Page 12 - 2.2

JIMINY SELF-HELP HANDBOOK 12

In this second section we will deal with the use of other types of digital resources: the internet, social
networks and digital networks. We will start by studying what a network is and how our students can
take advantage of it for their professional careers; later, we will see what networking 2.0 is and why it
can be so effective for incomers into the job market; and, finally, we will try to answer to what extent
it is advisable (or not) to use social networks to promote a professional activity, as well as different
examples where it can be positive and/or negative, depending on the context and the market being
faced.

Networking
Networking is a common practice in the business and entrepreneurial world. It is a word that is already
used on a daily basis in the professional field and refers to events, both formal and informal, in which
your students can build a network of contacts that may help them generate both business and
employment opportunities.

At professional conferences and fairs, a space is usually reserved to facilitate this practice among the
attendees. Such meetings, which are usually set up over coffee in the mid-morning or at the end of the
day at an event that attracts relevant professionals from the sector, become valuable moments in
which to make contact with people with common interests. They are one of several places where our
students can network.

Networking meetings can satisfy different work situations. People who have a business idea and need
investors or partners, recruiters who are looking to incorporate specialists in certain areas or business
angels into their staff to find projects to invest in. But networking is not exclusive to entrepreneurs or
business-related people. It can also be beneficial for those who are looking for a job or thinking about
changing their workplace.
Getting a start-up off the ground is not an easy task and requires devoting the time and resources that
not everyone has in the day-to-day running of the business. But it is worthwhile, attending events can
be essential for budding businesses. It is a good opportunity to receive feedback on the product from
people who know the sector in order to improve it. And an excellent opportunity to establish contacts
that make it easier to attract users or prescribers of the product, or to get out of the bubble to have a
global vision of the market being faced.

Source: Photo by Evangeline Shaw on Unsplash