Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review The Networking Advice No One Tells YouLinks to an external site. article.

Networking is a critical part of managing your career, and like everything else related to your career, it must be done intentionally and strategically. Often we don't consider networking until we need a new job and it is easy to appear desperate at that point. By building up your network before you actually need it, you are creating a safety net for yourself, minimizing the chances of needing to aggressively hit the job boards, and improving the odds of new opportunities actually finding you.

For your initial response, use The Networking Advice No One Tells YouLinks to an external site. as your guide and

• Discuss the things in your life that currently hold you back from networking.
• Explain your value proposition based on your career goals.
• Outline a networking plan that includes five next strategic steps to take (be specific and realistic here).