How to Build a Career, Not Just Find a Job – Entrepreneur

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Headlines abound whenever Facebook or Google introduce a new feature or product. Recently, both rolled out similar services for job seekers, but dont expect these tools to take all the work out of landing your dream job.

Heres what the two Silicon Valley giants are offering. Google will aggregate listings from five major job sites to display in search results. On Facebook, companies can post jobs and contact and track applicants. The social media site will also push relevant jobs into users news feeds.

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Both companies want to keep people on their websites longer and serve paying customers (i.e., advertisers and businesses). For the individual job seeker, these launches tout added convenience -- but to what purpose? Being able to blast out resumes to more companies from a single site may feel better quantitatively, but its potentially worse from a qualitative standpoint.

If you want to build your career and not just find a job, developing your professional network will be far more valuable than uploading your resume to every listing site on the internet.

Just do it: Put yourself out there, dont dismiss anyone as unhelpfuland be gracious to everyone you meet. You never know who may connect you to a great opportunity. Rather than view your network as a bunch of people you may eventually be able to use, approach it as a chance to meet interesting, diverse people who will expand your world and introduce you to new experiences, whether they be jobs or not. Dont limit yourself to the short-term goal of finding a job; invest in relationships that you can carry with you for years to come.

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Certainly, networking can be daunting when youre early in your career and dont have a lot to show for yourself. And especially if youre shy, it may be even harder to initiate conversations with people you barely know who are older and more experienced. The truth, however, is that many of us genuinely enjoy using our successes to help someone else who shows promise and ambition. I encourage my peers to become mentors all the time, so they can see how rewarding it is to get a youthful perspective and use their experience to further someone elses career.

LinkedIn is a great place to connect with potential mentors as well as people who might be looking to hire. You can also visit the pages of companies that interest you and find names of people in the department where youd like to work. But just like blindly sharing your resume wont guarantee results, you need to do more than send strangers invitations to connect online. Craft a personalized message to each person explaining your goals, why you consider this person a role model, and why you deserve a half-hour of their time.

Youre also going to have to approach people in the real world. Step outside your comfort zone, attend industry functions and meetups, and request informational interviews with people in roles to which you aspire. The worst that can happen is they say no, thanks or dont respond. Im in my colleges alumni database and have indicated Im open to hearing from recent grads seeking advice. Your school very likely has a similar network for finding established professionals in your target field.

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Continuing education is another avenue for meetings others involved in your industry -- both teachers and fellow students. Ask where others have worked, how they found their jobsand whether theyd be willing to make introductions for you. Connect online to see who else they know.

And, while you dont want to turn every fun activity into a professional networking session, keep your eyes and ears open when youre socializing too. There might be someone in your book club, churchor spin class who knows someone at your dream company. As long as youre respectful and not overbearing, it cant hurt to let people know youre looking for career help.

Above all, remember you are asking people to give you something: their time, their advice, their support. Youre asking for a favor, so be gracious, patientand receptive, whether theyre in a position to offer you work or not.

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Listen more than you talk. Be curious, open-mindedand flexible, rather than having a fixed agenda and set of expectations. If youve had a good first meeting but arent sure where to go from there, ask if you can continue to check in with them occasionally and seek their guidance when youre prepping for important interviews. See if theyll keep you in mind for an internship or even a freelance project.

Walking away from a networking meeting or informational interview without a promise is not a failure. Youre building relationships and your career, not job hunting. This is the beginning of a conversation that could last for years if it holds value for both of you.

Lisa Haugh has more than 15 years of experience leading legal and HR functions for a range of startups and mature companies. At Udemy, she heads up all legal and human resource functions, including all hiring, training and diversity efforts...

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How to Build a Career, Not Just Find a Job - Entrepreneur