Over the past four weeks, I have had 5 networking friends who have landed new jobs. This is exciting news to hear and I am hopeful that the trend will continue towards economic recovery and job market stabilization.

I am very happy for these folks and others who have successfully landed new jobs. But I also worry for them. Why? Because there is a high risk that they might go “MIA” from a networking point of view. They will become so consumed in their new work reality that they will abandon their networking friends and activity.

Why is this? Why is it so common that working professionals only tap into their network when they are looking for jobs? Why do you never hear from them again once they’ve landed new jobs? Why do they choose to disappear and abandon the networking relationships that they worked so hard to build?

Short term view of networking. I believe this is because they view networking as an activity, rather than a strategy for life. They “do” networking only because they have an immediate need. In essence, they take a transactional approach to networking (i.e., “can you help me find a job?”). They are thinking immediate need, short term thinking. They do not consider the long term value of networking – that is building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships before you need them.

We want to hear from you. The people in your network who you have worked so hard to build relationships with care about YOU. They want to continue to hear from you whether you have a job or you don’t have a job. You can continue to grow and maintain your mutually-beneficial relationship over the course of time, no matter what your current circumstance. That’s the best part of networking!

So how do you prevent the travesty of being classified as “missing in action” from your network? The answer is – You stay in touch (even after you’ve landed that new job and are consumed with learning the new ropes)

5 ways to remain relevant to your professional network after you’ve landed a new job

Here are five ways you can continue to network throughout your career and remain relevant, visible and valuable to the people in your professional network.

1. Announce your success and share your new contact details. You have good news to share with the people in your network. You also have many people to thank for helping you achieve this success, whether that was from leads and connections or the support they extended to you during your job search. Plan to send personal thank you cards, mail out your new business card and/or email them with your complete new contact details (including phone, email and mailing address). Update your Linkedin.com profile and leverage Linkedin’s functionality to broadcast your good news message to everyone in your contact list. Make this a priority before or shortly after you start your new job. It’s news that the people in your professional network will want to hear!
2. Make yourself easily “findable.” Whether you are changing companies or moving houses, you need to take take and communicate your new contact details. Otherwise you will become “lost” to people in your network. Don’t make them wonder where you are or work too hard to find out how they can contact you. Include your new contact details with every communication: email signatures, voice mail messages (don’t make they guess whose voice that is or where to call you back), business cards, social media, etc. Be sure to include a current photograph on your Linkedin.com profile so people can easily recognize you. Distribute your new business cards like “candy” – get your new contact details in the hands of everyone who is important to you.
3. Check in your social networking site of choice at least daily. Having a presence on one or more of the major social networking sites (Linkedin.com, Facebook or Twitter) is great but only if you actively use it regularly. You have to balance the need for time management and the value of staying in touch with your network. I recommend that you visit your major social networking site of choice at least once per day and that you provide an update at least once per week. This let’s people in your network know that you are alive and kicking.
4. Stay in regular touch with your 50 most important networking contacts. You may not be able to keep up the same level of networking with everyone you did before, but there some people that you’ll want to stay in more regular touch with. I call this group your Top 50 Contacts.  You will want to maintain a higher level of frequency of communication with them. Watch this video on the Angelo’s 50-5-10-2 strategy:
   
5. Pick up the phone and respond. The telephone remains a powerful networking tool. Unlike texting and emailing, the telephone allows you to bring more of you (i.e., your voice) to life in the communication. Even if you are just leaving voice mails, your networking outreach by telephone can help to maintain that connection and relationship. Remember to keep your messages short and enticing, especially if you want them to call you back. AND, remember to book-end your name and telephone number so it’s easy for them to identify you and to call you back. Here’s an example: “Hi Jan, this is Kathy McAfee (860) 408-0033. I just met with very interesting person who I believe can help you with your upcoming event. Call me back and I’ll tell you more. Again this is Kathy McAfee (860) 408-0033”
   

Summary. There are many more ways  in which you can reach out and stay in touch with the many people who have come into your professional network. The important thing is that you commit to doing it and you do it with consistency. You will need these people at some time in the future, or they might need you. Just because you have the good fortune of landing a new job doesn’t mean you have to walk away from all the equity you have built in people and relationships during your job search. Don’t abandon those who have helped you. Embrace the attitude and behaviors of a Motivated Networker and reap the many rewards of networking over the course of your work life, if not your entire life!

