HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume

Link from Sharethis.com: HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume

Social media resumes are important for attracting hiring managers directly to you, without you having to submit your resume, blindly, to them. The problem with submitting your resume online to job postings is that most job postings aren’t (read more...)  Posted using ShareThis

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Launching LinkedIn From a Living Room

The founder of Linkedin opens up in an interview here. From 350 personal invites to 4500 within one month, and 50 million users today, this is a story to read! Click here.

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Facebook For Nonprofits

Facebook 101 For Nonprofits

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Clean Tech - SSB Aug 09

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My post on the Headstart Network Blog

The August edition of Startup Saturday showcased two of the finest efforts in the domain of clean tech. While the term clean tech is in a lot of discussion, these days, there are a number of concepts that need clarifications, and when it comes to start-ups in clean tech, SSB is always at the forefront with its showcase! In fact, we had rush not just in nominations, but also amongst speakers and the demos in Lightning Pitches - we had more than we could accomodate and till the last minute, this kept us on our toes! So finally, NextGen PMS and AutoBoxx Automation were the ones that comprised the main demos and we had a number of speakers that made us decide about having a panel discussion. The concept of a panel discussion during an SS event was one of the two 'firsts' that we had  - the second one being mentioned next.

One of the newest feather in our cap was the concept of live streaming of the event, thanks to mobisy.com. The idea sprung up from the fact that we needed online videos of the event for archiving and streaming over the Net. In fact, our media partners have always been interested in having a copy of the part they have sponsored and live streaming really served this purpose.

Since this was an experimental effort this time, we have further efforts to improve the quality, lighting, timing and other related aspects of the video. View videos

­The way the volunteers have been supported by the people who attend SSB events was so clear when we faced a hitch in the mobile camera used for live streaming (it's battery went off!) and immediately, one of the members of the audience offered his phone's battery to continue the recording. Thanks to this spirit that SSB events have been so successful in Bangalore.

         

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­ NextGen PMS are involved in the entire green chain, and are involved in estimating carbon waste footprints, and providing energy and emission efficiency measures and implementation plan. It was really a crisp presentation and Abhishek, who is the co-founder of the startup, interacted very well with the audience. He seemed to present a number of complicated topics in a very simplified manner to the group.

Think about managing energy in offices and houses and you got to talk to Ramandeep from Autoboxx Automation. They are not just into this but also in monitoring and tracking of company personnel, outsourced vendors as wel as customers. Their clientele includes banks retailers and telecom companies.

InOutAds was the first one to come up for the Lightning Pitches and went to showcase their approach towards connecting the folks who have places to advertise with the folks who have things to advertise. This was followed by Narahari from Presiding Tech India (They are primarily into Carbon credit and related activities), and Freeman who talked about the iAccelerator program at IIMA. Alleway Info talked about grooming the students entering the job market, and how they are not a placement agency but a source of well qualified and more than normal freshers in to the industry. Daniel from Daniel Power Systems was on stage with his wife and 3 month old kid and showcased his efforts at minimizing power thefts from the supply lines (not from homes) and at optimizing smart grids (without the hassles of having expensive smart switches at home/grids). MASH from IIMB presented the Marketing club efforts by the students and how they are coming up with innovative methods to reach more relevant people. They also mentioned briefly about the upcoming events at IIMB during the networking sessions.

The panel discussion was a very warm one with biggies like Vasudev Avdhani from the Tata Group,  Karthee Madaswamy from Qualcomm Ventures, Elmar Stroomer and Pradeep from Enviu, and Shashidhara K from Blueray Solar joining together with the audience to understand deeper aspects of opportunities in Clean Tech in India, and part of the discussion involved topics such as solar power, rechargeable dance floor, and hybrid autorickshaw project in India.

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­ We had a new concept of categorized business card collection and folks dropped their cards in to boxes with different labels such as web services, product based startups and so on. We also had a graffitti board up during the networking session for people to put in their thoughts about Startup Saturday events! Bangalore Mirror and StartupNews.in were present amongst the audience and did an excellent job of interacting with the audience. The audience enthu was brimming, and was visible during the networking session!

