How to network to get your next job

The days of submitting your resume online and getting an interview are long gone and many successful seasoned professionals are faced with the challenge of even getting their foot in the door. So in this new economy, networking may be the key to meeting decision makers face to face.

Here are a few tips from Gelie Akhenblit, Founder & CEO of NetworkingPhoenix.com

Do:
· Ask a lot of open-ended questions: Engage people by listening more and talking less.
· Be yourself: Genuine people are easy to work with and hard to forget.
· Wear a name tag: Make yourself memorable and easy to spot in crowded room.
· Arrive early: Arriving early so you can meet the organizers of the event.
· Follow up! : Show people that you follow through, reconnect within the first 3 days

Don't:
· Push your product or service: Push yourself, people want to do business with you!
· Monopolize people's time: Give others and yourself a chance to work the room.
· Hand out more than one card to a contact: It's confusing and makes you look unfocused.
· Send out an impersonal mass email: Meaningful professional connections are built on direct personal communication
· Hand out your business card to everybody in the room: Make a connection and then exchange cards