Your career is a major financial asset. When you change your career you are either thinking of increasing your financial asset, having an income so that you can maintain the assets you already have, or improving your health so that you can enjoy your financial assets.
Think about this: a midlife career change that extends the life of that career can substantially improve your future wealth providing more income and more security when you do retire. Even if you career change is a part-time, spare time operation you can still improve your status.
One of the strategies to include in your career change is personal networking. Of course social networking is important. Your clients may gather with you at Linked In or Facebook and you may be sending tweets on a daily basis. However, if you have clients and customers that are local or have local connections then you want to widen the range of people who know you from a semi business perspective.
The Chamber of Commerce, for example, is the voice of your local business community. It’s the central organization in which the business community can join with other organizations to promote projects that benefit others in the community. Becoming a member of the Chamber multiplies your effectiveness in the community because it can also provide you with resources and contacts. You may want to think of it as your goodwill ambassador for businesses.
When you join the Chamber or other local groups you are added to their business directory and if you’re willing to serve and volunteer, you receive free local publicity when events are announced and programs described.
You actually get the most from your volunteer time when you sit on the board of an organization or association. Volunteering is a great way to network and networking is an excellent way to market yourself. Volunteering is also good for name recognition.
Which brings me to the next point: when you select an organization choose your volunteering as if you were selecting your marketing campaign. For instance, check who is on the board and how they may be able to help you. It’s a calculated process. Volunteering can pay off for your business, but first make sure it pays off for you personally otherwise you will appear fake. Networking is probably on the oldest, most accepted and least expensive ways to show and tell. It’s also a good way to measure how well you’re getting your message across because it is happening in real time.
One of the best tips I received from an outstanding networker is that when you are at an event and they give you name tag, on the first line of your name tag write what you do in big, bold letters. Then put you company name or your name below that. It will attract attention and questions.
If you have a good tip for attending networking events let me know and I’ll post the tip giving you the credit. In the meantime, make networking part of your career change strategy.
Ruthan
Ruthan brodsky
Copywriter & Business Writer
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