Holiday Career Networking
Susie Buysse, Manager, Career Services & Company Outreach
Holiday social activities and parties offer valuable opportunities to meet new people and connect with old friends. Here are a few dos and don’ts for holiday gatherings:
Do …
- Bring personal business cards. It serves as a reminder of who you are. It doesn’t need to be fancy; include key words and/or phrases from your elevator pitch.
- Keep your conversations light and friendly. If appropriate, weave a concise consistent message of who you are (include strengths) and your objective into each conversation. Keep it to one to two sentences and find out where the individual works and his or her title. If the timing isn’t quite right, ask if you can briefly meet at a later date to discuss professional issues.
- If you are currently seeking a new position, be forward thinking and upfront about your search, i.e. “I’m excited about transitioning to a product management position with a multinational company in the software industry. Select your words carefully if you are currently employed and want to keep your job search confidential.
- Networking is about making connections through a common interest and exchange of information. Look for a commonality and offer to be a resource.
In addition, a productive December task is to update your LinkedIn profile, if necessary, and join groups of interest. A strong TMMBA group certainly exists!
Two benefits exist with these tasks: 1) You will quickly and significantly broaden your number of contacts 2) You will update your online resume and professional brand. (Companies can find top talent faster and more economically; eBay cut cost per hire by half with LinkedIn compared to that of traditional job boards.)
Enjoy the holidays!
