Linda Bonanno's Weblog

In my January 9th post I referred to an article about cultivating weak ties in social networks to assist in networking and job searching.

Recently the Wall Street Journal had the following article dubbed “Should Over-50 Job Hunters Join Facebook?”. The article itself wasn’t that remarkable to me – I think that social networks can be really useful.

What I liked about the article is that one of my contacts – Chuck Hester from Raleigh, NC was specifically called out in a national magazine article. Chuck is a LinkedIn master. What is really outstanding about what he does is that he considers “paying it forward” instead of “paying someone back” to be the key to networking. The first time I met Chuck he asked me – what can I do for you? He wasn’t worried about how I could help him. He wanted to figure out if there were ways that he could use his network to assist me in my endeavors. As part of his desire to help others, Chuck runs a regular “LinkedIn Live” gathering in the area to help people connect with one another. I don’t think that I’ve met anyone quite like Chuck in this respect.

I think that everyone can learn some lessons from Chuck. Networks are meant to be nurtured. They aren’t mean to be used only when you need help. I know that when someone in my network is looking for an opportunity I will provide them with whatever help makes the most sense. I’ve spent hours editing resumes for people that I hadn’t seen in 15 years. I’ve provided references for coworkers that I trust and would love to work with again. Sometimes I’ve spent time giving people insight and perspective on an industry that they are trying to break into. It’s worth the time and effort to do these things. Pay it forward.