The Monster Blog

Networking Memory Tricks to Facilitate Follow-Up

Ever come back from a conference or networking event and have trouble remembering who's who as you start to wade through that stack of business cards you brought home?

What if you're not sure whether it was Bob Jones, CEO of Best Darn Widgets, or Bill Sanchez, marketing director at Toothpaste for Men, who had a golfing buddy at the very company where your boss has been asking you to get a sales meeting for the last month? And what if you can't recall whether it was Bill's daughter or Bob's who just accepted a new job to work abroad in London?

Oops.

It means you're in a tough spot when you want to send that follow-up email a couple of days after the event (and you do always follow up, right?). So, your options are to 1) send nonspecific messages to Bob or Bill and hope they remember who you are and decide you're worth replying to, even though you didn't -- or couldn't -- personalize your note in any way, or 2) not write anything at all and chalk up the experience as a missed opportunity.

There's a way to avoid this whole mess, of course: After you've spoken with someone, make a quick note on the back of their card that will help jog your memory when it comes time to follow up. At a couple of conferences I attended earlier this month, I wrote simple things like "sat with at lunch on first day of conference," "was introduced to by Simon" and "potential vendor." And from those few words, I could craft a personal message of a paragraph or two that will help keep the relationship going after the conference.

Another friend of mine tells me he puts the cards of the people he intends to follow up with in one pocket and the cards of those he doesn't in another. And then, he says, "I jot down notes that night, before I go to bed. Usually a specific action to take [with each person]: promo list, info share, contact, proposal, collaborate."

What about you? What's your system of following up with the people you meet at business events?

Building Business Relationships Outside the Office -- with or Without the Drinking

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would revisit one of the most popular -- and contentious -- posts from our Monster Blog archives: Alcohol: Income Booster?

In that post, my former Monster colleague Maya pointed to a research study that linked drinking with increased earning power. According to the report, "drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more than teetotalers, and…men who drink socially bring home an additional 7 percent in pay."

Does that mean you should start drinking to begin making your way up the corporate ladder? Hardly. But the article is a good reminder of the importance of spending time with coworkers, clients and other business colleagues outside of the board room, cubicle farm and company cafeteria. Whether that involves meeting for evening cocktails, chit-chatting in the hallways at a conference, or going out for a round of golf, strengthening existing relationships away from the office -- as well as starting new ones -- is the essence of networking. In fact, it could make the difference in landing you a new job or getting you that promotion you’ve been waiting for.

So if you’re not hitting up the local pub to toast the luck of the Irish with your workmates tonight, what are you doing this week to build better business relationships?

Does Online Social Networking Level the Playing Field for Introverts?

Earlier this week, I was quoted in this Boston Globe article about social networking, in which Penelope Trunk writes about how online tools and sites such as blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn  enable introverts to connect with each other right alongside their more extroverted friends and colleagues.

But while social networking might “even [the] playing field” online, as Trunk suggests, I do wonder whether that parity transfers to face-to-face settings. Because I’m an extrovert who easily feeds off the energy of others at in-person events and doesn’t have to worry much about this question, I’m just not so sure about the answer.

For that shy person who has established good online rapport with a recruiter or potential client by way of Facebook, does the strength of an online connection ultimately make a face-to-face interview or chit-chatting at a cocktail dinner any less painful or awkward?

If you’re an introvert -- and try taking our extroversion quiz to find out where you fall on the extroversion scale -- then I’d like to hear from you. Are your newfound online social networking skills making you a better offline networker, too?

Social Tagging: The Evolution of Face-to-Face Networking

If you’ve done any sort of professional networking -- and shame on you if you haven’t! -- then you know that online social networking and reaching out by phone aren’t nearly as effective as meeting or reconnecting with someone in person.

I was reminded of this lesson again last week when I attended a breakfast hosted by entrepreneur Jeff Pulver. Jeff recently began organizing real-time social networking events, where online social media’s practice of tagging and Facebook Wall postings are transferred to the physical setting -- something Jeff calls “social tagging.” Participants are asked to tag themselves and others using name badges and Post-it notes as a way of starting conversations (I was tagged as a “proud dad” and “podcast guy”) and getting to know each other.

