The traditional “Rolodex” may not be the same as it used to be, having
been replaced in large part with new tools like Facebook, LinkedIn,
Outlook, Google, and other social media platforms and repositories of
contact information. That doesn’t mean maintaining—or even starting to
build—that contact information is any less important now than it ever
was. If you currently have a job, start or continue to build your network
now, using all of the aforementioned tools at your disposal. If you’re currently
unemployed, it’s time to play catch up. Watching multiple unemployed
people just starting to build their network in desperate times may
exacerbate your own anxiety on the road to employment. It’s important
to realize that the process is not insurmountable. The tools available to
facilitate the information-gathering process are critical to your success,
and make it easier than ever to begin the process of networking. It’s time
to build your “Rolodex.”
I had several traditionalists say they wanted face-to-face meetings and
phone calls. Those are fantastic if you can get them, but don’t depend
on them. Networks are built in many different ways today. There is no
set formula, but social media and email often are the most convenient
ways for the recipients of your requests to connect. It’s important to get
to know what the people you are depending on are using as their own
“Rolodex,” whether it’s LinkedIn or something else. If you need to create
new social media profiles, then do it. It’s important to adapt to new technologies
and networking practices if you’re not already there. While I’m
not typically a conformist, my own circumstances meant that I needed
to go with the easiest means of connecting. If the people I was trying to
connect with preferred one method over another, my goal was to make it
as easy and convenient as possible for them. In this case, I recognized that
if everyone else was doing it, there had to be a good reason why.
On a personal note, I know how time-consuming social media can be.
I think it can become habit-forming and has the potential to keep you
from developing real relationships. However, I can comfortably say that
more than eighty percent of my time using social media was on LinkedIn,
or working with the contact list that I’ve maintained over the years in
Microsoft Outlook. I considered this invested time crucial to setting up
the meetings that would become real conversations. The time-consumption
the question is really about productivity. How productive are you when
you’re using it? It wasn’t as important for me to view a post of what someone
had for dinner last night as to better understand what was going on
in his or her career and industry.
As you continue to reach out to people, build your Rolodex by capturing
contact information through incoming email signatures and other
means such as business cards, websites, and letterheads. Most professionals
have some type of email signature that often includes their phone
number and address. I significantly increased the number of times I was
able to capitalize on new leads by taking down the information in those
email signatures. I even found valuable opportunities with administrative
assistants’ contact information when it came to setting up networking
sessions, interviews, and meetings.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
- Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
- Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
- Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
- The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
- From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
- The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com