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Social Media Marketing - Anis Khan

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Alternative Startup Financing Schemes - Freeman Murray

I’ve seen a number of posts lately discussing the ‘changing face of venture capital’. Paul Graham talks about the change in dynamics caused by the low capital requirements of technology startups. Fred Wilson discusses the need for a market for privately held common stock. There seems to be a general consensus about the growing role angels play in the startup ecosystem, and sadly there also seems to be a general consensus indicating that angels should basically write off their investments the moment they make them.

This last point rings true for me. Before coming to India I made a number of investments in tech companies. During my chapter... [Read full article]

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Ford Motor Company - 1902 Business Plan

Ford Motor Company 1902 Indus Khaitan

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Of foster parenting and technology marketing

One of my  articles published on the NSRCEL Blog

The state of technology marketing in India (and else where) is something that is of prime concern for the introduction of new products and the so-called buzz being created to focus on innovative products in SW. We have mostly been a service based economy as far as IT is concerned and there is a sentiment of venture gurus to focus more on innovation, so as to sustain and lead in this arena. Many folks blame the marketing fellows to have failed in sustaining innovation, even if technical folks are busy creating newer ideas. A number of product companies funded by well-known money mines are being shelved, and the blame goes to the entrepreneurs behind these ideas. Are they really failing? Many of them get swallowed by the biggies such as MS and Google (the founders consider it success for them if they have been bought over by a bigger player!).

        

I believe there is an amazing mismatch between marketing fellows and the techies, and this is the primary reason that they fail. People at the top are unable to comprehend, where buckets-full of money is vanishing in the name of branding a product. For every failure in the market, there are many success stories - sometimes the smaller fish is bought over by a giant or simply shelved into file-13.

I was interacting with the marketing fellow of a techie product - we did not know that he was not a PhD and not a techie fellow, until his boss revealed. The depth of understanding he had about 'how his product is going to help the customer' was superb. Another example, I would suggest a fellow from Mathworks Inc, who was completely from the sales and marketing side - the clarity he had about the usability of the product was the inspiration to even think of an alternative solution to the tool we were using at hand. You have to keep in mind, just two things - make the customer understand the technology involved in a very simple manner, and secondly, you have got to get the right price. Many marketing fellows avoid the most important questions, saying that they'll get back to the tech team. And some others, over-promise the merits of the product without even taking the tech team into confidence.

It is very difficult (particularly for the bigger companies, who are the guys with the money), to shift from a software tool to a newer one. They keep working with the older tool because their client overseas has not yet upgraded to the latest version or the newer tool in discussion.

Pouring money to marketing of technology is never going to work in the long run and we keep lamenting the disappearance of innovative SW. It has to (blame it to Darwin or to anyone) vanish unless sustained in a motherly way (marketing folks always have a mix of fear for tech and over-commitment, making them almost step-parental). In the same lines, we need more and more tech fellow develop the ability to market for themselves or assist the marketing fellow (instead of looking at the marketing fellow as a money-minded jerk who gets paid for 'just babbling'). In many successful companies, the pitching team always comprises of a combination of a tech person and a non-tech person.

We got to evolve. SW ideas evolve faster than they get accepted in the market. Secondly, SW ideas come to shape faster than bigger project's life cycle. Example, an Airbus 380 project had loss in billions of USD just because the SW they used underwent a major version upgrade. For this reason, the bigger projects prefer to freeze the SW till the project is delivered and the support for the project continues with the same tool. Its like, you have ten soaps on the shelf to take bath with, you'd generally choose one for the whole period of the bath (the project). Can you say that another soap which was bought while you were busy bathing has failed, for you!? Every innovation is important - to make it viable  in the business sense needs planned effort.

It is high time that VCs and the folks whose money is involved, get deeper into the idea behind an idea, than just playing with spreadsheets. It has become like the discussion between a foster parent with her teenage daughter - the adult is not interested in going into details of what the teenager wants to prove, and the teenager does not want to or is incapable of explaining the real meaning of her intentions. The money-folks keep looking at the halo over the head of the inventor, and the inventor may lack the basics of explaining the money aspects of the innovation. Unfortunately, the idea gets shelved!

