In my previous life as a kitty survivor of the Pound, locked up behind bars, doing time in the big house, I was the Queen B on my block! I could ‘network’ with anyone. I had the new inmate kitties shivering in fear and the ‘staff’ wrapped around my little razor sharp claws.
That sordid life is in the past thanks to my loving human who rescued me. Purrrrrr! I now live the glamorous and refined life of a feline social media icon and use my charm and heft more than I use my claws. Well, most of the time…
Luckily for you humans there are many easier ways to network with other Administrative professionals that do not include drawing blood, even though you might be tempted to from time to time.
Here are some ideas on how to easily network and connect with other successful people. Never underestimate the value of knowledge from experienced people in your field and the doors that can be opened in order to advance your career.
LinkedIn Groups Linkedin.com Groups for administrative professionals offers a great platform to ‘virtually’ meet other administrative professionals in your area. Here you can discuss meows and share advice about different projects online through different comment boards. It is a wonderful way to connect with people in similar positions. While there you can check out my LinkedIn page where my minions offer amazing daily advice for job seekers.
Business Organizations The Executive Assistant Organization has chapters Nationwide, including San Francisco and Silicon Valley. They offer various social events as well as training courses to hone your craft as an Administrative professional. Your local Chamber of Commerce also offers different courses for business professionals; they also offer social mixers. These are not mixers as in alcoholic mixers, although I am sure you can partake of those while you are there. More info on EAO.
Networking and Special Event websites Websites such as Event Brite allow you to view various types of special events pertaining to your profession or interests in your area. Many administrative and professional organizations use this website to promote their events and many are free. It’s also a useful tool to check out what might be interesting to do after work in your city.
Facebook Sure it’s a fun place to interact with your friends, but it’s furrr sure a useful tool to follow the feeds of all of the companies listed above, as well as others you are interested in working for. Everybody, including me, uses Facebook to promote themselves. It’s an easy click to Like a company and follow their news online. Of course you should immediately "like" my page if you haven’t already done so! Beware though, my kittens, social media is not all fun and games so watch what you put on line or you’ll be out of line for great jobs in the future.
Toastmasters Toastmasters is neither a game show nor a way to learn new toast recipes. Hmmm, I’m hungry. Where’s my human? Toastmasters is a wonderful organization where professionals socialize and enhance their public speaking and leadership skills. It also looks pretty impressive on your resume! You can gain confidence and leadership skills by regularly giving speeches, gaining feedback, leading teams and guiding others to achieve their goals in a supportive and fun atmosphere.
Do you have other groups or networking sites that you use that are not on this list? If so, I would love to hear from you. Please use your paws and post a comment on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
Yours truly,
Lola*Cat
Chief Feline Officer and Fashion Cat
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