Social Networking for Shy People
By Regina Stevens |
Social networking is not easy for shy people. Social networking in a group
setting requires you to "work a room" and "sell yourself" and your
qualifications. If you are good at selling yourself, social networking is a
cinch. Well, I am one of the shy people. I hated attending these networking
meetings because they made me feel uncomfortable. Not once did I find a contact
to help me find a job either. I do know of people who have found jobs this way,
and social networking is extremely important in Atlanta, Georgia. I, for one, am
not comfortable, so I had to let it go. Finding a job is stressful enough, why
force yourself to do something that makes you feel awkward.
Not everyone
has the "gift of gab" or has the personality to win people over. This is
unfortunate for people who have wonderful skills to offer an employer. Trust me,
you are not the only one losing out because of your shyness. There is a company
out there who needs your skills, but since you are shy, they may never know
unless you find another way to introduce yourself to them.
I learned
early that I was not good at "working a room" at these networking meetings so I
decided to find other ways to network. Some of my methods are common, but some
of them are not so common, but effective. I started out using my methods to
solely find a job, but during my networking I found friends and business
partners.
One thing I learned is that you have to keep in constant
contact with your contacts. You must ensure that you remain familiar to them and
you will get positive feedback. You might even find yourself deciding to work
for yourself with the arsenal of contacts you find.
I have written a
9-page e-doc called, "Social Networking: Various Ways to Find Job Contacts in
Atlanta, Georgia". In this e-doc I have written about various ways to network
without attending group networking meetings and I have given you a list of
contacts to use and links to sites that will give you more information. Two
things to keep in mind with this e-doc: 1) you must be willing to use my
methods, and use them constantly and 2) keep a spreadsheet or database of your
contacts so you can follow up with them. You must also remain positive that you
will find a job. Be as positive as possible when contacting people. It is much
easier to describe your qualifications when you are comfortable.
My
methods do not guarantee you a job, but it sure does give you ideas. I am hoping
that the information contained in the e-doc will help you as much as it has and
still is helping me. I would also like to hear your comments after you have
tried out the various methods.
About the
Author
This article was written by Regina Stevens, owner of
Information Technology Job Seekers - Atlanta http://itjsatlanta.com. If you
would like to send comments, email the name of the article and where you found
the article to articles[@]itjsatlanta.com. Take the brackets out before sending
me an email.
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