Social tagging ensures you always have something to talk about a networking event. Imagine approaching someone who’s already been tagged as a “six-fingered bandit” or “shopaholic.” You’re being handed a hit-you-over-the-head entrée into a discussion with a perfect stranger -- what an opportunity! Don’t waste it.

For more resources on networking your way to career success, check out some of our related Monster Career Advice stories. 

How to Be Productive at Work This Thanksgiving Week

OK, admit it: You’re really not in a working mood this week. After all, the great American holiday of Thanksgiving is just three short days away, and there is no shortage of related items to distract you between now and then. For example:

• How early your boss will let you leave the office Wednesday
• Where you’re flying for the long weekend
• Who’s coming to dinner and which long-lost second cousin you’ll have to be polite to this year
• How many extra helpings of stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce you’ll manage to stuff down on Thursday afternoon
• Who’s playing in the Turkey Day football games
• Whether those Friday shopping bargains are really worth rising before dawn and waiting in extra-long lines to cash in on.

But here’s the good news: You’re not alone. Your coworkers and colleagues around the country would similarly prefer to skip the standing team meeting or put off writing that report or proposal for at least a few more days.

But it’s precisely because nobody else wants to be working all that hard that you have the chance to make this one of your most productive weeks of the year. Here’s why:

• Mark my words: Some of those scheduled meetings you have in the next couple of days will be cancelled. Use the newfound free time to wrap up a bugaboo project -- one that has never been at the absolute top of the priority list but that will have you feeling much better once it’s done. 


• When we’re at work but don’t actually want to do the work we’re supposed to be doing, we like to chit-chat. Why not turn the nation’s collective gregariousness this week into your own gain by scheduling a networking phone call or lunch? You’re ensured of having some lively -- and fruitful -- discussions that just might lead to new business partnerships or job opportunities.


• You’ll stand out from the crowd.  If you spend the next few days getting organized and cranking through all of your assignments while your coworkers resort to goofing off, who do you think will be sitting pretty in the eyes of your boss come next Monday morning?

So don’t allow the visions of Thanksgiving Day delights to dance too loudly in your head, and stay focused right through Wednesday afternoon. The turkey will still taste just as good on Thursday.

The Value of Face-to-Face Networking

If you read my posts here on the Monster Blog with any regularity, then you know I’m an unabashed advocate for online social networking.  I believe sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Ning enable us to connect and engage in meaningful online conversations around shared interests.

But as helpful as these online tools are, there’s nothing quite like networking in a face-to-face setting.  Two events here in the Boston area over the past few weeks helped drive that point home for me -- a breakfast for two dozen social-media enthusiasts that I organized and a Tech Cocktail evening that brought together hundreds of entrepreneurial-minded professionals. Both occasions afforded me the opportunity to meet and better get to know several local passionate and talented colleagues in the new-media space.

So with those experiences fresh in my mind, here are a few suggestions on how to make the most out of an in-the-flesh networking event:

• Look for New Faces: While catching up with long-running friends and colleagues is always fun and is crucial to strengthening existing relationships, make an effort to speak with people you don’t know. These fresh conversations can lead to new business ventures and employment opportunities, too.


• Have a Plan: While there’s something to be said for serendipity at networking events, don’t leave everything to chance. If an attendee list is published prior to the event, spend some time studying it. Identify two or three people who you want to connect with, and prep yourself with a couple of talking points for each of those discussions.


• Netweave:  As David Cutler writes, netweaving “put[s] a spin on the traditional networking process. [Ask,] ‘What can I do for you?’ rather than ‘What can you do for me?’ The results are fantastic.”


• Respect Others’ Time: Remember that you’re not the only one looking to make new connections. Once you’ve spent a few minutes with someone, offer your thanks for their time, exchange business cards and move on.


• Don’t Forget to Write: Those sparks of conversations will fade quickly if you don’t follow up with the people you’ve met. Within one or two days of the event, plow through that new stack of business cards and start sending emails or making phone calls. A written message can be as short as a few sentences, but be sure to include a nugget of what the two of you talked about to jog your new contact’s memory.

