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As so many of us in the Internet marketing and interactive design fields know, it’s often way too easy to let your online presence do all the talking for your personal and professional brand. The hand-shaking, business-card-swapping, face time part of connecting is just as important as your online portfolio and resume, but doesn’t always receive the same attention in this digital age.
For our latest installment of Onward Search’s Career Cast podcast (and my first time behind the Career Cast microphone) I asked Luke Kilpatrick, Social Media Producer at VMware and avid supporter of professional user groups, to share his insights on striking the most successful balance between online and office networking techniques.[/accent]
In part 1, Luke and I talk about how he got involved in user groups, specifically the story behind how he started the world’s first Adobe Fireworks user group, Fire On The Bay, in San Francisco. His story is a great example of how user groups can open doors and expand your professional horizons in a short amount of time.
We also talked about why job seekers, and the happily employed alike, should invest more time and energy in offline networking opportunities. While their approaches to a user group meeting might be a little different, the bottom line is the same for both groups. As Luke put it, employers like people who grow.
Check out my conversation with Luke about successful networking techniques and I guarantee you’ll learn something that will motivate to you find a user group in your neighborhood, or maybe even start one of your own! Stay tuned for Part 2 of Onward Search’s Career Cast podcast where Luke Kilpatrick and I cover even more tips on successful networking online and offline.
Do you have any offline networking success stories? Share them below!
