2011 Networking Challenge One month down!!

2011 Networking Challenge One month down!! How did I do  in my first month of the 2011 networking challenge?    Better than expected!!   I met with  4 people I do know and 7 people I dont know!   I realized during my interviews that everyone genuinely wanted to help me.   There is not one email that I sent for an informational interview where I didnt receive a response.   I think this is because of the economy right now  and people realize how hard it is to find a job.   Job searchers  really  need to network and meet people to  refer  them  into companies because there are so many applicants that you are competing with.    Never forget that people are happy to help and dont be  afraid to ask for introductions! In the first month, I met with four people I do know  a classmate, an old boss, a college friend and a contact I had met at a school networking event last year.   These were not the original people I planned, some meetings fell through and I had to squeeze one in at the very end of the month!   I thought it was going to be the toughest to find and meet people I dont know.   Wellthis was not the case.   The original few people I talked to knew others that  they wanted to introduce me to.    I met with  someone my school career counselor suggested, 2 people school alumni  introduced me to,  2 people in a new department at work, the founder of the beat the gmat website, and someone that a  friend introduced me to.   I also attended a shark tank at school where I met 8 other  alumni (yes, it is as scary as it sounds..more to come on this  in a later blog post) So what did I learn from these meetings and informational interviews? I learned what the right professional organizations are to join and what certifications hiring managers are looking for on resumes. I learned that internships  are key  in getting your feet wet.   You have to be willing to start on the bottom and work your way up. I learned about new areas of my company that I never knew about before. I learned how to be confident when speaking with strangers and the right questions to ask. I learned about other peoples  career paths and how they got to be where they are today. Oh, and one more thing.   During the very first informational interview I had after only speaking a few  words, the woman asked me to send my resume to her so that she could refer me.   She didnt even know me very well but she said the fact that I had reached out to her and that I am being proactive said a lot about my character!   How awesome is that!? Who are you meeting this month? If you would like to join the networking challenge for a month or year, just leave a comment below with your email address or send me an email at classycareergirl@gmail.com  so that you will receive the monthly networking newsletter.   Good luck!!