Business Insight Zone

All going according to plan, I’ll put up a series of posts in the next couple of weeks about using social media in a job search. I’ve been thinking of this both because (a) lots of people use Hoover’s information to help them look for work, and, (b) since I spend my days immersed in the business uses of social media, friends who are looking for work sometimes turn to me for advice about how to use it better.

When I was talking to a friend about this earlier today, I ran into probably the most common objection I hear about professional networking. In so many words:

How do I build my professional network without imposing myself on others and pestering them for favors?

It’s a good question. Many people I know want to succeed in their careers, but don’t want to be seen as grasping or needy. So how do you bridge that divide?

Here’s what I conveyed to my friend — the same advice I’ve given a number of times before:

THE secret to networking for folks who are reticent to ask for help: make it about LEARNING from others and OFFERING help.

I believe you can be helpful even when you don’t have a job or many contacts — by answering questions, by promoting others’ good work, or simply by offering moral support. Plus, in my own experience and in what I’ve observed for others, you can often quickly develop contacts — and land jobs — based on your willingness to listen to others, learn from them, and offer help without any kind of quid pro quo.

What do you think? How do you build your professional network?

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Image by Think London.