Want more advice from Monster on the art of networking? Try these resources:

• "Audio: Learn How to Network Face-to-Face Like a Pro"
• "Networking for the Shy"
• "Six Steps for Successful Networking"
• "Networking Opportunities are Everywhere"
• "Be the Star of Your Own Network"

For more information on this subject, check out our Networking section. 

When Networking, Don’t Be Shy About Picking Up the Phone, Too

If you’re at all like me, you spend countless hours each month building and managing your personal and professional networks using a seemingly infinite range of online communication tools and Web sites, including email, instant messaging, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and LinkedIn. I could fill weeks’ worth of blog posts telling you about all the interesting people I’ve come to know as colleagues and true friends thanks to the power of a mouse, a keyboard and a whiz-bang series of tubes.

Face-to-face meetups are important, too -- and I’m not talking about the ones in Second Life. Connecting, brainstorming, inspiring and collaborating at impromptu geek dinners, conferences, unconferences and, yes, post-conference pub crawls ultimately have helped to cement many of the relationships I’ve started online.

But there’s another aspect of networking that’s often glossed over in this era of the online social web: Using the telephone. While sending an email to someone you haven’t been in touch with for six months is a nice touch, picking up the phone -- of, if you must go the online route, dialing via a VOIP service such as Skype -- and actually speaking to that person for a few minutes can lead to a more meaningful reconnection. As my friend and colleague Donna Papacosta likes to say, there’s tremendous power in the human voice. Tone, warmth and purpose are seldom conveyed in written form as effectively as they are through the spoken word, and, as a comfort-at-the-keyboard guy, I’m as guilty as anyone in overlooking this insight.

So to really ramp up your networking efforts over the next few weeks, start by making a few phone calls. The results might just surprise you.

Here are a few helpful articles on networking:

• “Comfortable Networking”
• “Audio: Care for and Feed Your Online Network”
• “Hate to Schmooze?”

On the Web, Everyone Knows Your Reputation

On one hand, you have well-regarded Whole Foods, the very successful natural and organic grocery chain. It's spent 10 years on the Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, is a supporter of eco-leaning philanthropies and has an official site whose pages mention a Declaration of Interdependence, Our Core Values, Our Quality Standards  and Sustainability and Our Future.

On the other hand, there's Rahodeb -- AKA Whole Foods CEO John Mackey -- a formerly anonymous poster on the Yahoo Finance message boards who has for years been pumping Whole Foods stock, dissing competitors like Wild Oats and complimenting his own haircut. Did I mention that Whole Foods is trying to acquire Wild Oats, that the FTC is investigating the merger on antitrust grounds and as a result, outed Rahodeb-Mackey, who is now the subject of an informal SEC inquiry?

What are we to make of the supremely poor judgment of this CEO, whose whole (pardon the pun) company and brand identity depends on its reputation with customers for selling produce, meats and packaged foods that are, indeed, natural and organic? No grocery shopper can verify if a tomato, fresh chicken or box of packaged pasta lives up to its organic billing while standing in the aisle. Reputation is everything, as some Chinese firms have learned to their sorrow and, in the case of that country's corrupt food and drug regulation czar, paid the price with an official bullet to the head.

CEOs who take to the Net to promote their interests don't necessarily have nefarious goals in mind. CEO bloggers use their Web soapbox to speak to employees and stockholders as well as customers, to inspire, reassure and inform in the same way their pre-digital predecessors gave pep talks or managed by walking around the factory floor or store aisles.

Now some CEOs have taken digital bonding a step further by joining social networks and becoming online "friends" with employees, using online services like MySpace and Facebook.

The CEO as an online friend? Let's think for a moment about what that means. As the Rahodeb incident suggests, the anonymous Internet has all but disappeared. In its place is a Web of connections to people who may not know you, but know your reputation. Guard it wisely.

