2. Starting point Jan 2009
Laid off for the first time in my life.
No network in Orange County.
My LinkedIn account had only 150
1st degree connections.
The last time I went to a networking event
was years ago.
3. Feb - Apr 2009
The Laid Off Checklist
Polished up my LinkedIn Profile.
Reconnected with lost friends.
Dated several networking groups
throughout Orange County.
“Dig the well before you are thirsty”
Chinese Proverb
4. continued...
Started conversations online to find people that I
wanted to meet offline.
Posted “Pay It Forward” offers on group boards to
ensure people were contacting me.
Allocated certain amounts of time each day to ensure
a good balance between online and offline.
“How to Ask for Help
Without Looking Stupid”
6. Examples for local groups in
Orange County
McDermott & Bull
Laguna Niguel Connectors - 3rd Friday morning and 1st
Wednesday evening
We Are Orange County!™ & OCEAN - last Wednesday of the
month in the evening
SoCalSushi - every second month during lunch time
Access Executive - 3rd Tuesday and TechBiz - 3rd Wednesday
Saddleback Career Ministry - every Monday night
Octane - 1st Thursday and the list continues...
7. May - Sep 2009
Landed a new position that I found through a
LinkedIn Group discussion.
Took networking into overdrive.
Converted LinkedIn into a Business
Development tool.
Started my group We Are Orange County!™.
Embraced Social Media in all its beauty.
9. Social Media
People will tell you what you should use
Suggestion, try out the different tools and see if
they work for you.
LinkedIn is the only tool that is a must for
business people.
Try out every tool for a while before making a
judgment - Sometimes it takes a while to see the
rewards.
10. Tips for LinkedIn
Treat your profile equal or higher than your resume -
Always remember it is a living object.
Join the maximum of 50 groups and use them.
Use Firefox instead of IE to get spell check.
Take advantage of all the great features:
Advanced people & company search
Questions & Answers
Jobs exclusive to LinkedIn
11. Tips for Twitter
Automate a majority of the work.
Try out a variety of programs for the perfect fit:
Tweetdeck
Hootsuite
Tweetfeeder
Use www.Alltop.com to find good content.
80/20 Rule - Only 20% should be self promoting.
RT, be personable, listen and start conversations.
12. Tips for Blogs
Research the different platforms.
Design a concept for your blog.
Don’t expect instant results.
Blogging is not just writing, it can also be a Video.
Buy your own URL.
13. Oct - Dec 2009
Your next job will last about 18 - 24 month...mine
unfortunately ended after 5 month.
Teamed up with the owner of OCEAN to
organize monthly networking events.
Realized Personal Branding will be the wave of
the future as well as the power of video.
Start building your brand now.
14. Branding
(The art of becoming knowable, likable and trustable)
Make sure your offline brand matches
your online brand.
Have a Google Alert setup for your name.
Be consistent in you messaging.
Stay away from politics & religion.
Your brand lives independently from your job.
15. What is your story for 2009
Took on LinkedIn and in less than 5 month convinced them to give
Orange County its own location code.
Started a LinkedIn Group that now has over 3500 members and is the
second biggest group in Orange County.
Got published in the Orange County Register, Orange County Business
Journal, OC Metro and several blogs.
Ran a successful Twitter campaign to gain attention for my cause.
Added over 500 local connections to my LinkedIn network.
Went from nobody to someone that is very well respected in the Orange
County Networking community for paying it forward.
16. Plans for 2010
Find my dream job,where all my skills are being utilized.
Build a startup to generate passive income for the future.
Ride the Social Media Wave and ensure that I don’t fall
off.
Continue building long term relationships.
Most importantly continue to “Pay It Forward”.
