Last week at the NRWA conference, I sat in on a presentation by Wendy Terwelp, author of Rock Your Network for Job Seekers: How to Rebuild Your Network Online and Off in Just 5 Minutes a Day, on strategies for rejuvenating your network.With just a little bit of time, patience, organization, and follow-up you can keep your network healthy despite a busy schedule. Here are my top 5 takeaways from the presentation.
- When you meet someone at a networking meeting, jot down one unique thing about them on their business card. This will help make them more memorable and give you something to break the ice with next time you speak to them.
- Acknowledge that you have probably helped hundreds of people in your lifetime. It is ok to reach out to your network when you need help related to your job search.
- Select at least 5 contacts to connect with per week. That’s only one a day!
- Touch base with your best contacts 10-14 times per year.
- Pay close attention to your social and business networking feeds and status updates so you can comment on the successes of others in your network.
I like the first tip in particular. I usually recommend that people write down where they met the person on their card because it’s useful and easy to do. #1 isn’t as easy – not everyone has something unique that is quickly & visually identifiable – but with practice, people will get better at it and it also sounds like a good brain exercise.