Networking is a key strategy for professionals who are actively job seeking and for those who are looking to proactively manage their careers. I like to think that, even more than “needing” to network, you “get” to network in order to help others know who you are and what you have to offer.  Networking can be two-fold: 

• You gather information about an industry, organization, role or specific individual.  This can be helpful in determining if a particular career direction is right for you. 
• You offer information about yourself, your background, skills and experience, academic program and interests, as well as natural gifts and abilities.  This can be crucial in getting known by a professional or organization so they can see what you could contribute to them.

Because some learners feel uncertain at first about how to network effectively, we have created some great materials to help you up the learning curve including our networking on-demand tutorial and networking written and video materials.