Money (funnily, many folks really understand it as muscle power - its true!) plus better marketing/entreprenuers can make more number of SW innovations see the light of the day - and we need not lament dying innovations (due to Darwin stuff about evolution and the survival of the fittest) - if people can do without them, they will.

Incubators such as NSRCEL are a great source of a collection of mentors who bridge this gap to a large extent. You will find people who are interested in both technology and money, (in an equally ignorant way!), so as to look at the better aspects of both. When you look at an idea from a non-rejection perspective, and with all the patience that it deserves, it will evolve faster and healthier. "Generally at the NSRCEL no Idea is rejected." And if you observe, the gap between the marketing and the techies are being filled by appropriate support from NSRCEL. To have the right kind of folks do the job they are best at is the focus. This will help the techies focus on innovation and would make sense when the need of the hour is to focus on innovative products.

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Increase Confidence!

This is from an email forward. Thanks to whoever wrote it originally.

Is your confidence intensity is where you’d like it to be?

Many relationship issues occur from a short of of confidence or low self-esteem. little self-confidence can put in withdrawal, lack of closeness and even unfaithfulness in a relationship.

So, how can you amplify your confidence? Well, self-confidence is not a product that can be plucked from a tree or pulled from a bookshelf. You see, having advantage for ones self is all about self-love and that comes from inside. So, in numerous ways achieving self confidence is an expedition within.

However, there are various things you can do that will help to catch you the right track. To get you moving in the right path I’ve included the following “Ways to raise your Confidence”…

1. Think about a name that is confident and act, speak and walk similar to him or her. mock-up their mannerisms and activities. It works for them; it will work for you.

2. Smile a lot added. That doesn’t stand for putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the lane, when you meet up people and generally be better-off even if you’re not feeling that way.

3. Gain knowledge from the past; don’t bang yourself up about it. It’s gone; it’s by no means coming back. Instead learn from it for next time.

4. Purchase yourself some new clothes, get your locks done, and care for yourself to something new. It will make you feel superior and will give your ego a boost.

5. Are you ready for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet up any test that may come up? Are you geared up for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet somebody for the first time? If not, get to it.

6. Cooperate to your strengths. Know what you are excellent at and expose yourself to these opportunities at all opportunities - because you’re superior at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more poise.

7. Look up your weaknesses. Know and understand what these are and put a plan in place to improve them over time.

8. Gain knowledge of how to say no to people. Don’t be frightened, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the response on their face after you’ve said it the first time and there will be no going back.

9. Be positive. Gaze on the “can do” side of things rather than the “can’t do”. You’ve proficient lots in your life and you will accomplish lots additional in the future.

10. Be in charge of your opinion at all times. What is a thought? It’s just a query that you’ve asked yourself and the consideration is you’re answer. If you’re having negative thoughts, you’re probably asking a negative issue. Alter the questions to be more positive.

11. Whenever you experience a negative thought coming, discontinue, THINK, and say is this really vital in the grand scheme of things. A lot of the instance it isn’t. A lot of people in life major in minor things!

After you have done the superlative you can to address the connection issues, you can go back to the reasons you are having these discussions in the first place — the raise, help, change in job responsibility or shift you have been seeking. Only now you will find a human being with whom it is much easier to deal. Where earlier there may have only been stony silence, worry and stress, there should be extra open dialogue and difficulty sorting.

Efficient and good operational relationships are essential to productive negotiations. If they do not survive, you have to take time to expand them. It will never be trouble-free, but it is always priceless.

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Recos on Linkedin

Author: David Weiner
This article points to David's Linkedin Profile. Please click here to know more.

(1) Timing on offering a mutual recommendation: WAIT 2 WEEKS TO RECIPROCATE! In conjunction with each recommendation prepared on your behalf, LinkedIn prompts you to reciprocate. Yes, you want to respond in kind, BUT you have to time it right. Here’s why. Weekly, each LinkedIn member receives an update of changes from all contacts in their respective network. This includes recommendations make by AND make for each contact member in their network. If you offer a recommendation for someone right after they recommended you, both are likely to appear next to each other. The effectiveness of the recommendation is lost since Back-scratching is implied ("I will says something good about you if you say something good about me"). Don’t fall into this trap.

(2) Proof each received recommendation: SPELL CHECK! We have become complacently dependent on the spelling functions in our work processing systems, but LinkedIn does not have any built in features to check spelling or grammar. So you should - always. Don't be afraid to ask for a recommendation to be amended for spelling errors. The person who recommended you will appreciate that you protected them from such a published error. Don’t post it until you like it. (And, when you are offering a recommendation, type it 1st in your word processing system so that your spelling and grammar are monitored – then cut and paste it into the LinkedIn recommendation. That’s how I wrote this BLOG – and was able to include bullets, in addition to making sure I had no spelling blunders).

(3) Make recommendations timeless: EDIT OUT "HIRE ME STATEMENTS!" Recommendations that encourage you to be hired that remain on your LinkedIn site may cause your next employer to suspect that you are still job hunting. Recommendations can be worded to champion you as a good candidate for employment consideration without stating that so obviously.

(4) Don’t be shy: YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU DON’T ASK FOR! Look at who you worked with, worked for and served in your current employer and each of the companies you have worked for in the past. When you make this request, honor them with a personal note on why receipt of their endorsement is personally important to you. Do this when you have a job. You won’t have adequate time to do this when you are looking.

(5) Target the right mix: INCLUDE CLIENTS / PEERS / DIRECT REPORTS / SUPERVISORS! This will offer a more complete balanced picture on you. Make sure you have representation from each of the companies you have worked for.

(6) Provide guidance: MAKE IT EASY! With the velocity of e-mails and time demands, you will want to make it as inconvenient as possible for someone to provide a recommendation on your behalf. If they feel rushed, it is likely to come through in the tone of the recommendation. Without your guidance, demanding someone to craft all of the text from scratch, it is likely to be less complete than you desire. No one can read minds or guess exactly what you want them to offer in a testimony. Offer the signature themes and accomplishments you want your contact to address on your behalf through some talking points. Consider e-mailing a personal updated narrative biography to provide full context of your career experiences. This is particularly critical when requesting a recommendation pertaining to a position held many years ago when you are likely to be remembered for whom you were then and not how you have matured and developed since. And, if “a-long-time-ago-in-a- galaxy-far-away” … the more foggy the recollection of your work. Help them come out of the fog - at light speed offering the information that your contacts can serve you with a recommendation with clarity and ease.

Regularly request AND recommend thoughtful testimonials through LinkedIn. My six secrets are out. Good career journeys to all.
This article points to David's Linkedin Profile. Please click here to know more.

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List of Business Incubators in India