Leave a Comment. I value your opinion and would appreciate hearing what you’re experience has been. Please post your comment below.

I’ve been in writer’s jail for nine weeks. This past Sunday at precisely 8:25am, I completed the 41st and final chapter of my new book on networking. The title is Networking Ahead: your GPS for driving business and professional success.

The book is due out in September. If you want to reserve a copy of the book now, email me at Kathy@MarketingMotivator.net

The truth be told, I’ve been thinking about and talking about writing a book for several years now (you too?). I finally pulled it out of my head and on to paper.

Are you curious as to how I got it done?

How I actually got my manuscript completed: A story of collaboration, encouragement, accountability and daily discipline.

1. Collaboration. I created a collaborative partnership with Eitan and Stacey Battat of Kiwi Publishing. We have been meeting face to face for two hours every two weeks for the past six months, helping each other on our projects. I’ve been providing marketing consultation on their cool new project Thin Threads. Check it out. They have been consulting with me on my book.
2. Encouragement. I shared my goal and enlisted the support of others who care about me and my success. This milestone would not have been achievable without the help and push from close family and business associates. I am grateful for my husband Byron, my mastermind friends, Rahna, D’vorah, Marge and Tonya, and my publishers Eitan and Stacey Battat of Kiwi Publishing.
3. Accountability. About 3 months into the project, I found myself in an acute state of writer’s procrastination. With the deadline looming, I reached out to my publisher and friend, Eitan Battat and humbly asked for his help. I begged him to hold me accountable for writing this darn thing. He asked me if I preferred the carrot or the stick. (here’s a good related article I wrote last year: http://marketingmotivator.net/motivating-yourself-in-challenging-times/) While I loved the idea of rewards, I knew that a penalty would be far more motivating for me. He then asked me to take out my credit card and hand it over to him. We agreed that if I did not submit 5 chapters every Monday at noon, he would charge my credit card $55. Then he and Stacey would go out to their favorite restaurant and enjoy lunch together…at my expense. If I made ALL of my weekly deadlines (9 in total), he and Stacey would take me and my husband Byron out to dinner at our favorite restaurant. We shook hands and now my money was where my mouth was. This was a powerful incentive. As a result, I made ALL nine deadlines. Which leads me to the daily discipline…
4. Daily Discipline. In order to write 5 chapters a week, I made a plan to complete one chapter per day Monday through Friday, with some extra time on the weekends to finish up. I set my alarm clock for 5:30am and got up and commenced writing at 6am everyday – including Saturdays and Sundays. Some weeks, I was done by Friday. Other weeks were harder and I was burdened with writing all five chapters in one day – Sunday (hardly the day of rest!). That was not my best writing. It was torture. A little bit each day was far more enjoyable and resulted in fresher thinking and better writing. The benefits of daily discipline.

“A year from now you may wish that you started today.”

This motivating quote from Karen Lamb is so true. Time passes quickly and we have dreams, hopes and goals that we all want to accomplish. But there is just too much talking and not enough action. Get motivated and start taking action on your dreams. Find the people in your network who will collaborate with you, encourage you, hold you accountable. The daily discipline part is up to you.

I look forward to reading YOUR book!

I found this insightful article by Caroline M.L. Potter on networking between friends and the mistakes that you can easily make if not careful. I give it the thumbs up and wanted to be sure that you had the chance to see it. I have re-posted Caroline’s article here complete and unedited. I especially like her clever title and point number 5 on her list of no-nos.

Between Friends: 5 Networking No-Nos

by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs

The rise of social networking has broken down barriers between our personal and our professional lives, and many people are benefiting. But when you turn to one of your buddies for a professional assist with a career opportunity, beware of these networking-with-friends mistakes.

1.Starting with the ask. Even if you’re desperate, don’t begin your conversations with a cry for help. Networking and career expert Liz Ryan explains, “A common networking-with-friends mistake is to start networking from the perspective of ‘Here’s what you could do for me,’ rather than a place of ‘I want to hear about what’s new with you!’” Friendship is a two-way street. Once your friend feels heard and senses your interest and compassion, she is likely to offer to help you … because of the friendship ‘glue’ you’ve established.”

