Executive career coach Ford Meyers gives practical advice for making valuable connections both inside and outside your company. Looking to improve your professional network inside and outside your company? These three tips from executive career coach Ford Meyers will help you decide what you should do, what you may want to do and what you should never do. Always network with business peers and others by making genuine personal connections–even if you use technology (email, texting or social media) to make first contact. There is still no substitute for socializing. Follow everything from CIO on Twitter @CIOonline. If networking makes you uncomfortable, get some coaching and support that will improve your skills and help you get comfortable with this vital discipline. Commit to mastering the process so you can use continuous networking as a primary strategy for career building. Sometimes attend senior-level workshops, classes or webinars that are more business-oriented and less technical. This will make you a better leader with broader management skills, and it will help you connect with influential networking partners. Join prestigious professional organizations and associations and assume leadership roles to build your visibility and credibility. Seek opportunities to write and publish articles in your area of expertise. Speak at technology conferences and seminars. This additional exposure will expand your network and attract greater career opportunities. Never spend all your networking or job search time in front of the computer or on your smartphone. Don’t limit yourself to networking only with other IT professionals. Realize that being highly proficient with new technologies won’t necessarily keep you competitive in the market. Be careful with your use of technical jargon and stop thinking of yourself purely as a “technologist” who happens to work in business. Recast yourself as a business person who uses technology as their primary tool for achieving business objectives. Ford R. Myers is an executive career coach and president of Career Potential. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe