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Professionals often rely on their networks to find jobs, advance their careers, and achieve their goals. A professional network encompasses all the contacts you have that can assist in job hunting or career development. These contacts might include someone who could act as a reference for a job application or offer advice to help you succeed in your current role. Even while still in high school, it’s possible to start building this network. When you’re looking for a new job or internship, eager to learn more about a particular company or industry, or seeking career advice, it’s beneficial to connect with professionals who have insights into your area of interest. A strong professional network can lead to career advice, new job opportunities, interviews, and the development of significant relationships. The people you meet might turn into mentors, employers, coworkers, or even friends.
To begin constructing your professional network, it’s wise to start with the adults you already know. Potential networking contacts could include family members, family friends, your friends’ parents, teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and even managers or coworkers from internships, volunteer positions, or summer jobs. All these individuals can become vital parts of your professional network, offering information, advice, support, and their own professional connections. They might help you directly or introduce you to someone in your field of interest. In this lesson, you’re encouraged to start building your professional network. Key activities include creating a spreadsheet to organize your existing network, searching online for new professional contacts, and drafting an email to request an informational interview. A spreadsheet, whether digital like Google Sheets or even on paper, is an effective tool for collecting, organizing, and storing contact information. To engage in this lesson, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account, create a new spreadsheet in Google Sheets, and then proceed to the next instructional segment to learn how to add headings to your spreadsheet. Now, it’s time for you to take action: sign into your Google account and start creating and naming your new spreadsheet.