2. Expecting everyone to know your business. Your professional activities and accomplishments are very important–to you. No matter how exciting or upsetting your job or job search is, most of your friends won’t recall all the details. Ryan observes, “Many people will say, ‘Here’s the latest thing I’m up to,’ forgetting that our friends can’t possibly remember everything we told them the last time we saw them.” It’s your job to briefly recap where you’re at, thus putting your current news into perspective. For example, she says, “Remind your friend, ‘I’m not sure you remember that I’ve been doing home-and-office organizing these days, and just this week….’”

3. Cannibalizing friends’ online connections. Are you drooling over the fact that a friend is “Linked In” to a high-level Apple exec? You can tell your friend about your desire to work for Apple, but don’t ask for an introduction right away. Instead, Ryan recommends that you fill your friend in on your needs or goals, and then wait for him to offer to forward your resume, for instance. You can politely say at that point, “That would be wonderful, and would you by chance also be comfortable introducing me to [the exec]?” If the friend balks at your request, respect his feelings and don’t raise the issue again.

4. Asking for a recommendation without reason. Your friends may be able to speak to a lot of your best qualities and provide character references. But unless you’ve worked with them in a professional capacity, avoid asking for a professional recommendation. “It’s jarring to get a request for a LinkedIn endorsement from someone we know only as a friend and not in professional life,” Ryan says. Don’t impose by requesting what would surely be a weak endorsement from someone who isn’t really acquainted with your work. According to Ryan, this will jeopardize his or her credibility–and possibly your friendship. If someone asks you for an unwarranted endorsement, she suggests simply saying, “I wish I knew your work well enough to recommend you”–and then moving on.

5. Being a friend in need, not in deed. Everyone lets some connections slip away over time, but don’t reconnect if you’re obviously only seeking a favor. Ryan explains, “My friend Melissa got a call from an old workmate of hers from 20 years ago. ‘It’s been ages, and I’d love to hear what’s new,’ he said. Melissa and the long-ago colleague met for lunch; the two of them hadn’t even placed their drink orders when he said, ‘So, can you get me a job at your employer?’” Check, please! “If you haven’t seen someone in a long time, it’s highly inappropriate to invite them to lunch only to hit them up for job leads. Networking is an activity that needs to be focused on the other person, not on your needs,” Ryan states.

To read the full article by Caroline M.L. Potter, click here or you can Follow Caroline on Twitter - she’s a hot doghnut

Listen to this audio interview with networking expert, Kathy McAfee and Pete Winiarski, president of the Institute of Success and Goal Achievement on the topic of effective networking and relationship building for business, career and life success.

• Have you ever felt awkward or uncomfortable networking or following-up with people you’ve recently met?
• Would you like the tools, strategies and motivation to do it with confidence and gusto?
• How can you create more fun, fulfillment and freedom in your life by better leveraging your personal and professional networking?

Now more than ever your best investment is in building your professional network.  Listen to this stimulating conversation about how you can create a robust professional and personal network that works for you.

Kathy describes that the real purpose of Networking is Relationship Building – a purposeful exercise to build mutually beneficial relationships.  That’s an interesting perspective given all the 1-way “transactional” conversations you might hear when you go to a networking event.  Or, think of all the requests on Twitter or Facebook to click here to buy now – without the relationship first.  (This is one of the biggest mistakes people make.)

Kathy gives you a new perspective on networking and shows you how it can help you realize more fun, freedom and fulfillment in your career, business and life.

Kathy lays out the basics of networking for us, and points out that many of us are happy to help others but few have the courage to ask for help.

Here are two exercises to consider doing now that will help you determine the power of your network.

1)    How many people do you know? List them all out – break this up by category if it helps you, such as work, family, college, neighbors, etc.  (Note: this is not the number of friends on Facebook or Twitter, but real people you know by name.)  Did you come up with more than 250?  If yes, you’re doing pretty well.

• Get started by downloading  this worksheet My World_networking master list

2)    Who are your top 50 people – the influential people in your network who are motivated to help you out?

Catch the details of this interview and discover how easy it is to become a powerful networker!

 

 Interview on Networking with Kathy McAfee and Pete Winiarski: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download