How Healthy Is Your Professional Network?

By Juliah Karimi.

Many people I know usually come to me when they need something and my question to them is, how well will I be able to assist you if I do not know what you have been up to? If you needed to find a new job, how many people could you turn to for help? If the answer is “not many,” you may need to upgrade your professional network.

“Maintaining a network should be a routine part of your career-development strategy, not just something you turn toward in a career crisis,” so if you are like the current crop of politicians who form alliances towards a general election, then you have got it wrong. Your career is not politics and your network is like the constituents who need constant contact with their MP. Look at the following questions and if your answer is in the negative then something is gravely wrong. Give your score a rating of between 0-10 for each of the questions.

How many former coworkers’ contact information do you have?
Focus particularly on your peers and people above you in the organization. A network must consist of the directors, general managers and senior management of organizations you have worked with, and in addition you must have the junior and middle management of the company. It provides for a well rounded network that can integrate easily.

The more people you’re in touch with, the better. If you need to beef up the number of people in your network, a tool like LinkedIn can help, both with searching and with keeping up with former colleagues’ job moves.

Does your network include a handful of people who could serve as references?
These people need to be willing to recommend you — and they need to know your work well. “References can’t be vaguely positive’ I always advice people. They must be able to say the worst and best of you without sounding like they are criticizing you. Most people I have dealt with, always state their references as personal friends. Unless that person will positively criticize and also offer suggestions on how you have made improvements on your career through your weaknesses then definitely list them

If you can’t think of four to six good reference candidates, you need to step up your networking to make sure people you work with know about your achievements.

How many of your contacts have you communicated with in the past six months?
This is a measure of your active network. “You don’t need to talk to everyone in your network every three minutes. But you should check in regularly, even if you just send a brief email saying you hope all is well. That way, when you do need to ask for job-hunting help, it will be “emotionally much easier” to make the contact.

Have you had lunch or coffee with someone from your network in the past month?
Make a point of meeting in person with a former colleague or another professional connection every few weeks. I know so many people have scored 0 on this one.

Have you attended a professional event recently?
Attending professional conferences will help you expand your network beyond former colleagues. Becoming active in a professional association will also boost your CV.

Have you added any professional contacts in the past month?
Your network needs to grow in order to stay vital. Try to add new contacts — either by getting back in touch with former colleagues or by meeting new people — frequently.

Are you networking “outside the box” — that is, making connections beyond your former colleagues and friends?

Job opportunities can arise from unexpected sources. Expanding your network to include some people outside your industry and at different stages of their careers, who can tell you about trends and opportunities you might not otherwise hear about.

When your professional contacts get in touch with you, do you answer?
“People just kind of steer away from you if you’re not responding,” What if a contact is asking for job leads and you don’t have any? “You do have the ability to offer something of great value,” Phillips said: encouragement.

This will also increase the chances that that person will help you sometime in the future.
For a score of 0-3, you are doing badly.
For a score of 4-6, you need improvement. You are not there yet
For a score of 7-9, you are almost there. The journey is almost done.
For a score of 10, you are the network expert. No one can reach this level unless, you are Obama and that is a feat in itself. Try and reach this point for career success.

Happy Networking

Juliah Karimi is a HR Officer. Corporate Staffing  Services. Email: bettercv@staff-kenya.com. Website www.staff-kenya.com

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