Here are more resources on blogging and social networking at work:

• "Audio: Care for and Feed Your Online Network"
• "Seven Tips for Social Networking Online"
• "Refine Your Online Image"
• "Social Software and Your Career"
• "Work Blogger, Beware"

Related Blogs

• WSJ MarketBeat: "The CEO Blogs"
• From Sneaky Business: "CEOs Yearn For Normal Life -- Without Paper Trail"

Get Your Connections’ Worth from That Big Event

I am going to spend the upcoming weekend at PodCamp, an “unconference” in the Boston area that will bring together bloggers, podcasters and other new-media enthusiasts. This is an event I’ve been looking forward to for months –- and I plan to make the most of it by meeting and learning from dozens of creative, intelligent and passionate people. In other words, PodCamp is going to be a can’t-miss networking opportunity.

But as one of more than 250 participants at the event, what can I do to stand out from the crowd? How do I ensure that people I meet remember me a week or two later when they’re thumbing through an endless pile of business cards?

Here are three great tips I just picked up from Keith Ferrazzi’s best seller Never Eat Alone that will help you to make the most of your next networking event: 

• Do Your Homework: Research the list of registered attendees in advance, and identify a handful of people whom you want to meet. Learn more about your “targets" and what makes them tick -- both professionally and personally. And when the time comes for that actual face-to-face connection, make the most of it -- be interesting and thoughtful in your conversation.


• Be an "Information Hub": Come to the event armed with information others will want to know -- directions to the best restaurants in town, the scoop on the after parties, etc.  Become the go-to guy whom your fellow participants will want to lean on again and again.


• Follow Up: Remember that stack of business cards I mentioned?  Your card will merely remain one of the bunch if you don’t follow up –- early and often. Ferrazzi recommends sending a follow-up email between 12 and 24 hours after your initial meeting. “Good follow-up alone elevates you above 95 percent of your peers,” Ferrazzi says.

I plan to make sure my business card stays on the top of the pile by following Ferrazzi’s suggestions this weekend.  Is there anything I’ve missed?

More networking resources:

• "Audio: Women and Networking"


• Discussion and Networking Advice


• "Keith Ferrazzi's Success Secrets"


• "Making a Conference Connection"


• "Networking for the Shy"

Making a Conference Connection

Last week, I went to a conference in San Francisco about online communities. Some people don't like going to conferences. Not me. I've attended conferences as a paying audience member, a reporter, a presenter and as a booth flunky in one of those corrals outside the main hall where sponsors and vendors make their pitch -- and enjoyed myself every time. Even going someplace less beautiful than San Francisco's Fort Mason Conference Center right on the bay (think Chicago's McCormick Place in February) doesn't dim the enjoyment for me.

Last week's conference was a small, specialized event for managers of message boards, chats, blogs, collaboration tools and other types of online communities. It struck me as slightly incongruous that professional community managers, whose job it is to facilitate online interactions among hundreds or thousands of users, needed to meet offline to discuss professional issues. But it's really not strange at all.

No matter how much information we can share via phone calls, email, wikis or Web conferencing, there's simply no substitute for meeting face-to-face with people wrestling with the same business, technical and management issues you are.

It's not just the formal conference presentations. It's the times you're standing around juggling coffee, Danish and business cards while meeting people who you can help or who might be able to help you. I met new professional colleagues whose interests I share, gained a number of new insights into specific aspects of managing online communities, and got to talk informally and get advice from a couple of people who are real pioneers in this specialty.

Incidentally, attending conferences is a great way to make contacts for a job search. In fact, I got my start in the online world by going to conferences just like this one while I was still a student. Maybe that's another reason I enjoy conferences so much -- they helped get my career started, and they still keep it going.

So why do people dislike attending conferences? It has to be flying there and back in those cramped airline seats -- my knees are still bruised.

If you are wondering how to use conferences to build professional contacts and advance your career, try these articles:

• "Fast Company's Conference Commando Field Manual"
• "Learning by Association"
• "Make the Most of a Healthcare Conference"
• "Success Secret #9: Be a Conference Commando"

Networking Opportunities Are Everywhere

At a recent meeting, we chatted with an out-of-town guest about all the fun associated with air travel and mentioned the phenomenon of the occasional garrulous seatmate. One coworker said she doesn't like talking to strangers in an enclosed space, because you can't pick your conversation partner. As for me, I think being thrown together can be an opportunity to learn something new -- and may even be good for your career.

