
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of her they will ask all the more.
Some people think that networking is all about scheduling meetings to help move one's own career forward. That is certainly part of it. But successful networkers need not be the most socially gracious or outstanding. They must simply be people that recognize that networking is about giving and receiving. As you begin intentionally managing your relationships, keep the people with whom you are networking (or hoping to) interests at heart. Your network will provide you great opportunities, if you are able to facilitate introductions to and opportunities for people in your network. Find mutually beneficial ways of connecting others professionally and personally.
Because as we get older, it goes faster and faster. And for successful professionals, the lines between private and professional often get closer and closer. The years go by in a blink. Blink and 2018 will be upon us.
Get The Daily Relationship Manager
TAKE THE NEXT STEP.
Hey, Girl Boss, it's time to take the next step. Download the FREE daily relationship manager so you can keep up with all of the new contacts you will be making. This freebie has daily spaces for the entire 2017 year so you can keep up with all the next steps you want to make, contact information you have, and so you can begin to see the network you are building this year.
About Kaki Garard
Kaki Garard, is a Tech Entrepreneur, Investor and Founder of Upper Network, LLC. Using 20 years of successful major gift fundraising practices, Upper Network helps people find and leverage the best opportunities for their career interests. Connect on LinkedIn here: Kaki Garard LinkedIn
