Career Corner Networking Tips continued - Hallie Crawford

Career Corner Networking Tips continued What opportunities for networking lie within your circle of family and friends Tip #4: Seek out the older, wiser, and more experienced. Holidays, family reunions and summer barbecues all present a great opportunity to connect with the older generation who just might be seasoned professionals in your field. Before your next family gathering, do your homework. Ask your parents what their brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles do for a living. Pose the same question to your best friends. When you get to the party, be prepared to ask questions of those who’ve “been there done that” in your industry and get ready to make some career connections while learning something new. Dont be shy, people are almost always willing to help out a friend and family member in need. As long as youre not pushy about it, and realistic about your expectations of how much they can help you, youre golden. So jump in there, be assertive. Dont be afraid to ask for what you want. Its much easier to be direct than beat around the bush. Plus, youll probably learn a lot from the older, wise and more experienced. Good luck brushing up on your netw orking skills! Hallie,Young Adult Coach For more free career tips, feel free to visit my Squidoo page here. Career Corner Networking Tips continued What opportunities for networking lie within your circle of family and friends Heres Tip #2: Be opportunistic, but dont push your luck. There is a fine line between keeping family/friends updated on your professional endeavors, and being downright pushy. Were talking about your friends here, so you want to tread even more carefully in this area. You always want to be professional and courteous regardless of where and with whom you are networking. But these are your friends and family, so kick it up a notch as Emeril says. For example, if you sell jewelry and have a couple of aunts whom you think might be interested in attending your next event, bring it up to them in a friendly way. But if they seem the least bit uneasy, do NOT push the issue. Sometimes its not worth trying to turn a friendship into a professional relationship, and vice versa. Or if youre uncle Joe knows someone in the field you are interested in stepping into, make sure he feels comfortable providing the referral before you press the issue. Be up front, let him know youd love to make the connection, but you also want it to be appropriate and comfortable for him. I always think being honest and up front is the way to go. Beating around the bush takes too much time and effort. It wastes your time and theirs. Have fun! Hallie,I can help you take the next step! Related Links:Networking