Preventive medicine has been around forever. Who doesn’t eat vegetables, floss their teeth or jog to hold the doctor at bay?
But the notion of keeping their careers healthy during good times as well as bad comes as a bitter pill. Exhibit A is the dreaded act of networking.
“Most people miss the boat here,” said Lynne Waymon, a career consultant and trainer based in Silver Spring, Md. “They see it as being manipulative or pushy. It is the route to your next job.”
A well-developed list of contacts makes all the difference when the economy slows, personnel experts say. Who better than friends, former co-workers or neighbors to spread the word on jobs before they appear on a corporate Web site or in a help-wanted ad?
Waymon advises her clients to build a roster of 50 to 250 people to keep abreast of career news. How to develop such an imposing list?
Professional organizations are one easy way to bond with others in the industry.
Waymon suggests that walking into an event with a goal, such as remembering the names of four or five new people, can help get you into the right mind-set. Repeat the new person’s name, and your own, once or twice to keep it fresh.
When someone asks what you do or how you are, come up with a sentence that shows “when you saved the day, solved the problem or served the client,” Waymon said. That way, you won’t end up talking about boring job titles or about life on the unemployment line.
