I am a big fan and true believer in social media and Web 2.0 technology, and I feel they are excellent tools for us to leverage.
These tools have brought a new level to the way we do business and communicate with one another. They make it easier for us to e-mail our contacts or simply “shout out” a comment to someone via Facebook or Twitter. And they have created a fantastic way for me to find new candidates; candidates I would never have had access to before and can now communicate with regarding career opportunities in the marketplace.
However, I truly believe the best way to network is going back to the basics and picking up the phone and calling someone. I might be dating myself, but when I first started in this business we did not have all this great technology; you had to rely on the phone to communicate with people. When I am training recruiters today, I see how easy it is for them to rely on e-mail versus building relationships with people over the phone.
Talking to someone is the only way to take that relationship you have with the person to the next level. It allows you to get to know who this person is, their likes and dislikes, and it enables you to build trust. You can learn about their goals and how you can help them achieve their objectives. With that said, use all the networking tools out there to better-leverage yourself in the market place.
Last week, I posted a comment about a position that I was working on on Linkedin.com. I received an e-mail regarding the position from a former placement of mine (who I had not spoken with in several months) regarding a potentially-related business lead. So, I picked up the phone and gave her a call. It was a wonderful conversation; it was great to catch-up; and it gave me the opportunity to leverage her network for the opportunity that I was working on.
New technologies that exist are amazing, but when you couple them with good, old-fashioned. relationship-building techniques, you will win.