Connections, Friends and Followers

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Networking used to be simple. You would meet someone and take his or her card. The rules were simple. You could write a “nice meeting you” note and then call or e-mail to arrange a following meeting. And the etiquette was simple. You would keep in touch every now and then to discuss business (occasionally your personal life). But gone are the days when your contacts lived in rolodexes that sat on your desk and stared back at you on a small ivory colored card.

Today, networking is complicated. Do you fling out your iPhone the second you meet someone and tweet about the rendezvous? Do you log onto Facebook and friend the new acquaintance, or should you add them on LinkedIn? Do you fear the person you are connecting with will be annoyed by another one of those e-mails? The rules are complicated. If you do not connect (LinkedIn), friend (Facebook) or follow (Twitter) the person you just met right away, what is the proper amount of time you should wait to add them to a social network and which one do you use to connect with the new “friend?”

The etiquette is – you guessed it – also complicated. What should you have on your Facebook profile? Do you write to them on their wall or in a message? Should you tweet to a person just with an “@” sign or via Direct Message? What should you say in all of these messages and should you comment about someone’s photo they just posted from the night before that is a semi-questionable image to begin with?

While LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks might seem complicated and a minefield to start using, social technology should also be leveraged to increase your profile and reach out to potential employers. While networking has now become a 24-7 activity on these web sites, it is more important then ever to participate on not only Facebook, but also LinkedIn and Twitter.

“There are 22 percent fewer jobs for recent graduates and 20 percent fewer internships available (NACE), which means that personal branding is more than a differentiator, it's a requirement,” says Dan Schawbel, author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. He believes people should “invest in themselves and harvest a network. More people are in your network than you think, including your family, friends and even someone you met on a bus or at a baseball game. You need to build strong relationships.”

For starters, it is important that you build the network before worrying about all the other rules and basketball bracket add-ons. That starts with having a strong profile on LinkedIn and Facebook. On LinkedIn, make sure to describe your previous jobs and internships with details and care. Add a headshot, ask for recommendations and ensure nothing remains blank. LinkedIn will tell you when your profile is 100 percent finished.

On Facebook, ensure you only have professional photos in your profile and monitor your wall for friends who might leave inappropriate comments that should be deleted immediately. Further, add your phone number and e-mail to insure that if an employer wants to contact you, the information is available. Add which network you belong in, which should be your college, the company you work or interned at and the city where you are located. This will help others easily find you. Join groups and become a fan of organizations and people who best represent who you are. Being a fan of CNN is good; Britney Spears, well, not so much.

If you have already been on these networks since high school or college, perhaps it is time to re-think how you use them. No longer are the keg-stand pictures okay.

“Before applying for jobs, do a cleanup of your social networks,” Schawbel notes. These networks should “best represent you. Don't have anything negative that employers would dislike.”

After establishing your personal page, start searching for friends, family members, colleagues and anyone else you know. The power of social networking happens in the macro when you are well connected and have many resources to pull from.

The former CEO of LinkedIn, Dan Nye, said once that when I reached 500 LinkedIn connections, “Good things will happen to you.” The unique power of LinkedIn makes this true.