304: Networking for Lifetime Career Success
Outline a plan to cultivate a professional network using a compelling elevator speech and leveraging social media tools to maintain connections.
The ability to network effectively within your organization and the greater community is one of the most critical success factors for an HR professional. A study by Inc. Magazine found that 48 percent of executives believe personal connections are the primary factor for getting ahead in an organization. Build your professional network using practical techniques for developing an elevator speech to gain attention, participating in networking events, and utilizing social media to maintain network connections.
Jennifer Vessels, CEO of Next Step, has more than 30 years of talent development experience in sales and marketing director roles with Tandem, Ungermann-Bass and Tandberg (now a Cisco company). Since Jennifer founded Next Step in 1997, its 40 seasoned professionals have provided the tools, skills and resources to maximize growth for Cisco Systems, Adobe, Genentech, Goodwill Industries and numerous smaller organizations. Jennifer is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and holds a MBA from San Jose State University and a Master of Occupational Psychology from the University of London.