List of a few Business Incubators in India

Name	Contact Person	Address	Contact Information
Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE)	Mr. Kunal Upadhyay - CEO	Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad- 380015	91-79-26324203 / 079 - 26308357 kunal@iimahd.ernet.in www.iimahd.ernet.in/ciie
Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE)	Prof. N.L. Sarda- Professor in Charge	IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai - 400076	91- 22- 25767072 Direct: 25767710 nls@csc.iitb.ac.in www.sineiitb.org
TBI ON EMBEDDED SYSTEMS AND VLSI DESIGN	Prof.S, Gurunarayanan Co-ordinator, TBI	Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani - 333031 Rajasthan.	91-1596-245073 Extn: 252 sguru@bits-pilani.ac.in www.bits-pilani.ac.in
TBI for Composites	Dr.R. Gopalan, Executive Director	Composites Technology Park, 205, Bande Mutt, Kengeri Satellite Township Bangalore-560060	91-80-56997605, 56681005 drgopal@blr.vsnl.net.in
Centre for Biotechnology	Dr. S. Meenakshisundaram- Business Manager	Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University Chennai - 600025	91-44-22350772, 9840348173 meenakshi@annauniv.edu www.annauniv.edu/biotech
MITCON Biotechnology Centre	Mr. Kulkarni - Chief Executive	MITCON Biotechnology Centre, BAIF Campus Mr. Manibhai Desai Nagar Pune - 411052	91-20-66289451 kulkarni@mitconbt.com www.mitconindia.com
National Design Business Incubator	Mr. Mahesh. K Rovvidi - Chief Operating Officer	National Institute of Design (NID), Paldi, Ahmedabad - 380007	91-79-2662 3692 Extn 5001 ndbi@nid.edu www.ndbiindia.org
Vellore Institute of Technology	Mr. A. Balachandran, Manager- TBI	VITTBI, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore-632014	91-416-2243097 - Direct vittbi@vit.ac.in www.vittbi.com
National Institute of Technology, Calicut	Mr. A.V. Francis, Officer on Special Duty, TBI	National Institute of Technology, Calicut - 673601 kerala	91-0495-2286162,Direct - 2286604 avf@nitc.ac.in
J.S.S. Mahavidyapeetha	Prof. R. Raghunanadan - Chief Executive	J.S.S. Academy of Technical Education, C-20/1, Sector -62 Noida 201301	91-120-2401442 ce@jssstepnoida.org www.jssstepnoida.org
ICRISAT	Mr. S. Karuppanchetty - Deputy COO, Mr. Abdul Rahman Ilyas - COO	ICRISAT, 303 Bldg, Patancheru 5023224	91-040-30713222 karuppanchetty@cgiar.org
Kongu Engineering College	Prof. S. Balamurugan- Executive Director - TBI	Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai -638052, Erode, Tamil Nadu.	91- 4294 220562, 220171, Direct 226650 balamurugan@kongu.ac.in
Advance Materials Technology Incubator	Mr. Sanjay Bharadwaj - Co-ordinator	International Advance Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials RCI Road, Opp. Ballapur Village, Hyderabad - 500005	91-40-24457104-7
Center for Entrepreneurship - SPJIMR	Prof. M. Suresh Rao - Program Co-ordinator	S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Munshi Nagar, Dadabhai Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai - 400 058.	+91-22-2623 7454 / 0396 / 2401 Ext: 211 msrao@spjimr.org www.spjimr.org/cen tre_entrepreneurship/hom e.asp

H6 G-Sec

What do you do when your team member has done a blunder and you are forced to defend him? Or when you have to handle an unofficial beer party with official guests?

From the middle of the third year of engineering to that of the fourth year, it was a mix of many such experiences when I was the General Secretary of my hostel. Before I got elected as the General Secretary (G-Sec, as they say) I had no idea that I would be contesting for such a post ever in my life. H6 expands to 'Hall of Residence 6'. At NIT Rourkela, you had six 'Halls of Residence' for men and two for the ladies. (NIT stands for National Institute of Technology. There are around 17 such universities in India.)

I had my own share of friends and enemies during my college days. But I had this habit of being in touch, and knowing details about almost everybody on the campus, including the smaller folks like security guards or the cafeteria staff. Sanjay Dutt's Kaante was released the year before we stood for election. I remember the room-to-room campaigning, printing posters with catchy phrases, raising slogans in front of the university on improvement issues, late night partying, answering people through text messages during lecture hours, and still maintaining some level of performance in the academics - I do not know how it all fitted together. We used to sing 'Jaane kya hoga raama re' on the building corridoors in the middle of the nights! We were four folks who sat together to make a strategy that no one could break - we all were elected to the board of management of the hostel. We had a cultural secretary, a sports secretary, a kitchen secretary and myself as the general secretary. As for me, there was just one more candidate who stood against me in the election - we had a good handshake once I was announced as selected.

Life changed in many ways. We used a number of discussions, both public as well as within our group, to formulate plans for improvements in H6. After years, we were most punctual in organizing the 'Independence Day' celebrations. We organized groups discussions for folks who were preparing for MBA entrance exams. There were a lot of enthusiasm generated for team outings - it was fun to handle everything from logistics to entertainment to feedback.

Being a G-Sec exposed me to newer arenas. I was able to look at the working of an education institution and a residential building with around 200 inmates. I saw the various rules made ages ago and work to revamp them with more relevant ones. There was change all around in the air. There was a change in the menu of the cafeteria, and we put a feedback system in place for folks. There was a change in the visitors policy as well, and for the first time, we had female students visit the hostel - this was banned earlier due to some archaic laws. This change was motivated by what the public felt about themselves being mature students of an university which ranked third amongst all the NITs in India and stood first for branch-specific rankings.

There was also a change in the inmate categories in the hostel - let me explain that a bit. We had residents in H6 who mostly comprised of MCA and lateral entry students. MCA stands for Master in Computer Applications and the lateral entry students were the ones who joined in the second year of engineering after completing their technical diplomas. Apart from this, we had a number of students who were 'back logged', that is they could not complete a year's course in the given time. Unlike the other hostels, there was a lack of a proper mix of students from all branches and streams in the university. This was changed when we were in. We brought in an exchange between the inmates of the various hostels and ensured that the student profile was diversified and that we had more interaction amongst students of all streams.

The cafeteria menu included 'Pakhaala' for the first time in the history of the institute. Pakhaala is a special food made in Orissa during summers - it is made by soaking boiled rice in water, and adding salt and spices. NITs have students from all over India and this was an experience that all students from outside of the state of Orissa had for the first time in their lives, and they did love it during the scorching heat of the summers.

Almost every other day of our tenure, we had some issue flare up - it was not all that peaceful. As I mentioned in the very first sentence of this write-up, there was a quarrel between one of my team mates, the kitchen secretary and one of the cooks. The food was pathetic that day and the fellow ended up getting pinned against the wall and receiving boxing shots from the students. I had to interfere in between to stop this hungama and within few minutes, someone had informed the hostel warden. While I was trying to settle things in the kitchen itself, my mobile rang with the warden on the call.

One hour of drama and then a short-lived peace - the warden took stock of the situation and put a show-cause notice to the student, asking why he should not expel him. Being expelled meant that he will lose all of his engineering career and has to start over again - something he had not thought before hitting the cook. It also meant that there will be a police record of the situation, which meant a big blur on his career graph. I could not support him for what he did and could not let the warden ruin his career as well. It was a heated discussion for two hours after which he was pardoned on the condition that he will do social work for the university and never repeat such an act. (There were a string of clauses before he was let off, including public apology to the cook.) I also advised that the cook be shifted to the adjoining hostel and replaced by the other cook there.

Another time there was a public outcry when one of the inmates hit a girl on the road while riding a bike, and both of them were in the intensive care unit of the largest hospital in the city. It was a mad crowd at the hospital gates, with people shouting slogans against the students. Well, we handled it properly, with adequate medical attention to both the patients and adequate attention to the public as well. My friends helped me a lot when I was standing in front of the mob - I just didn't want to be 'mobbed' by them!

One new thing I understood was the profile of poor students on government scholarships - my signature was required before waiving of their hostel fees and I could understand the amount of struggle these folks put in to come from stark poverty and going to become future technocrats of the world. One of such persons is still in contact with me even after six years of these events and I know he works for one of the biggest MNCs of the globe. Being in NIT, where students from all states of India are proporta

My daily work also involved coordinating with the hostel staff, security fellows, maintenance guys, contractors and suppliers. It showed the aspects of society where bribing was a way of life and I was not at all for it. It also allowed me to educate such people on how they could leverage themselves without resorting to under-the-table methods. One of the best lessons I learned was about 'when to kiss and when to kick' people. There were, at times, trade offs between what I thought and what others thought.

This way, acceptability is another thing that I learned as a G-Sec. It is not always that your ideas get accepted, but if you believe in the idea, you should know how to put it forth. As they say in Deutsch 'Der Tone macht der Musik' - it is the tone that makes the music. Another part of acceptability is to be aware and agree to others' perspectives. Seriously there's some art to it.

Each of the lessons learned during this stint was helpful in some or the other aspect of my professional life later. I could relate a lot of the characteristics of human behavior that I had observed those days, to those of my colleagues and managers. It also instilled in me, an approach to look at the bigger picture during any decision making. Managing people and their attitude is an art. It also reduces the amount of unnecessary frustration that many freshers have, at their workplace. Multi-tasking and emotion management are amongst more more things that I learned. Till date, I have organized five team outings for my colleagues at various companies and each of them has been a memorable one. Life teaches.. !

