Professional Networking Tip of the Week: Build visibility to raise your profile

Day in and day out you sit in a cube or behind a desk. You are known only by the people that you work with. Outside those concrete walls are hundreds of millions of people that have NO IDEA you exist. What you don't know today is that tomorrow you are going to be fired and thrown out with a cardboard box filled with junk you collected to make yourself more comfortable at work. Once the shock and fear have settled in you will realize you're not sure what to do. You end up falling in to the masses of people that have accepted their fate. It is not the fate of lossing your job. It is the fate of being part of the masses and never standing out.

Lets rewind and think back twelve months. The situation was a little different. Over the past twelve months you have been attending networking events on a regular basis. Usually once a month and sometimes twice. You have met an migled with hundreds of people and even created your own inner ciricle that have no resembelence to the people you work with. You have even connected with highly visible individuals through your generosity by offering assistance and not being asked. You have created a support network where people know you exist. So when you are let go tomorrow you have a network you can turn to.

Creating network partners and targeting specific individuals in an effort to build your support network will untimately build your visibility and raise your profile. If you show a little leadership and earn the respect of your network they will be there to help you in a time of need. You simply need to spend a little time connecting with people outside of work. Try to attend one networking event a month. You will be amazed at the opportunities you find out there.

Networking - Best Practices