Great observation. It’s entirely likely that the shift to the green/clean/sustainable economy will trigger the birth of new industries we can’t even imagine at the moment. I find it exciting to think about how the innovations of today will shift the course of this brand new economy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

There are several ways to find people who work in your target industry.

* Find the associations that serve your industry and profession. Check to see if they have local chapter meetings. Although meetings may be for members, check to see if you can attend once or twice as a guest.

* Watch for meetings, panel discussions, or conferences for your target industry. If you can attend these events in person, be prepared with a business card, a clear statement of who you are, and the questions you are trying to research. Be sure to participate in any and all networking opportunities at the events from receptions and meals to formal networking segments. If you aren’t able to attend the event in person, scour the conference web site to pull together a list of who’s who in the industry. Knowing the key players will help you in future networking events.

* You can also use LinkedIn and Twitter to connect up with people in your field. If you are unfamiliar with these online networking tactics, I’ll refer you to Green Careers For Dummies for details as that discussion gets a bit technical for a blog post.

Hope these ideas opens up some new possibilities for you.

Carol

Yep…people are figuring out ways to work the system…it’s kind of sad. If someone wants to find me they can…LinkedIn or no LinkedIn…and they can write me a personal note…I don’t know why some feel this fake approach is better.

Great info, thanks!

True…sometimes people use the canned invite because they don’t realize they have options. I give those people the benefit of the doubt…I don’t accept their connections, but I don’t reply that I don’t know them either, since too many of these responses can get them kicked off of LinkedIn.

I completely agree with you on the importance of sending a personalized invitation. While I think it’s certainly possible for a new LinkedIn member to assume they are supposed to use the “form provided” to invite someone to connect (and that such a mistake can be overlooked), using the generic LI “invitation” line does not convey that any real thought–or consideration for the other person–has been put into the request. That’s not a great way to build relationships on LinkedIn, or anywhere else.

It is much more powerful and better to be careful on who you connect with directly. If you just want to build your “network” on LinkedIn so you have access to more people – there are better ways then just trying to randomly connect with people you do not know. Instead, look for some of the open networkers on LinkedIn who, if you are so inclined, you can connect with – and instantly you will have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, on LinkedIn who you are within 3 degrees of.

Then, if you want to get introduced, you can if you have a good reason to do so. You can also subscribe to InMail (for a charge) to be able to directly email anyone on LinkedIn you want to contact.

Note, it is important you do not invite people you do not know and randomly invite them. It is highly likely no only would one get a bad reputation which can haunt them – you also could be banned from contacting or inviting anyone at all. LinkedIn restricts users who get too many “I don’t know you” responses from people who invite people without real connections.