It was a mix of good and learning stuff those days - During a Governing Body meeting, I remember talking with the warden of the ladies hostel when he mentioned a funny incident: There was this girl who left the ladies' hostel mentioning that she's going to the library, and the warden spotted her kissing her boyfriend under some tree. The warden scribbled on the security logbook, right next to the entry made by the girl '..... was found in 'love' and not in the library'!

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Networking

Shared under a Creative Commons license

How to Network

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You've probably heard the phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know." In today's interconnected society, that rings true more than ever. Your talents, abilities, and experience will never take you anywhere if nobody knows you exist. In order to get what you want out of life, you need to be resourceful. Your fellow human beings are a vast resource.

Steps

1. Break your stereotypes about networking. If you're reading this article, you're probably familiar with the benefits of networking, but you've avoided doing it for a variety of reasons.
   
   • Networking can seem insincere, pretentious, or even manipulative. And if that's what you're thinking, you're probably right... about some of it. There will always be people who judge others based on image and titles, but there are also people who want to build genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. When you're networking, you're going to have to sift through the people you don't want to know to get to the people you do want to know. That's just an essential part of networking, but the good news is that with practice, you'll get better at spotting the people worth knowing.
     
   • You might think you're too shy or self-conscious to schmooze. Networking does require a degree of boldness, but with the advent of social networking sites, you can get to find others with similar interests and goals without being in a room full of people. Also, people who are shy and self-conscious tend to be a lot more open and talkative when they're doing or talking about something they're deeply interested in. If you find people who are just as obsessed with birding, origami, or manga as you are, then you'll have a much easier time establishing connections.
     
   • Networking takes time and effort. Unless you're an extroverted person who thoroughly enjoys schmoozing, it can be exhausting. Why bother? Well, one way to think of it is to imagine how much time and frustration you would save if anything you wanted or needed was just one or two phone calls away. Ultimately, a network can be an investment, with benefits that outweigh the costs.[1] You just need to stick with it and watch it grow.
     
   
   
2. Build your social network. If you hate small talk, this will be the hardest part, but you'll improve with practice. The key is to smile and take a genuine interest in other people's lives.
   
   • Strengthen your existing connections. Getting in touch with old friends, distant relatives, and people you went to school with can be a good stepping stone because you're reaching out, but you're not approaching complete strangers.[2] Give them a phone call or send them an e-mail to find out where they are and what they're doing. Tell them what you're up to.
     
   • Pursue interests and activities that mean a lot to you. The Internet has made this a whole lot easier. Check forums, listings, classifieds, and Internet mailing lists (known as "listservs") for local events or meetings that are likely to attract people with similar interests or passions.
     
   • Go to work-related conferences. Print out business cards and give out as many as you can. Ask the people you meet for their business cards, and write any details about them on the back once you have a moment to spare.
     
   
   
3. Find out who knows whom. When you're talking to people, find out what they do for a living and for fun, as well as what their spouse or significant other, nearby family members, and close friends do for work and recreation, too. It may be helpful to make note of this in your address book so you don't lose track of who does what.
   
   • Example: You meet Mary at a book club meeting and you find out that her cousin is an expert windsurfer. A few months later, your niece reveals to you that one of her life's goals is to go windsurfing. Instead of scratching your head and thinking "I know somebody mentioned windsurfing recently but I can't remember who..." you look at your address book, find "windsurfing cousin" written next to Mary's name, call her up and ask her if her cousin is available to give your niece a private lesson, that you want to give that to her as a birthday gift. Mary says "Sure!" and convinces her cousin to give you a discount. Your niece is thrilled. A month later, your car breaks down, and you remember that your niece's boyfriend is an aspiring auto mechanic...
     
   • Find the extroverts. As you continue to network, you'll find that some people are much better at it than you are - they already know everyone! You'll stand to benefit from getting to know such people first because they can introduce you to others who share your interests or goals. In other words, if you're an introvert, find an extrovert who can "set you up".
     
