Hopeful Motivation

I decided early in January this year that I would dedicate myself to expanding my potential for professional opportunity. I'm a contracting research consultant and the very nature of that work means that I'm never sure I will have a job to call mine after each "call-up" has reached its end. This can be anxiety provoking in even the most confident but I've resolved to live in the present and let the future fall where it may, a mindful dedication to the delightful Eckhart Tolle. Whether or not my contract gets renewed is out of my hands, so I've taken a proactive approach to facilitate future opportunity should the inevitability of joblessness become reality.

It's really all about Networking - a support system for sharing information between individuals and groups with common interests. It's been a long while since I felt entirely "dialed-in" to the events and happenings of my community. I've probably been absent from this since I left University six years ago. There I wove a tidy little web of academic and professional contacts through my colleagues and professors, and their colleagues and professors, etc.... The Academy encourages dialogue on up to date topics and offers opportunity by virtue of its self-serving existence. There we learn to do research and sometimes, truthfully kind of rarely, they'll even pay. But then, horror upon horror, we graduate. We leave the safety zone of contacts, friends, debate and are thrust into the real world where it's every gal for herself. The network breaks down unless you make concerted efforts to regain those connections.

So this year is dedicated to action. The first step in this process for me was to reconnect with my old friend Anthropology. I keep my eye out for public presentations through UBC's Museum of Anthropology, the Archaeology Society of British Columbia, and any meetings of professional societies of interest. I resolve to attend these meetings and lectures and shake some hands, to acquaint and reacquaint, to say "What a blessing to meet you," or "You may not remember me, what a pleasure to see you again," and maybe, just maybe, "May I send you my resume?"

So my next step in the plan for all things brighter and beautiful led to a retooling of my resume. In perusing my Google results for creating the best, eye-catching resume I came across a fantastic site I'd like to share. It's called 10 Great Social Sites for Resume Building. Here I ran across another site I'd never heard of before but now am quite a fan and this is where Resume and Networking come together in a beautiful marriage of my convenience. LinkedIn garners the second spot on 10 Great Social Sites for Resume Building and here's why it's so popular.

LinkedIn acts a giant database of resumes, fellow colleagues, potential jobs, potential employers, and groups with common professional or intellectual interests. You simply build your resume, make contact with coworkers and friends, and if you are really gung-ho, make contact with perfect strangers all in an effort to create and enhance your network to like-minded people. My profile is a work in progress but I already have two "connections" and have been approved membership in "The Anthropology Network" group. My profile can be located at http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanierohdin and I really, really hope I'll find some colleagues to link up with. The world may be every gal for herself but I work best as part of a team, especially one where we can all help each other to grow.

Resume? Check. Networking? Check. Next step for me is to get in contact with old friends who have made progress in their chosen fields. I'm tired of feeling professionally stalled. I am motivated to work toward business growth and am interested in finding out the secrets to this endeavour. I'm not sure what's next but I do know it starts with questions. How are you making it work? How did you become so successful? What are my chances? May I send you my resume?