Think like an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are innovative, hard working, and willing to take calculated risks. Successful entrepreneurs research, plan, develop a product or service, and then market creatively. They invest time and money when needed to meet their own success goals, and re-evaluate their goals regularly.

Whether you are working in a career you love, looking to transition into something new and different, or starting/maintaining a business, you need to think like an entrepreneur. Introverts and extroverts may find very different ways to market their products and skills, but everyone can develop a network. Your network is your interactive support system for finding your personal/career success.

People of all ages are using technology for information, socializing, and learning. The internet is a fabulous tool for researching, playing, and building a social network, but it is not a substitute for real people. Anonymity on the internet can be fun, exciting, scary, or a deterrent to your career success depending on how it is used. Having a Real Person Network is a necessary addition to having an online presence.

Whether you are building a business presence or looking for a job, the internet is a good place to start. But with all of the marketing toward the use of the internet, you can easily be lulled into thinking that it is your best business/career resource. The Job Market section of today's Sacramento Bee describes internet tools such as CareerBuilder and says, "To maximize visibility in front of employers, job seekers should use these job-search options." While the internet tools described can be very helpful to a job seeker, they should not be relied on too heavily. There are jobs and careers that use technology more than others to seek out employees, but trust and face-to-face contact are often much more important than the internet.

Beware of putting your resume on sites like Careerbuilder.com. Many websites ask for personal information, and send back hundreds of unwanted emails. Remember to not provide your address, social security number, or personal references with your resume on any online sites (with the exception of possibly government websites or secure sites that you have thoroughly checked out.) Make sure the website you are using begins with http:// and then the site you are looking for to avoid having your information hijacked by phishing and scams. Use common sense and caution when using the internet and social networking sites. You may find that you are not as anonymous as you think you are, and you need to know where your information is going. With the internet, you might be surprised where your persoanl information ends up.

Enjoy your adventure in networking. There are so many ways to network that there is a place for everyone to find connections. Successful networking means looking for people and places where your interests, values, products, and services find common ground.