   
   
4. Invite people out. Going out for lunch, beer, drinks, or coffee is usually good for catching up casually. You can also invite people to do things related to your interests. If you met someone at a caving club, why don't you ask them to check out a new cave with you? The objective here is to establish a connection beyond your initial meeting. Preferably, this should be one-on-one.
   
5. Be generous. Since you're looking to create mutually beneficial relationships, a good way to kick start this is by thinking of ways in which you can help others. It's not all about contacts, job offers, and loans; you can offer compliments, good listening skills, and other less tangible (but valuable) gestures of kindness and generosity.[3] As long as you're sincere, you're establishing good relations with people and opening channels for mutual benefit. The girl who was crying on your shoulder last month might get you the job of your dreams next month. You never know, so place your bets on good karma. What goes around, comes around.
   
6. Follow up. Don't get someone's business card or e-mail address and forget about it. Find a way to stay in touch. Maintain your network. Whenever you find an article that might be of interest to them, for instance, send it on their way. If you hear about a negative event (a tornado, a riot, an electrical blackout) that happened in their vicinity, call them and make sure they're fine. Keep track of everyone's birthday and mark them on a calendar; be sure to send birthday cards to everyone you know, along with a nice note to let them know you haven't forgotten about them, and that you don't want them to forget about you.
   
7. Tap into your network. The next time you need something (a job, a date, a hiking partner) cast a wide net and see what happens. Make a few phone calls or send out an e-mail describing your situation in a friendly tone: "Hey, I'm in a bit of a pinch. I have these concert tickets for Saturday and I haven't been able to find someone to go with me. Since this is a band I love, I'd like to go with someone I know I'll have fun with. Do you know of anyone who might enjoy it with me?"
   
   • Don't ever apologize when asking for a favor or help. It can signal a lack of confidence and professionalism.[4] There's nothing to be sorry about--you're just seeing if anyone happens to be in a position to help you; you're not making demands, or forcing people to do anything that they don't want to do.
     
   
   
8. Use the Internet. Let's face it, not all of us are living in cities like New York or Los Angeles where it's easier to find someone of interest and get in touch with them personally. Social Networking has evolved over the years to become a business networking tool as well. The internet and online networking have essentially reduced distances between people to zero so that we can not only network outside of our hometown, but also from coast to coast and globally. Develop some online contacts whom you might be interested in networking with. Search for journals and professional organizations online and and use resources such as CareerCritique to find out more about the people who do certain jobs and their work life.
   

Tips

• Start small. Don't sign up for 12 meetings in one month. A sustained effort over the long run is better than making a one-time big effort and then burning out. Remember that networking requires maintenance, so don't bite off more than you can chew.
  
• It always helps to look approachable and be charming.
  
• Can't find a local club or group relating to your interests or career? Start one!
  
• You can make great contacts with politicians and their aides by volunteering in an election or being involved with their party outside of election time.
  
• Use every Internet tool at your disposal to build your social network in real life. Instant messaging applications, for instance, are sometimes better than phone calls. Internet is very useful to meet and keep contact with a very large amount of people worldwide.
  

Warnings

• If you've never networked, it'll be hard at first. Very hard. But over time, it'll get easier. Eventually you'll learn how to start a conversation with a complete stranger in a way that feels comfortable and acceptable to you.
  
• Watch out for parasites - people who'll pump you for favors and never try to help you in return. When you find one attached to you (and if you're generous, you will) turn them down as politely as you can: "No, I'm sorry, I can't do that tomorrow. I've got plans." If they try to make you feel guilty, feign an excuse to get out of the conversation and make yourself scarce to them. Don't lose your temper or act cold because that'll give them something negative to say about you when they're talking to others, like "Oh, yes I know James, he once called me a leech..." - don't let this happen to you.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Network at a Conference
  
• How to Create a Homeschool Network from Scratch
  
• How to Build a New Social Network as a Young Professional
  
• How to Have a Great Conversation
  
• How to Build a Social Life as a Senior Citizen
  
• How to Start a Social Club
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.businesspundit.com/how-to-network-for-introverts/


2. ↑ http://www.cio.com/article/164300


3. ↑ http://www.cio.com/article/164300


4. ↑ http://www.cio.com/article/164300

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