Expand Your Community with 30 Days of Networking Days 6-10

Expand Your Community with 30 Days of Networking Days 6-10 So, how did the first 5 days go?  Good I hope!  If you havent read them yet, make sure you check out this post (CLICK HERE). Position yourself as a center of influence the one who knows the movers and shakers. People will respond to that, and youll soon become what you project. Bob Burg More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject. -Peter Drucker Here are days 6-10 of connecting and creating the environment and community that YOU want for yourself!! Day 6: Make a list of people you have lost touch with. Sometimes it feels like there is not enough time in a day to stay involved in the lives of our family and friends.   Make a list today of all the friends and family members that you would like to catch up with. Day 7: Make a 4 X 4 list and contact  these people.    Make a plan to meet  with 4 people that you already  know and 4 people that you dont know.    Call and  email these people  to see if they would be interested in meeting with you over the next month or two.  (Remember that you dont have to meet these 8 people in person, you can always practice your interview skills over the phone also!) Day 8: Do research on the 4 people you don’t know.   To make sure that you make a great impression and get the most out of the informational interview, make sure you research their industry, their company and their background.   Linkedin and Google  are very useful tools for this.   Remember, the goal of this meeting is to get a referral to speak with someone else, so you must be as knowledgeable as possible and put  your best foot forward even though this isnt a real job interview.   You never know who they might know and be  able to refer you to! Day 9: Write out the questions you will ask  during the  interviews.  After doing research about who you will be meeting with, make a list  of all the questions.   Some great questions are: What is your typical day like?   How did you get your job and how do you recommend someone like me get into your field?   How is the economy affecting your industry?   What do you like most about the company you work for?   Do you know of other people whom I might talk to who have similar jobs?   Save a document with these questions online so that you always have it handy to print or refer to. Day 10: Review your interview outfits.   Do you have a comfortable interview outfit that you can be confident in?   Try on what you plan to wear to the informational interview and look at yourself in the mirror.   Do you look professional?   If not, spend some time today at the mall so that you can make sure you will be comfortable.   You will be going on many interviews soon and you want to make sure you dont have to stress about what to wear! Please share in the comments if you are going to try 30 days of connecting!  What connecting tips do you have?