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Organizing Your Contact List
Each time you contact a person about a position, fill out a
computerized index card (or create a similar system) and
record the key information. Finding your career calling can
be a very competitive process. There is often a fine line
between success and failure. But in terms of competition,
everybody you meet who is relatively friendly, may have
many friends. But recognize that there are a lot of people
looking for that same calling.
Understand that you can only expand your contact network
by keeping track of the people you meet. Monitor your
progress and record names, job titles, and employer name,
not on a napkin, but in an organized, professional manner. If
you do not actively maintain and build your network of
connections, you will most likely never find your true calling.
Some do, but I never found it valuable to join unemployed
networking groups. If you are between jobs, it simply does not
make sense to attend “pity parties.” Instead, associate with
job givers—people who can hire—not folks who are without
work.
All contacts are important in some way; the key is
to figure out which are worth maintaining. If a
person cannot directly hire you, they may refer
one or two other names to you.
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Section 11– Effective Communication & Networking