Having been out of the workforce for 7 months now, upon returning from the U.S., one of my many priorities was to reconnect with friends and to rebuild my network of former colleagues and business professionals with whom I've dealt with in the past.
Thank goodness for social network sites like Facebook but better, LinkedIn - a business-oriented networking site that allows you to maintain and build your network of business contacts and associates. Quick and easy sites where you can seek old friends or acquaintances, no matter where they might live or work, in a matter of seconds and where you can share/exchange business ideas or concerns with individuals of similar backgrounds but from different companies.
In a matter of weeks, I have tripled my network and reconnected with former colleagues and friends - some of whom I haven't seen or spoken to in years - and I'm not done! Occasionally while doing the odd task around the house - like today, I was sanding and re-staining a patio table and chairs - someone I used to deal with, popped into my head so I rushed into the house and over to the laptop to do a look-up on LinkedIn!
Many professional recruiters and companies now use LinkedIn (and Facebook and even Twitter) as a source for seeking out potential employees - so having an up-to-date profile, listing current & past experience as well as having an overall summary, etc., can certainly be worth your while.
Whether you use any of the social networking sites, or even basic email, there's no question that while building and maintaining your network of friends and associates takes time (and who has any to spare these days?!), the upside is that making that extra bit of effort will keep you connected to the bigger world out there... and you never know when you might need to tap into it or what it might have waiting for you!
So if you're not LinkedIn yet... chop! chop!
3 down, 96 to go!!
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