Using Social and Business Networking for Career Advancement

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Social Networking, Business Networking ….a Good or Bad Idea for a Security Professional?

 On-Line networking   – does it have a place in business? Who uses social / business networks ? Are there risks related to using business / social networks ?

LinkedIn, facebook, MySpace, Twitter, FastPitch, Plaxo, Spoke …all of these social / business  networks are growing. There are many good reasons to build a profile on a business or social network. Let’s explore a few reasons why a techology  professional may want to be found on-line while also exploring a few cautions one should consider before building an on-line profile.

Just over five years ago, I rolled the dice so to speak and started building a professional business network on LinkedIn. I say rolled the dice because nobody knew if LinkedIn would amount to anything several years ago so the risk was that I’d be  squandering  my time. After a lot of hard work, my network today includes approximately 20 million people from around the globe. Though I can’t prove it and it wouldn’t be of any value if I could prove it, I’m likely sitting on one of the largest gathering of security professionals in the world and  this network  grows daily.

What is the value of such a large  network? Not much until I build new relationships with security professionals day-after-day. Security professionals who have built professional profiles on LinkedIn and area visible in my network put themselves in a position to be found  when I have searches on my desk  requiring their unique experiences and skills .

Another value of having a large  network on LinkedIn is the opportunity for me to be found by decision makers  in companies that are in search of a security recruiting specialist. My corporate brand has been found and continues to be found around the globe as a result of building professional profiles on LinkedIn, Plaxo, facebook, FastPitch and Spoke.

Okay, so you’re not in the security recruiting profession as I am and my objectives don’t match up to your objectives. Think about why you would want to be found on-line. Think about the information you need to build into a profile to be found for the reasons you want to be found. Have a strategy  in mind and don’t just put information on-line without a plan. Don’t put anything on-line that you might later regret having in the public domain.

 Know your employer’s security policies and procedures with regards to on-line networking . My sister-in-law works for a Chicago bank that forbids its employees to have facebook accounts that mention the bank’s name. Can they do this?  I don’t know but you sure don’t want to find out the hard way if your employer has a similar policy.  Violating such a  security policy  could cost you a job.

Be  careful  about what you put on-line but don’t be afraid to use on-line resources to build your personal brand. Build your Internet presence with a plan and with caution in mind.