What is Networking? – SJSU – School of Information

Networking is not simply an information exchange between you and
another person. It involves establishing
relationships with people who will often become your
friends and community of colleagues as you go through your
career. They may be able to help you advance your career in many
ways, just as you may be able to help them advance theirs. A
networking contact might result in any of the following:

• Inside information on what’s happening in your field of
  interest, such as an organization’s plan to expand operations or
  release a new product.
• Job search advice specific to your field of interest,
  like where jobs are typically listed.
• Tips on your job hunting tools (i.e. resume and/or
  portfolio).
• Names of people to contact about possible employment
  or informational
  interviews.
• Follow-up interview and possible job offer.

Developing your network is easy because you know more people
than you think you know. Consider:

• family, friends, roommates, and significant others 
• iSchool faculty and staff, fellow students,
  and alumni
• past and present co-workers
• neighbors
• club, organization, and association
  members
• people at the gym, the local coffee house, and neighborhood
  store
• people in your religious community

These people are all part of your current network, professional
and personal. Keep an on-going list of the names and contact
information of the people in your network. Ask your contacts to
introduce you to their contacts and keep your list growing (don’t
forget to offer to reciprocate!). Opportunities to network with
people arise at any time and any place. Never underestimate an
opportunity to make a connection.

And if you’re concerned about being too much of an introvert to
comfortably interact with people to help build your professional
opportunities? Not a problem – there are plenty of ways to reach
out that fit your personality. Learn more about Networking for Introverts: Tips for Success.

There are a
number of social networking sites where you can make great
professional contacts, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. You can
also use discussion groups such as blogs (suggestions
for MARA & suggestions
for MLIS), listservs, newsgroups, and forums to network on the internet. This will
help you discover the
hot issues in your field of interest, post questions, and find
out about specific job openings that are not otherwise posted to
the general public.