What are

Networks, and why are they important?

What Networks Look Like

The “Dunbar Number” is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.

LinkedIn, 1,000+

Us, about 150

Strength of Weak Ties

Mark Grandovetter Sociology Professor at Stanford.

Wrote about the importance of weak ties in the flow of

information, and how his research shows that jobs are

more often found through weak ties than strong ties.

Friends Friends of Friends

Your

Reference

Group

Community World

100’s 1,000’s A lot!

Power of Networks

How do we take this blank canvas and make something of it?

Step 1) Google Yourself

Step 2) Determine your Digital Identity

What are your

personal

strengths?

What are your

professional

strengths?

Step 2) Determine your Digital Identity

Look for overlap

Personal

Strengths

Professional

Strengths

Step 2) Determine your Digital Identity

Which are personal? Which are professional?

Step 3) Reflect on your Identity

• What do you want to be known for?

• How do you want to represent yourself?

• Do you want to be a generalist or a subject matter expert?

• Who do you aspire to be like and why?

• When asked what do you do, can you answer it concisely?

4) Perfect Your Professional Media

Create Your Profile: LinkedIn 1. Add a photo

2. Fill out Summary

3. Claim your custom URL

4. Experience (add Clemson University as

employer), Education, Skills

5. Organizations, honors, certifications,

projects

6. Follow influencers you are interested in

7. Connect with others!!!

8. Engage with and share content in your

news feed

Maintaining Growing

Connecting

Approaching Networking

Internal External

Connecting• What do you do?

• Define what makes you unique (skills, passions, finding your “ness”)

• Define your digital identity (clean up, FB and Twitter, set up LN)

Growing • Telling your story (what’s interesting to you, what are you doing, reading,

etc..)

Maintaining • Keep learning, and growing (Read!!!)

• Share what gets you excited and why (This is your journey, take

everyone else along with you.)

Internal

Connecting• Common Ground (passion, school, work, etc…)

• Do homework (know who your meeting)

Growing • Connect on LinkedIn• Follow Up (thank them for a great conversation)

Maintaining• Share something that makes you think of the

person (article, story, book)

• Introduce them to someone

• Celebrating others (Return on Relationships)

External

Any Questions?

www.linkedin.com/in/robbiefitzwater www.linkedin.com/in/AnastasiaThyroff

Robbie Fitzwater Anastasia Thyroff

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