Resources: Social networking for career success

by Beth Blakely | Oct 25, 2004 7:00:00 AM

Tags: Professional development, Beth Blakely, NetWeaving, career, network, social networking

Takeaway: Use these resources to help you find valuable business contacts in the virtual and real worlds.

We've all heard the adage, "It's not what you know, but who you know," and it's especially true when you're searching for employment. Many of the best jobs are unadvertised, so networking helps you to find hidden opportunities. Further, when you use someone you know to introduce you to a possible employer, you've got the benefit of a ready-made reference going into the relationship.

We've gathered a few resources to help you make business networking a part of your everyday life.

Resources for making valuable business contacts

Networking has become such an important part of career development that several social networking portals have recently emerged. Sites like Spoke and LinkedIn aim specifically to help users make meaningful business connections. If you'd like to learn more about these types of sites and which might best suit your needs, check out this white paper:

Online Social and Business Networking Communities
This white paper provides a look at recently developed social networking portals that allow users to create and maintain a network of close friends or business associates for social and/or professional reasons. The main types of social networking sites are classified, and the paper also provides an evaluation of their features and functionality.

Find more free white papers

Search TechRepublic's white paper directory for more great information. In addition to white papers, you'll find Webcasts and case studies to aid in your decision-making and research.

More resources from TechRepublic

• Making networking a daily task leads to career success
  Whether you're looking for a new job or not, every day should include some career networking effort. Career experts offer a wide range of tips on how to incorporate critical networking efforts.
• Six degrees of separation: A smarter plan for career networking
  New research shows that, thanks to your peers and friends, you might be a lot closer to your dream job than you think. Here's more on how "six degrees of separation" might be the key to smarter networking.
• Strong mentors can help you advance your career
  According to a survey of CIOs, having a mentor can play a critical role in career success. As two IT executives relate, their mentors not only provided a reliable guiding hand, but also thwarted potential career mistakes.
• NetWeaving is a step beyond traditional career networking
  We all know the importance of networking for finding new business and making new career contacts. Now there's NetWeaving, a simple, more reciprocal approach that focuses on helping others solve problems.