Nurture your professional network now

Your professional network will catch you when you fall. Think of it as an emergency fund for your career.

When you lose a job or simply must get another because you are miserable where you are, you are going to turn to your professional network just like you have to turn to your emergency fund when your car conks out.

If the network is strong and you have plenty of money in reserve, you won’t suffer long.

I get calls from unhappy auditors about once a month

Unhappy auditors call me because they want out or have been laid off and want me to help them find another gig. I am happy to point them to all of the resources I can think of and tell them of all of the open jobs I know of.

Along the way, I ask them about their own resources and about their professional network.

Unfortunately, many of them admit that they don’t have much of a professional network and they are scrambling to reconnect with past colleagues and new employers.

Often, they hesitate to call past work colleagues because they haven’t contacted them in ages and feel embarrassed to contact them only because they need something.

In other words, they have not nurtured their professional network so it will not be able to nurture them back now that they are in trouble.

What is a professional network?

Think of it like a spider web of connections to people and organizations. It includes who you know and what organizations you are a member of.

The more people you know – and the more people you feel comfortable contacting when your career goes off track – the better.

How do I build a professional network?

Here are some ideas to get you started building a professional network:

1. Email, text, call, or meet past work colleagues every few months.
2. Serve in a professional organization. Don’t just join and show up at the occasional meeting, but serve on a committee, as an officer, or on the board. That way, you get to prove to the leaders of the organization that you are capable and employable.
3. Join LinkedIn and work it, baby! Connect with colleagues, post and respond to posts.

Start doing it now

Don’t wait for an emergency to start building your network. You will come off as desperate when meeting new folks, and that, unfortunately, is a turnoff to many employers.

Go ahead and update that resume and make sure to keep your certifications paid up and current.

Reach out to that friend of yours from your first job and ask them how they are doing. It will be fun and ultimately very good for you and your career.