I used to travel quite a bit for several of my old jobs, so I've spent a lot of time on planes. Sometimes you get an antisocial neighbor, or you want to get some work done, and you're the one making the skies unfriendly. But when I've gotten to chatting with the person in the next seat, I've almost always had a good conversation.

One of the first things we generally ask any new acquaintance is what the other person does for work. This question leads to why you're on the plane in the first place, which turns into talking about the other person's profession, and so on. I've had great chats with people about work, and I've learned a lot about what others do as well as general trends in their fields.

For example, I once spoke to a high school guidance counselor who, like me, was flying home. She told me stories about how fast kids grow up today, which left me scratching my head, and how the modern guidance counselor helps out. She also revealed that many kids now want to work as forensics experts in a crime lab due to shows like "CSI," while a few years ago, they all wanted to be marine biologists because of the popularity of the movie Free Willy. Another seatmate wound up being an engineer and was interested in writing for the trade magazine I used to work for.

"Networking" can seem like a trendy buzzword, but it's important to remember that it's just conversation that can take place anywhere: the line at the grocery store, your next family party, even the bathroom. Chat it up even if you have a job, because business is based on connections -- and you can't make them sitting in silence.

For more on networking, check out Monster Community.

Networking Opportunities Are Everywhere

At a recent meeting, we chatted with an out-of-town guest about all the fun associated with air travel and mentioned the phenomenon of the occasional garrulous seatmate. One coworker said she doesn't like talking to strangers in an enclosed space, because you can't pick your conversation partner. As for me, I think being thrown together can be an opportunity to learn something new -- and may even be good for your career.

I used to travel quite a bit for several of my old jobs, so I've spent a lot of time on planes. Sometimes you get an antisocial neighbor, or you want to get some work done, and you're the one making the skies unfriendly. But when I've gotten to chatting with the person in the next seat, I've almost always had a good conversation.

One of the first things we generally ask any new acquaintance is what the other person does for work. This question leads to why you're on the plane in the first place, which turns into talking about the other person's profession, and so on. I've had great chats with people about work, and I've learned a lot about what others do as well as general trends in their fields.

For example, I once spoke to a high school guidance counselor who, like me, was flying home. She told me stories about how fast kids grow up today, which left me scratching my head, and how the modern guidance counselor helps out. She also revealed that many kids now want to work as forensics experts in a crime lab due to shows like "CSI," while a few years ago, they all wanted to be marine biologists because of the popularity of the movie Free Willy. Another seatmate wound up being an engineer and was interested in writing for the trade magazine I used to work for.

"Networking" can seem like a trendy buzzword, but it's important to remember that it's just conversation that can take place anywhere: the line at the grocery store, your next family party, even the bathroom. Chat it up even if you have a job, because business is based on connections -- and you can't make them sitting in silence.

For more on networking, check out Monster Community.

Working the Coolness Factor

I must admit that when meeting new people, it doesn’t hurt to be able to say that I work for a popular Web site. The point isn’t that I’m trying to impress people based on my employer, but it helps that there is some name recognition. Of course, once my husband mentions that he’s a truck driver, the focus is usually on him.

This CareerJournal.com article got me thinking about the coolness factor when it comes to work. When people think my job is cool, chances are it’s because they’ve seen Monster’s ads on TV or they’ve found their jobs through the site. The article talks quite a bit about while some might find editorial work interesting, the coolness really comes from how well-known the publication is.

Back when I worked for Tele-Publishing International (TPI), paginating and proofreading personal ads for newspapers in North America, I would always try to get some cred by saying I worked for the parent company, Phoenix Media. Around here, everyone knows the Boston Phoenix and WFNX, but no one knows TPI. Although I must say, the part about reading personal ads all the time was an instant conversation starter.

But being a truck driver is cool for another reason: It’s the type of job little boys dream about. Unless they’re in the industry, people don’t seem to care who my husband works for. They’re always more anxious to find out what he transports and if he’s ever picked up a hitchhiker during his days over the road.