Reasons to Network

When is the best time to have a network in place? Before you need it. I've been talking to a lot of people over the past few months about networking. While no one would argue that networking isn't important, I did hear quite often that people didn't feel as though they had the time to network.

I also know quite a few people who are networking like mad right about now. Unfortunately, they're doing so because they learned that their jobs are going away. This is a rather extreme example, but it illustrates the point. If you need assistance right now, how many people could you call upon? Look at your rolodex, your address book, your database, how often are you in touch with those people? What if you had the tools to stay in touch? What if you had the tools to reach beyond the people you already know? What if you had the ability to demonstrate your abilities and expertise and attract new people into your network.

These tools do exist. I've taken the time to explore a few over the past few weeks. More than that, I've had the opportunity to greatly expand my network and I will continue. What are my goals? I want to have resources to call on when working on future projects both for Women & Hi Tech as well as other projects. I want to know about potential career opportunities before I need them. I want to establish my expertise beyond the small group of people I work with and interact with regularly. I know I need a network, and I want to have it in place before I really need it! Any time I devote to expanding my network is time well spent. How about you?