Be your own best agent: Why getting connected is so critical and why it works for those who do.

[Note: Yesterday I was invited to speak to the Bryant University Marketing Association about the importance of social networking--and its place in a person's career plans and professional development.  While there I discussed the many ways of being socially "connected," including F2F, by telephone, eMail, Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In.  After reflecting on my remarks and the participant's questions for me, I thought this topic was worth pursuing here--that each person, whether they acknowledged it or not, was, indeed, in-charge of their own strategy and style of social connectedness.  Here are a few more of my thoughts.]

It's pretty routine for me to become acquainted with bright people to recommend to friends and business colleagues who are on the lookout for gifted and ambitious grads--MBAs as well as undergrads!   It's easy for me because I see smart, ambitious people virtually daily, but that's because I work in a target rich environment that attracts these kind of people [of all ages] to the place I work--a very old and large business school in the U.S.  But what I take for granted, other people outside of a university context envy, for they rarely get the vantage point that I have to meet smart and ambitious people who can make a tremendous difference in their various enterprises.  

At the same time--and again because of where I work--I'm around a lot of bright, talented people who want to launch professional careers in the world of commerce and are looking for someone to give them a "break."  Thus, I frequently am called on to play the part of a "match-maker" or "middle-man" of sorts--putting people in touch with each other.  But, in truth, the process doesn't necessarily need to involve me!  

Social networking really is a DIY kind of deal.

Yes, in many ways people don't really need a guy like me, because if they want to go places they can do much--and frequently a better job--of the "connecting" themselves.  For a while, now, I've been carrying around two articles that caught my eye.  One serves to answer the question "How do I get a headhunter interested in me?," by Telis Demos of FORTUNE.  The answer to that question--in the opinion of a professional headhunter--in some ways is counter-intuitive:  Don't call them, i.e., the recruiters--they'll call you if they want to talk; get networked, so they will know of you and can then call you instead; finally, get online and quoted.  Probably the best way to do that is to get and then cultivate a Linked In account.  

The headhunter quoted by Demos remarks that many--if not most--of business' prime management positions are not posted on the huge internet boards like Careerfinder or Monster.  Even sending unsolicited resumes has a low pay-off potential:  "In my 27 years as a recruiter, I can count on one hand the number of unsolicited résumés that have ended up as candidates," says Les Berglass, veteran recruiter.  His advice instead is to use Linked In so you can get recommended to a recruiter or employer. 

Being good at social networking is essential.

Yes, social networking is an big-deal in the launch and maintenance of a successful career.  For example, right now, I'm in the process of placing three grads I'm personally familiar with in touch with a CEO who is looking for a someone to fill a position, a position that will never show up on Monster or Careerbuilders.com.  In my experience, more career aspirants--irregardless of age and stage of experience--advance themselves entirely by their connectedness, not my responding to this or that posting or by broadcasting their resumes to the far-ends of the earth.

The other article is "How Linked-In will fire up your career," by Jessi Hempel, also of FORTUNE.  Linked In has become the professional counter-part to Facebook, allowing people to keep and effectively manage two different aspects of their lives--the social versus professional.  In my experience, however, what strikes me about this device is that most people don't appreciate or effectively know how to use Linked In--they devote hours to other social media, but little to maintaining or exploiting their professional position here. 

Being "on the market" 24/7--even if you're not actually "looking."

These same individuals fail to realize that it's become the prime 24-hour marketplace of professional information, communication, and resource-building.  A preponderance of recruiters and key HR-types troll these "waters" daily--looking for people who have it together.  I get job invitations with some regularity from people like this; others, too, can and do!

What strikes me as a management professional as most peculiar is the proportion of people I meet--in early, mid- or late-career stages, it doesn't matter--who I would expect to know about the importance, value, and ways of social connectedness, but who don't.  I think I've figured out why those who are socially connected are so successful:  the selectivity and exclusiveness created by the individuals who are savvy enough to figure this out in the first place [and then willing to put the effort and time into cultivating a network] is the reason it "works" so well--if you get my point!  

[End note:  I'll post the articles to two very useful Linked In articles at the blog's Facebook Page shown below.  If you're interest in getting a feel--and some useful tips on how to make the most of your professional capital and skills--you'll want to take a look at these!]

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