One of the things I have noticed is that people I know on LinkedIn tend to fall into one of two camps: those who have developed extensive networks, and those who are stuck with very few contacts. Given the potential opportunities that this approach offers, I recommend learning how to leverage this system more.
There are a number of blogs that provide very useful help on how to leverage your presence. Check out:
Enjoy! RobThe most interesting aspect of the evolution of the Web is the potential change in how social networking takes place. In the “Strength of Weak Ties” pattern that Mark Granovetter identified, there are limitations. When I am talking to a person about their work / career needs, I can often make one or two suggestions about who they could talk to. My experience is that this is very common. We each can think of a few people who someone would do well to connect with. This of course works and is very powerful. The challenge is that I don’t always remember all of the people I know and I have absolutely no idea who those people in turn know.
Web 2.0 changes this dramatically. Social networking sites provide two significant opportunities for people who are engaged in career transitions research.
First, they can engage in dialogue with people they did not originally know through online discussion forms, thus building relationships outside of their previous network structure. There are literally millions of specialized discussion forums and blogs on the web that enable individuals to actively participate with others and get to know them, develop shared insight and understanding and this can lead to strategic career information.
The second opportunity is the emergence of sites that are intentionally designed to amplify one’s current social network. In my own experience of these systems, they are beneficial in that they help one to maintain their existing network and expand the network. An example of this is LinkedIn. Every time someone in my network changes roles, they can update their ‘profile’ and let me know about it. This helps us to keep in touch. However, the more intriguing element is that it is possible for a person to identify someone they would like to do career research with, whom they don’t know (i.e. the CEO of a specific company) and identify the linkages in their social networks to that specific person. They can then arrange a series of referrals to initiate a meeting. This aspect has proven to be very powerful as is enables individuals to extend their reach well beyond the traditional capacity of a network.
If you have not already, I encourage you to give this a try!
Rob
One of the more fascinating elements in applying social network analysis, is that it helps us to understand why some peoples career networks really are helpful, and yet for others they don’t work at all.
The more ‘closed’ a person’s networks are the less helpful they become. In other words, if I already know everyone that my contacts know (e.g. they are all a part of the same family or neighbourhood) then the networks will not be as helpful in finding a job (or making a change in any other aspect of life). The more diverse my networks are, the better the chances of a person being connected to a broader and more expansive network.
For example, if I am member of a book club and a fitness club AND there is no overlap between the two groups, this is a more diverse network than if the same people are members of both clubs. The greater the diversity of your individual networks; the greater the opportunity to be connected to a broader range of contacts outside your immediate circle.
The essence of this understanding it to seek to develop a broader range of groups and interests, this will help you grow both personally and professionally!
All the Best!
