Just picked up a book off Ebay called "The Networking Survival Guide" by Diane Darling.

http://tinyurl.com/aqs6r

I am horrible at networking. Horrible. Terrible. And as usual, I am about to start job hunting with no real network in place. I got this book hoping it could get me started. There are some elementary points in the book, but it helps to be reminded of them. She also pointed out some things that I had never thought about. Anyway, just thought I would recommend it to those who are as lost as I am when it comes to networking.

ARR

Just picked up a book off Ebay called "The Networking Survival Guide" by Diane Darling.

http://tinyurl.com/aqs6r

I am horrible at networking. Horrible. Terrible. And as usual, I am about to start job hunting with no real network in place. I got this book hoping it could get me started. There are some elementary points in the book, but it helps to be reminded of them. She also pointed out some things that I had never thought about. Anyway, just thought I would recommend it to those who are as lost as I am when it comes to networking. - ARRazorback | Date: 10/25/05 11:52 PM | Number: 126

The very best way to network and to build a network, is to help other professionals when they are looking for new opportunities. Introduce them to Headhunters that you know work in their field; introduce them to CEOs of companies that you know well. Since 1976, I have always practiced that "Art" in the investment management field.

Kahuna,CFA

There are online tools to make networking easier. One of them is LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com

Many people are receptive to signing up and being a member of your "network". And if you search the site, you might find people you already know. Particularly if you're in the IT or financial industry.

The key to networking is the ability to approach people you've never met with your individual pitch. If you can do that in a friendly and fun way, and not in way that sounds as if you're a salesman, you'll be a great networker. Phony statistic: 9 out of 10 people will listen to at least your initial pitch.

Good luck,
Calpinist

You have to be invited to LinkedIn. If you want an invitation, please reply to me via email.

Fuskie
Who will run a background check then invite you to join his network...

I'm a member of LinkedIn, although I haven't really found any way to utilize it. If anyone wants to be considered for membership in my network, I'm all ears. :-)

Although I have not used LinkedIn in any active way, I signed up for the service for the following reasons.

I can stay in touch with current and former co-workers no matter whether we knew/know each others private e-mail addresses. This would have come in especially handy when 106 of us were laid off one day and had no way of contacting each other.

Associates, people whom I do not regularly interact with yet have professional contact with (consultants, officers or personnel of other companies, clients) can contact me as well as read a little bit more about me.

The CEO of another company was the one who surprised me with an invitation to connect via LinkedIn. If a CEO seeks little ole me out, then maybe it is worth a few minutes of my time to set up and maintain a LinkedIn account.

As I said, my network is open to all Fools. It is free, it does not result in junk email, and should be seen as a tool, not a means to an end.

Fuskie
Who was only kidding about the background check...

Are all of the networks free?

I would love to join your network BTW.

ARR

If anyone wants to be considered for membership in my network, I'm all ears. :-)


Me!

ARR

Just reply via email.

Fuskie
Who is humming Inch by inch, Row by row, Gonna make my network grow...

I think I'm interested ... the site seemed like it could be useful. I'm an engineer (an EE) that's been doing signal processing work related to missile defense for the last 8 years and lately think I need to make a change (maybe even a different career).

Jim

I set up a linked in account a while back when a friend (who had been laid off) invited me. I also have been sort of at a loss as to how useful it is. But I didn't get the dreaded spam. (Even the fool gets a bit agressive with their spam sometimes)

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous response about helping others who need networking as an excellent way to build a solid network. You may never need it, but you're planting a seed. People are most receptive to becoming part of your personal network when they're most in need of a network.

Hey Fuskey, maybe I'll drop you an e-mail and join your network.
One of these days, . . . who knows.

later,
C

OK,

I give up.
How do I send you an e-mail?
I couldn't find your e-mail addy, and I don't know how to PM on this board.

I found you on linked-in. But I don't have a premium account, and we seem to be more than 4 degrees separated. (Guess neither of us is Kevin Bacon)

C

To send a Fool an e-mail through TMF message boards just find one of their messages, unselece the "Post this Reply to the Boards" and select "E-Mail this Reply to the Author."

Your message will not appear on the message board; your message will be sent directly to the Fool - unless you are in that Fool's "P-Box."

Kahuna,CFA

Posted & E-mailed

Fuskie,

Could I join your network? I suspect that over the next 18-24 months that my company will be playing the lay-off game. Although I've dodged these bullets in the past, I don't want to make the mistake of getting overly confident!



Thanks,

Jim

A Fool replied to this post by directly e-mailing me. That is fine with me, but I do know that if I do reply to their direct e-mail post, I will reveal my e-mail address as well as my "real name". That may or may not be OK with me, I will have to think about that some.

What they e-mailed to me was that they essentially wanted to know if they could "join my network." Well I have a network, several actually, but I do not own or control that network. For the most part my primary network is made up of people that I have met at investment conferences that I attended from 1976 - up to 1995, the year I retired, or my network is made up of people that I have mentored during my time in the investment management profession. Another network in composed of venture capital firms that I have invested in their limited partnerships as an institutional investor, or sometimes as an individual investor. A third network is made up of the executives of companies that I have followed intensively for a number of years. A fourth network is composed of alumni of the Applied Securities Analysis Program at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Here is the web-site for that course: http://www.uwasap.org. There is both a public portion of that web-site and a password protected portion for course alumni. For now, I am replying to their direct e-mailed post here, I may choose to respond directly to them in a day or two. The post that they actually responded to was one of my posts from December 2005, perhaps even the post before this one.

Kahuna,CFA