Robin Boswell, Director of Graduate Student Career Development at the Belk College at UNC Charlotte, put it best..."Find Your People." Now for the subsequent question: "WHO are my people?" Well to answer that question, one has to perform an internal search. But before we do that, let’s look at the obvious questions first: What do you see in the mirror? Are you male or female? Do you belong to a particular ethnic background(s)? What generation or age bracket do you belong to? These answers should narrow your list to about 20 organizations.
Now time for the internal search: “What industry interests you? What career field/industry are you looking to pursue or currently in? Where is your targeted audience? Now take these answers to Google. Most likely the combination of answers from the above paragraph and the subsequent questions narrowed your list to 5 or less organizations. (At least it did for me with the help of Robin. *smile*)
Answering these questions created my networking foundation. It gave me peace of mind that I am not wandering aimlessly through the Charlotte business community. With Robin’s help, I created a targeted list of local and national organizations that will assist me in my field of interest. Now onto the second half once you find your people…network. (Not going to lie in the past, I would rather catch the plague then to network. However I’ve conquered that hurdle. I’m ready to tackle upcoming events b/c I have a FOCUS!)
I would like to pass on a book recommendation to you: "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi. This book was recommended to me by a manager at a branding firm. For those who run when they hear the word "networking" like I did this is for you.
So….FIND YOUR PEOPLE & Enjoy your weekend!
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