Networking is communicating with friends, relatives, and professionals in order to seek jobs and information. Networking is a great way to get ahead of the competition when you are finishing school and/or changing jobs. It's really just a natural process of enlisting the help and guidance of others.

Steps to Networking

1. Conduct research to prepare for networking. Identify the most interesting and fertile employment areas in order to give you search directions and purpose. Carefully prepared questions and statements based upon this research are critical.
2. Scan newspapers, magazines and the Internet for stories about people who do what you want to do. Investigate companies where your "ideal job" could be located. Read descriptions of careers you may wish to investigate.
3. Start your search at a very general level. As you begin to target specific areas to explore, the focus will shift to researching specific positions and contacting specific people.
4. Gain a solid understanding of who you are, what you have to offer and where you are going. This information will prepare you for the next step, choosing your "guides." Your guides will be your primary leads to other contacts and sources of information.
5. Active networking begins with knowing accessible, knowledgeable people (friends, family, alumni, and past employers). Contacting these individuals and asking for their advice will almost always result in your learning something valuable.
6. List all names that come to mind. Even if you don't intend to contact each individual, sometimes just listing the name can help you remember another name.
7. Be organized. An accurate record keeping system (database or notebook) with the contact name, company name, contact phone number, e-mail address, and how you know the contact person is extremely important.
8. In networking, your purpose is to explore options, gather information, and cultivate contacts, not to shoot for specific potions. Sending resumes with cover letters is a poor way of securing networking meetings. Too often, these communications are mistaken for job applications and are directed to the personnel office.
9. Every letter and meeting requires extensive follow-up. you cannot expect business executives to track you down. Calling or sending follow-up letters is a must.
10. Set goals for yourself in terms of number of telephone calls and networking meetings you will make daily and weekly. This way you can measure your progress.
11. Immediately after each meeting, take time to note the results in writing.
12. Show your contacts how much you have been helped. Common courtesies (a call to confirm an appointment and a follow-up thank you letter) are appropriate. In your thank you letter, refer to specific information or assistance that your contact contributed to you.
13. Communicate with your contacts on a regular basis. You'll often find that "old" contacts have new suggestions.
14. When you complete your search, reconnect with all your contacts to thank them for the assistance and inform them of your new assignment. Nurturing these contacts can only enhance your network, which may be needed again in the future.