Meet 3 Simple Networking Goals Everyday

Published by Ryan Paugh on February 11th, 2008 in Career Development, Productivity | 28 Comments

Whenever I think about networking, the first thing that comes to mind is reaching out to the big people who can help shape my life in big ways. It's probably the way most people think about networking. Which makes sense, the bigger picture usually comes first. But it isn't the only way we should be thinking about how we network.

Another great way to think about networking is how we interact with the people we already know and have established a semi-trusted bond with. I like to think of this as network maintenance. And the best way to make it work is to set up daily networking goals.

Sure, things are usually not as structured as they look when you write them down on paper, but being aware of what you want to accomplish in any given day is enough to keep yourself moving in the right direction.

'Check in' with one person

"Just checking in" is a great way to remind someone that your connection is important. There's so many ways to do it too. So if you're an introvert, you don't need to worry about picking up a phone or setting up a coffee date to make it work.

While checking in is usually just a way to remind someone else that you're still around, it can sometimes trigger some great opportunities for collaboration. A long-lost fraternity brother contacted Healy and I a few weeks ago just to catch up. Now he wants to get involved and write some posts on Employee Evolution.

Call one person who can use your help

The other day I talked to Ray Jarosz, a contributor at Employee Evolution and fellow entrepreneur. He needed some advice on how to work effectively in a startup when a major team member is older than you are. Considering my experience with Penelope and Brazen Careerist, I knew I could provide some worthwhile advice.

So what did this opportunity to help a fellow peer offer me? Besides that fuzzy feeling you get when you do something nice, nothing immediate. But who knows when I'm going to need to call on Ray for some advice in his realm of expertise?

Call one person who can help you

Last week, I talked with two very popular recruiting bloggers, the Recruiting Animal and Jim Stroud. I had been impressed by a few podcasts they ran, so I wanted to get some advice on starting my own.

Not only do they give great advice, but they're both really nice guys. Sometimes you never know what a blogger is really like until you pick up the phone.

But what was really great about making the connection was that both now send me follow up emails when they come across something that might interest me. Without taking the time to reach out and ask for help, I would have never established these connections.