No matter what generation you claim membership to, if you aren't taking advantage of social media as an online networking opportunity you may be missing valuable connections.
Social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook allow
professionals the opportunity to by-pass the gatekeeper and develop
relationships with prospects and suspects. For example, we have an intern whose dream is to work in Public Relations for the Disney Company. She is a sophomore at a local university and has already developed enough of a LinkedIn profile for future employers to get to know her. Through some careful searches and respectful connection requests, she is now conversing daily with team members in the Public Relations department at DISNEY! Do you think this activity will give her a leg up when intern or direct hiring positions come available? We certainly think so.
Using social media to network is a lot like online dating. The goal is to meet your perfect professional match, get to know each other in the safety of your office (talk about decreasing business expenses!), establish trust, then meet offline to further the professional relationship.
Just like watching how someone conducts themselves on the golf course can be a window into how they will conduct themselves in the board room, conversing with or following someone on social media can be an indicator of personal and professional integrity as a client or strategic partner. You can learn a lot about someone by what they post on social media as a status update or how they interact with you when you ask to connect. (HINT: Sending a sales message to us on LinkedIn right after connecting is a good way to get you un-connected.)
