Five Websites to Build & Nurture Your Professional Network

For one reason or another, people neglect to build their professional network. Some have worked for the same company for many years, while others fill executive level positions. Both either believe their network is large enough or don’t think the effort is necessary. Many simply do not recognize the benefits.

The advantages of developing and nurturing your network are diverse. Even if you don’t see the need now, there will come a time when the ability to leverage an already established network can impede or advance your career or business. For example …

Business start-ups need to outsource work that is not a core competency. You WILL need accounting, marketing, legal, and technology professionals to get your business up and running. Who will you call to provide these very basic, yet oh-so-necessary business services?
Recruiters seeking to fill new positions do not simply rely upon Monster.com and Careerbuilder to hire the next “superstar.” Recruiters also tap into alumni, employee referrals, even social networks to help identify potential candidates.
Businesses focused on growth leverage the contacts of their sales staff to expand into new territories.
Employees or professionals in transition can tap into their professional networks to connect with recruiters and hiring managers at their target companies.

Building and nurturing your network happens online and offline. Most people are familiar with traditional network building techniques like:

Carrying business cards and leaving them with people you interact with,
Regularly attending professional networking events,
Joining industry specific organizations like – the American Medical Association (“AMA”) or the Public Relations Society of America (“PRSA”), and
Becoming a member of a business network like the Chamber of Commerce.

The type of networking that often mystifies professionals and businesses alike is that which occurs online. While LinkedIn is the most used professional network for individuals and companies, it isn’t the only available option. In this first blog post, Five Websites to Build & Nurture Your Professional Network, we will discuss five professional networks and their benefits.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a social network for businesspeople. Users create a professional profile, upload their resume, and connect with former and current colleagues. LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 135 million members in over 200 countries and territories. It counts executives from all 2011 Fortune 500 companies as members and its corporate hiring solutions are used by 75 of the Fortune 100 companies.
Biznik: Biznik is a community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed. Biznik is for people who are building real businesses, not looking for their next job. It’s for sharing your ideas, not posting your resume. It’s the place where real conversations about small business and entrepreneurship are taking place.
Entrepreneur Connect: Entrepreneur Connect is the social network where small-business owners can create a profile, explore the community, share ideas and make connections. This site is not intended for mass self-promotion, but rather should be a positive destination where entrepreneurs can exchange real advice and make lasting connections.
Plaxo: Your contacts are scattered across a wide array of services including email, phone, and social networks. The result is inconsistent contact entries and outdated info, leaving you with little chance of accessing a complete, accurate address book. Plaxo’s products work together to turn your fragmented, unreliable contact info into a truly valuable communication resource. Seamless integration across social networks, mobile devices, and email services enables you to manage your network.
BranchOut: BranchOut is the largest professional network on Facebook with millions of users in 60 countries and 15 languages. On BranchOut, users leverage their Facebook friend network to find jobs, source sales leads, recruit talent, and foster relationships with professional contacts. BranchOut also operates the largest job board on Facebook with over 3 million jobs and over 20,000 internships.

It is never too late to begin building your professional and business network. By combining both online and offline techniques you will discover that your network is larger than ever imagined and the business opportunities become limitless. Next week we will discuss easy techniques for growing your online network and how to leverage it.