Networking Best Practices

We’ve all heard the saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Networking is vital to our career path and how we network is changing. Here are key areas to focus on as we make connections and build relationships.

Elevate Yourself – Your LinkedIn profile and resume are up-to-date, but how can you show off your skills? Do you blog or vlog? Do you comment and post regularly on professional social media outlets? Do you write articles to post or publish? You can, and should, be using these outlets and more to share the expertise and skills you’ve mastered.

Examine Your Network

• Touch base with your current connections. Do you find yourself only reaching out to people when you need something? Make it a habit to check in on people and see how they’re doing.
• Add new connections. Continuously build and expand your network. There are endless webcasts, discussion boards, and networking groups you can participate in to meet new friends and colleagues.
• How can you help? No matter where you are on your career path there are always others who could benefit from your guidance. During this intense job-seeking climate, there may be someone you can steer toward their next opportunity.

Engage in the Community

• First, you have to be part of a community. Every industry has associations you can join.
• Now that you’ve checked that off the list – what’s next? The extroverts out there, of course, miss office kitchen coffee chats and conference rooms, but there are still many ways to socialize with the best of them. For you introverts, you might even find yourself excelling at the new virtual networking opportunities.
• CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) can help! Fill your calendar and watch for exciting announcements about these events, sessions, and opportunities. Here are some opportunities to look at:

1. CSCMP EDGE 2020 Live! Virtual Experience – September 20-23 is filled with even more access to relevant content and industry thought leaders, where you can learn, interact, and connect with people from anywhere in the world!
2. Upcoming HQ and Local Roundtable Events – Explore events like Warehouse Management Systems, the State of Transportation, and more!
3. CSCMP’s 2020 Virtual Career Fair – Coming October 2020! More information to come.