9 Nifty Networking Resources
to Share with Friends

"Where do I start to build my network?" Great question. Here are some helpful books, articles and websites that can steer you in the right direction. Let us know if you know of other resources we can share.

1. The care and feeding of relationships starts with "Seven Career Networking Tips for College Students."

2. Networking for Success: The Art of Establishing Personal Contacts by Nancy Flynn. This concise book provides the tools to initiate a networking plan with specific goals, establish relationships that are meaningful and long-term, use electronic media to expand your network, and develop ways to promote yourself through your networking. If you access the website of the publisher, Thomson Course Technology, and enter "networking" in the search box, you'll find a free networking assessment.

3. Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty: The Only Networking Guide You'll Ever Need is a classic by Harvey Mackay, a well-known business author. He offers practical advice with wit and wisdom.

4. The Networking Survival Guide: Get the Success You Want by Tapping Into the People You Know by Diane Darling walks the reader through the steps of effective networking. The book also gives tips on how to overcome shyness and offers proven scripts as starting points for the beginner.

5. "The Riley Guide" is the gold standard for providing online career and employment information. Check out the resources Margaret Riley Dikel has included on the Network, Interview and Negotiate page.

6. JobWeb is a career development and job search website for college students and new college graduates sponsored by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Their "Professional Associations" webpage contains links to help you find these groups, which is helpful to anyone, not just students.

7. There is a list of corporate alumni groups for former employees on Job-Hunt.org Company and Military Alumni Networks and LinkedIn.com.

8. Students learn "It's Not Who You Know, but Who You Get to Know" in an article from University of California-Berkeley's Career Center. Terrific tips on what to do when attending professional association meetings, and another link to professional association directories.

9. The Business Week article, "Social Networks: Execs Use Them Too," may shed some light on this emerging trend in online networking communities.

© Copyright 2006, Career Vision / Ball Foundation. Article may be reprinted with permission.

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