Where to Network

The importance of networking cannot be overestimated for people looking for a job or trying to grow their own business. The crucial question is WHERE and HOW to do it in order to get best results for the time and effort spent.
Today I would like to address the issue of WHERE to network:
1. Think outside the box: networking in narrow circles (students’ groups, university related groups only) will not provide you with a lot of opportunities. Think in broader terms with regards of your background: gender, ethnicity, nationality, etc. There are a lot of networking groups in United States tailored for every specific background.
2. Perform a thorough search. Be aware many of the networking organizations that pop-up on the first page of Google search tend to ask significant amounts of money for membership and extra fees for attending events (this is why they have finances to make sure they appear on the top of the search results). Really good job seekers support organizations are usually non-for-profit, they don’t have membership fees and organize events for free or for a tiny fee. But as a result they lack funding and unfortunately not all of them have a website (they communicate via an e-mail list serve). In my experience people find out about their existence only through the word-of-mouth so the more you network the more valuable information you’ll be able to collect.
3. Have a clear picture of who you would like to meet: make a background research on the type of companies you are targeting. After that ask yourself a question: where the managers and key decision makers from these organizations are likely to network? Are you more likely to meet them at a university event, a specific conference, seminar, exhibition or may be a golf networking event?
4. Become a member of a professional association: it will not only give you access to a lot of networking events but also will be a great learning opportunity. Students usually pay reduced fees for membership but enjoy full spectrum of benefits.
Of course, each city and town is different in terms of available networking opportunities. The bigger the city the more options you have: Chicago, where I live, presented me with so much “networking material” that it was more than enough to create a comprehensive networking guide. But at the same time I researched Illinois in general too and I found out that bigger organizations usually have several chapters across a state. In addition to that smaller towns have their own community support organizations. Most likely the latter won’t have a website but chances are they have their regular meetings in a local library (at least it is true for many of the smaller Illinois communities) – don’t forget to check out your nearest library!

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