What is the best way to break into a career?
More often than not I've found that most people land successful careers because of their social networking within a company. What tips can I use to introduce myself to a potential employer? Or, in other words, how can I gain contacts within the business industry? #business #career-advice
5 answers
Jennifer’s Answer
Victor’s Answer
One way is to open your LinkedIn account, and then join groups in the area you are interested in, and then start sharing information in that group so that you start building your brand in that area. Then, start applying for jobs for companies where other people in that particular group work for, it's very possible that they might be willing to provide reference since you will have a good image in that group.
Lodema’s Answer
Here are some additional suggestions:
- Try to focus on your career selection earl on. For example: If you are interested in being an attorney, while in college, look for an entry-level job in a law firm and network up.
- Look for internships in fields you are interested. I have seen many people at my company hired after interning.
- Use LinkedIn to search an ask people for mentorship possibilities. I find that most professionals want to share and help and mentor.
Good luck!
Ken’s Answer
Congratulations on being interested in finding the right career to follow.. It takes a special person to enter into a specific career field and meet the demands which that career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make one successful in that area. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow people doing what you might think that you want to do to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside. When I was doing college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped these important steps, and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited.
Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
Ken recommends the following next steps: