6 degrees

I have always found a benefit to networking, maintaining relationships and for the most part, not burning bridges with former employers, co-workers, friends or even spouses. Business networking sites like Linkedin, Plaxo and the other vertical oriented ones, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are, for me, practical tools I use to be more efficent in the networking I have always done.

I have a number of colleagues who are looking to grow in their careers, and given my more seasoned persona (as well as my background in recruiting) many of them have come to me for advice. I can't stress enough using a network.

Case in point...I have a colleague...someone I respect and have developed an excellent business rapport with...who came to me to see if I knew anyone at a specific company. I did a search on Linkedin and found a former contact at a former partner who was actually on first degree terms with the CEO of this company. I reached out to my former contact, who reached out to the CEO to see if he would communicate with me...we connected, I introduced my colleague and lo and behold, they have a call next week to discuss job opportunities. While this sounds like a case study in perfect networking a couple things came into play here:

1) My colleague knew and trusted me, knew of my network and sought me out to find out if I had an 'in' (First degree)
2) I had maintained a relationship with someone who I had limited contact with...touching base, commenting on his moves and keeping a dialogue open (2nd degree) to the point where he was comfortable introducing me to a C-level contact.
3) The CEO of the other company had a trusted relationship with my contact (3rd degree)
4) Said CEO reached out to me and welcomed an introduction to my colleague (4th degree)
5) My colleague reached out to said CEO and now has an interview (5th degree)

We haven't hit a 6th degree yet...but imagine the scenario of my colleague not being the right fit for the role and introducing said CEO to yet another colleague who just might...that would be the 6th degree...

A couple rules I follow to make sure that I have this system dialed in:

• Don't (as I pointed up before) burn bridges with ANYONE if you can help it. This includes not only bosses, but colleagues, clients, vendors etc. You never know who knows who and it will go a long way in helping or hurting your changes with either a job or business prospect.
• Do make sure you keep contact with your network (touch base, send emails, send e holiday cards etc.) and keep them posted on your comings and goings.
• Don't connect with people just to connect. Linked in has a ton of groups and joining them is a good idea if they are relevant to your career or goals. Targeting individuals in those groups and building relationships is better than just have a 'big' network.
• Use the network. Don't just Linkin, or be on Facebook...update your listings, connect with new people and use the tools that are available to you like forwarding profiles, job listings and the group functions.
• Lastly, remember, networking is about people, the technology just enables you to connect with people more efficently. Make sure you create a depth and breadth in the relationships you build. You don't have to enquire about their mother's health, but do understand what their needs are and offer your assistance in helping them achieve their networking goals as well.