Reaping what I sowed

If I have learned only one thing from my job search this summer, it is that networking is one of the most valuable tool to any MBA graduate. I am amazed at the number of opportunities that have come along because I happen to know the right people and they happen to have thought of me at the appropriate time. I am going to illustrate this by sharing with you three stories that happened within the last month.

 

In early July I used LinkedIn to get back in touch with the recruiter who hired me to AOL. She has since left the company and is now recruiting for a company that provides medical information over the web. I got in touch with her not so much because I wanted her to find me another job but because I wanted to add her onto my LinkedIn profile. I mentioned in passing the career progress I have made since leaving AOL and even jokingly told her that I remember her last name because when we first spoke on the phone six years ago, she told me an easy way to remember how to spell it. About three weeks later, she emailed me and told me about a product management opportunity at her company and arranged for a telephone interview.

 

When I got accepted into the Yale School of Management two years ago, the admissions office arranged for me to meet with a School of Management alum who was working locally in the area. We met up at a Cosi one evening and talked about my career interest and the Yale program. I ended up choosing to not go to Yale but kept in touch with him. A year ago when he ran the New York City Marathon to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I coughed up fifteen bucks. On Friday he emailed me asking if I I’d be interested in working as an independent contractor (a 1099) for his technology consulting firm while I continue my job search.

 

Last Thursday I was invited to have breakfast at Carolina Café with a bunch of Kenan-Flagler alums. One of the participants was a 2005 graduate who worksfor an email marketing firm. This is a firm that I am familiar with and for which I attended a career open house event back in February. He was talking about the email marketing industry and mentioned in passing a competing company in nearby Durham. I have never heard of this other company and after looking over its web site, I emailed my resume. This resulted in a phone interview earlier this week and I will be having an in person interview next week.

 

I will be attending a networking event of a different variety later this evening. The Infiniti of Raleigh dealership is having a reception previewing the 2008 Infiniti G37. It would be awesome if I meet someone that leads to a job and even better if the job pays enough for me to buy a G37.