Are you on track with your career network - Hire Imaging

Are you on track with your career network - Hire Imaging When you’ve become comfortable with building your career or job search network, you’ll no doubt be amazed at the number of people you are speaking to or connecting with on a regular basis. Keeping track could mean the difference between grasping opportunity or having it slip away. Think like a reporter The Five Ws (and one H), or the Big Six, is a concept well known in news journalism, research and investigations, and is a formula for getting the full story on something. Its principle is that for a report to be considered complete, it must answer a checklist of six questions. Pick some method that works for you â€" electronic or even a small spiral notebook. Then use this organized system in order to keep track of: WHO You spoke to or communicated with (in person, phone, text, email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Else they referred you to WHAT You talked / communicated about Information or help they could use from you Their company’s current hiring needs are WHERE You will meet them or connect with them again You should send your information and thank-you if applicable WHY You should keep in touch with them They are a valuable contact WHEN You will meet or connect with them again You should call, email or connect in another way again to follow up HOW You can make sure they remember you You can use the information they provided you with The help is there One of my favorite online career management tools is Jason Alba’s JibberJobber. You can track where you’ve sent your resumes and the jobs you’ve applied for. You can log the status of each application as you proceed through the hiring process. You can also track your personal networking contacts and log how they have helped you. JibberJobber is a great resource  if you’re feeling overwhelmed with job search or career information overload. The basic version is free (premium features like expense tracking are available for a fee). If you take your job search or career management online, you can access your correspondence, calendar and contacts from any computer. If you’re a Gmail user, you can access their email accounts via Gmail and once you’re there, you can see links to your calendar and documents. Google Documents is an easy application to use. You can upload documents directly from your computer (browse to select the file, then click to upload) or create a new document on the web site. You can also edit your documents and export them as Word, Open Office, PDF, RTF, or HTML files. So, you’re able to access your resume and letters from your Gmail account and apply for positions directly from the web via Gmail. Very cool! System = sanity You’ve been making contacts like a fanatic: networking events, social and community activities, etc. You’ve embraced LinkedIn and social media. Now what? This is where people’s networking often falters. Lack of a tracking system. Lack of a plan on how to capitalize on the connections they have made. Here, many fall off the boat. A stack of business cards in your drawer won’t do it. Keep track of your personal career network somewhere. Make sure you know who’s who, where they work or frequent, and how to get in touch. Then you’re on track and in the driver’s seat! Photo: LinPernillePhotography