Graceful Ways to Network

After you have identified whom to reach out in a job search (see my post “7 Circles to Contact in a Job Search”), don’t get stuck on the approach.

Here are easy ways to touch base: 

1. Review legal papers like The Recorder and Law360 each day. These publications have free trial and digital subscriptions, so you have no excuse! Contact people you see mentioned, and congratulate them on their latest success.
2. Read business and local publications. You can’t go wrong with a daily skim of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and maybe one other like Silicon Valley Business Journal, VentureBeat, or TechCruch (you get the idea). Say hello to any contacts mentioned, and forward them articles about themselves, their company, industry, new ideas, etc.
3. If you don’t want to rely on chance to contact people, you can conduct a comprehensive review of your mental Rolodex by breaking out prospective employers by sector, by venture financing, by popularity, etc. You can find quarterly to annual reports and rankings of companies by the San Jose Mercury News, Fortune, Forbes, LinkedIn, etc. Now you have targeted companies to follow.