Darcy Rezac

Many of us professionals are nervous about networking. We understand the rationale behind it and recognize its theoretical usefulness, but quite frankly rarely enjoy ourselves doing it. Facing a roomful of strangers, we'd rather be home reading a good book (preferably not one about networking). Rezac has the honesty to recognize that not everyone is a natural networker. Sadly, he didn't do a good job making it any easier, by insisting on techniques that any person with a propension for introversion will find downright aggressive. And they are pretty straightforward: go to as many networking events as possible, talk with as many strangers as possible, get your business cards working (Rezac is a huge fan of business cards). Not tremendously helpful.… (mehr)

This was recommended to me during an webinar on job hunting.

Let me save you 16 bucks. Get business cards. Give them out to everyone, ask for them in return and make a database. Follow-up with emails or letters. Go everywhere and look for people who look like they will talk to you or are wallflowers and get them involved. Don't just ask "what can you do for me?" Go to every networking-type event you can.

That's it, really. OK, he goes a bit more in-depth, but honestly, this could have been a long article in Business Week. Take out the 5th through 23rd mentions of how you should exchange business cards and that would probably cut it down enough. Seriously, I think he must own stock in a printing company.… (mehr)