Don't Fall Behind On Your Networking!

Have you recently been laid off? Or have you been slacking on updating your job applicant information and network? Believe it or not there are easy and efficient ways to keep up with your network. According to an article posted on  MSN Careers there are five simple steps to completing these tasks:

1. Make a list
Create a list of everyone you know and have known, whether or not you know where they are today, suggests Duncan Mathison, an author, speaker and consultant on companies and professionals impacted by layoffs. Circulate the list to people you have stayed in touch with and they can often fill in the blanks, reintroduce you and even remind you of others who would be worthwhile to connect with.

2. Perform a Google search
Start by typing in the full name of the person you are searching, says Melissa Cassera, publicity specialist. Try searching for his or her full name + the state in which they live. If you find a name but no contact information, try typing in the full name + the word 'e-mail' or 'phone.'

3. Contact your undergraduate or business school
You may score current contact information by responding to requests from your Alma maters' alumni association, says Debra Condren, business psychologist, coach, author and founder of AmbitionIsNotADirtyWord.com. Update your own contact information and professional biography and stay visible to your former classmates, she says. "Let folks know what you're up to and they may surprise you with a blast from the past phone call or e-mail, just when you were wondering how to find them."

4. Use social networks
Look up old colleagues on LinkedIn, Plaxo, Jigsaw, Brightfuse and Facebook, Cassera suggests. Many of these sites have search functions where you can search by company -- even if someone has left the organization, there's a good chance they've listed it in their previous work history.

5. Fill in the gaps
If you are missing links in your network, you must replace or renew them. Revisit your trade organization, attend local networking events and use your current data base to get connected to new contacts, says David Hults, author of "From Cornered to Corner Office." If you're laid off, ask people who would be good contacts to know. Some will surely know the 'movers and shakers' in your industry.

For more information visit the following website:http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1896-Job-Search-Five-Ways-to-Refresh-Your-Outdated-Network/?sc_extcmp=JS_1896_advice&SiteId=cbmsn41896&catid=js