Networking and the Holiday Season
Use This Time of Get Togethers To Promote Job Networking
Oct 30, 2008
As the holiday season comes upon us, use these social and work-related gatherings to further your network. This will help if you are looking for a new job now, or sometime in the future. Don't go unprepared though! The holiday season is an opportunity for you to network and showcase your talents.
Create a Business Card
This is NOT about where you work. It's about your skills, talents, and where you want to get to! Think of it as a quick resume you can hand out to the people you meet.
What To Put On the Business Card
You'll need your name, and how to contact you. Your home address is not needed, and may even hinder you. Besides, you want as much information as possible on that card about your skills. So just list your name, phone number, and email address. Common sense hopefully tells you NOT to put on your current business phone number or email addy.
Next, decide on what you are looking for - is it a job similar to what you are doing now? Are you trying to get into a new field? Or trying to become a consultant? What are the key ingredients to what you want to accomplish - yes, this is a type of objective.
Now, what do you have that supports that objective? List all of your skills that pertain to that objective.
You should also list your other skills such as proven team worker, or proven leader. It's also helpful to list your experience – ie – 10 years of experience in the accounting industry – IF it pertains to what you are trying to do now. Or, list your years as business experience rather than specifics.
How to Fit All that Information on the Business Card
Now comes the design. Use action verbs and short phrases, forget sentences. Keep your contact information as a line at the top or the bottom, which leaves room for your skills in the body of the card. Feel free to use a small graphic to catch attention – or buy a card that has a nice graphic on it. Avery Business Forms has an excellent selection of preformed business cards to fit into specific printers and work with specific software programs.
If you have a lot of information you feel MUST be on your business card, consider having it professionally printed and use both sides of the card. One side for your contact information and objectives, and the other for your skills.
Use the Business Card
Don't be shy about handing these out – even if you are talking to the person for social reasons, or want to get together for social reasons. That person may know of someone who is looking for someone just like you – that's networking!
Successful people got that way by using every opportunity AS an opportunity. Let this holiday season be merry with opportunities for you!
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Copyright October 30, 2008. Paym Bergson and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use of this material will constitute an infringement of copyright.
