by Jason Davis on Monday, November 29th, 2010 | No Comments »

Today’s post is an excerpt from the article HIRE POWER, published in PM Network on July 1, 2010, and authored by Jenn Danko, a writer based in Chicago, Illinois.  The excerpt below was featured in a sidebar entitled A Virtual Foot In the Door.

It’s not all about after-work cocktail hours and lunchtime panel discussions anymore. Project managers looking for career opportunities should also consider heading online to do some networking, says Lucian Tarnowski, BraveNewTalent Ltd., London, England.

“Don’t think of networking as just face-to-face interaction. Your online brand is just as important – if not even more,” he says. “Specific to project management, people skills are important, and being able to communicate that over social media is huge. If you can’t have a one-on-one relationship with a person, the next best thing you can have is a connection through social media- and who knows which of those connections will end up with a job?”

Online networking can be a great resource for information about company projects and potential career leads, too, says Miles Jennings, ProjectManagers.net. Hartford, Connecticut, USA. He knows a thing or two about the subject, having started the Project Manager Networking Group on Linked In. Sometimes who you know can help you with what you know. “Social media is a quick path to network in the profession and learn from experts in the field,” Mr. Jennings says. “Use social media to drive real-world connections.”

Beyond establishing initial contact, you can use social media sites to set up in-person meetings when appropriate. Don’t be shy, either- interact with colleagues on message boards and forums.

“If you are passionate about something and want to be a leader in your field, leading debates is important,” Mr. Tarnowski says. “There’s a big opportunity online to do so.”

And although it seems everyone is atwitter over Twitter, blogging, can be another powerful way to showcase skills and build relationships, advises Jason Davis, Systems Evolution Inc., Boston, Massachusetts.

“Yes, you have to go out and get solid project experience, but the blogging community is allowing people to interact about their experiences.” he says. “It’s allowing people to get involved with other project managers they wouldn’t normally have been able to connect with.”

It can also help those just starting out to gain some credibility.

“Young project management talent can not only get a presence that way but can also build their résumé, and ultimately, their careers,” Mr. Davis says.

The main article was about social recruiting and how companies are using this as a tool to recruit good project managers.

I was quoted as emphasizing the power of community on Twitter – “Primarily, I see the Twitter space as a place to build community within the profession and keep a pulse on the conversation,” says Jason Davis, Principal Consultant at Systems Evolution Inc., a project and technology management consulting firm in Boston, Massachusetts.

6 months later, I still couldn’t agree more.