Such is the power of networking that our three busiest career coaches here at Guardian Careers have all blogged about the subject in recent months. Clare Whitemell argues there is no better way to secure your next job, Harry Freedman discusses its power to surprise and Owen Powell extolls the benefits of meeting people in person as opposed to online. Dare we say in this age of social networking sites that face-to-face beats Facebook after all?
But how to get invited to the events that count and make the most of them while you are there. All too often, the best opportunities seem reserved for the big cheeses and top cats already scaling the heights of their careers. As London Press Club chairman David Selves discussed on our Careers Talk special on networking, you can't let that stop you getting ahead.
Thank goodness for the new crop of career entrepreneurs setting up their own meet and greets, where people just starting out in their careers or those yet to break into a job sector can share their experience and contacts. "Networking remains the most likely way of getting a job," writes Harry Freeman in his blog on the influence and power of the herd. But, he adds, "It's even more effective if we understand why it works and do it well."
Join our live Q&A this Friday, May 7 from 1pm to 4 pm to discover from our panel of expert schmoozers the secrets of effective networking and the best ways of using it to get where you want to be.
The panel will include:
Neil Munz-Jones, author of The Reluctant Networker and manager of his own consultancy business MDJ2.
Andrew Fletcher, co-director of Young People in the Arts, a social networking organisation for people at the outset of their careers in the arts. He is also executive assistant to the director at Wigmore Hall.
Liz Jones, people and practice manager at leading integrated PR agency Launch Group, responsible for everything from graduate recruitment days to green initiatives.
Chris Wickson, serial networker and co-founder of RateMyPlacement.co.uk, a website dedicated to student work placements and internships.
Lee Shepherd, senior recruiter at Poolia, finance and accounting recruitment specialists. Lee places qualified and part-qualified accountants and is the face of Poolia for many of its key clients.
The discussion is now open for advance questions, so get posting.
