Career Planning: |  Self Assessment  |  Career Exploration  |  Job Search

1. Identify your network  List as many people as you can. Include neighbors, former employers, co-workers, classmates, religious affiliates, store clerks, etc.

2. Select the most promising contacts  Select people in your network who can give you the information, resources, and support you need to help with your job search. Plan to call (or write) them to see if you can arrange a meeting. Specify that you will only need 15─20 minutes of their time. Ask for information about:

• Companies that employ people with your skills

• Leads to any possible openings

• Other people to contact who may have information, resources or support for you (Your goal is to get 2─3 more names.)

3. Follow-up  Keep careful records of all the people you contact, and always send a thank you note acknowledging any information you receive. Contact every lead you are given, and keep in touch with all your contacts periodically to inform them of your progress and keep you on their mind.

4. Expand your network  Continue to generate a list of people you can contact. Use meetings and conferences, professional associations, and social gatherings to add people to your network map. You may need to contact people directly without a referral from someone in your existing network. For example, collect names from newspaper articles, company directories, phone books, trade journals, and company brochures. Use the steps for conducting information interviews for these contacts.