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Career Planning - Step 4: Support Networks

Support Networks How To Build Network Sources Getting Started

Building Your Support Networks

Everything in life is about working well "with and through" others. This is particularly true when it comes to your career. In addition, and just like building your Living Blueprint in Step 3, building support networks is an ongoing process.

Wherever and whenever you come in contact with people, there are opportunities for networking. Networking is a process of "give and take" where ideally, both parties benefit. Networking opportunities can occur as a one time experience or on an ongoing basis.

For example, striking up a conversation with a cashier during a retail exchange might result in a referral to someone or something that is of interest to you. If you make a routine stop for coffee or a donut during the week, building rapport with the employees who work there may be a productive source of networking at some level of interest to you. More obvious sources of productive networking may include family, friends, colleagues, teachers, fellow students, or an employer.

The point is that if you don't think of any and every exchange with other individuals as potential opportunities for productively networking, you will lessen your chances of enjoying the benefits of supportive networks. Often, the only difference between someone who is successful in their field and someone who isn't is that one person is proactive about building and maintaining relationships and one is not.

Using the same categories introduced for building your Living Blueprint, below is a chart that introduces ways where these same venues offer valuable networking opportunities.

Support Networks

Move on to How to Build Support Networks


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