In order for people to know who you are; what you need; what your competencies are; and, if you are deserving of their assistance, you must communicate. Keep in mind that the best way to communicate these four things is to do so when you are NOT looking for anything from anyone. I call this a "Touch". You want to touch people regularly. Note that "regula more...

In order for people to know who you are; what you need; what your competencies are; and, if you are deserving of their assistance, you must communicate. Keep in mind that the best way to communicate these four things is to do so when you are NOT looking for anything from anyone. I call this a "Touch". You want to touch people regularly. Note that "regularly" does not equal "often". Sending a birthday message or Christmas card once a year may be enough. If you include a brief update of what you have been doing, even better. I suggest that you try to "touch" 3-5 people that you would not normally communicate with per week by doing the following:

- Email, IM, Facebook or text message
- Birthday cards
- Christmas cards
- Short phone call
- Forward an article or video of interest

In addition, there are several tools on the Internet today that enable you to communicate your expertise.

- Maintain a robust LinkedIn profile with endorsements
- Communicate you expertise through a blog or other resources (e.g. Gotta Mentor)

 ...less

Participation has always been my favorite and most effective form of networking. Participating in different events, organizations, committees, teams, projects or clubs has led to many great relationships and opportunities. There are many ways to participate and they each have benefits.

Attending an event
My rule of thumb is that if you should go more...

Participation has always been my favorite and most effective form of networking. Participating in different events, organizations, committees, teams, projects or clubs has led to many great relationships and opportunities. There are many ways to participate and they each have benefits.

Attending an event
My rule of thumb is that if you should go to as many events as you can. If you don`t go, there is no chance to meet anyone that might be helpful to you. If you do go, you will most likely meet someone or re-connect with someone that can help.

Active Participant
Actively participation enables you to develop personal bonds and relationships with other participants. More than 50% of my most valuable personal and professional relationship stem from playing basketball.

Organization Leader
Leadership has its privileges. The most beneficial in my mind is visibility. When you are the leader of the organization, everyone knows you. People you don`t know, know you. And they know you in the context of being a leader. That is extremely valuable. It expands your circle exponentially. Another benefit to striving for leadership positions is that there is upside in the downside. Have you ever heard of Al Gore, or John McCain? . They were big losers of the Presidential race, but simply by competing, they have significantly enhanced how well known they are and the number of opportunities they now have available to them.
 ...less

As I have stated networking is about being know. However, you also want to be know for the right things. If I could choose one thing to be known for, it would be "success". People like to assist people that they know will be successful. You would not recommend a person who has been fired 4 times for job in your company. You are more likely to make and i more...

As I have stated networking is about being know. However, you also want to be know for the right things. If I could choose one thing to be known for, it would be "success". People like to assist people that they know will be successful. You would not recommend a person who has been fired 4 times for job in your company. You are more likely to make and introduction if you know the person has a track record of following through.

The definition of success in this context is not limited to professional success. Your success may be academic (e.g. phi beta kappa, very high scores on standardized tests, etc.); it may be extracurricular (e.g. president of an association, leading scorer on a team, etc.); or, it may be personal (e.g. writer of a popular blog, winner of a beauty contest, etc.).

In addition, your successes do not necessarily need to be related to the specific opportunity you are pursuing. People often make the assumption that if you are exceptional at something, then you can be exceptional at other things.
 ...less

People are likely to help those who have helped them in the past. There is no better way to network than to do something for somebody else. This may be in response to a request for help or an unsolicited assistance.

You might say to yourself, "There is no way I can help that person, they have the resources to do anything they want". Don`t always  more...

People are likely to help those who have helped them in the past. There is no better way to network than to do something for somebody else. This may be in response to a request for help or an unsolicited assistance.

You might say to yourself, "There is no way I can help that person, they have the resources to do anything they want". Don`t always think about economic value. You might be able to:
- help his/her child study for the SATs
- provide information on the newest technical or electronic product or service
- give access to an exclusive event (e.g. college basketball tickets)

Don’t think about your goodwill as “a favor for a favor”. In reality, you may never receive that favor in return. But don`t be fooled, this is not simply about good Karma. It will make it a lot easier for you to ask for a favor in the future.  ...less