Successful Career Networking: Being Good With Names

I like the system that Jason Alba has set up with Jibber Jobber (www.jibberjobber.com). It’s a great way to keep the details about people straight, and it’s regular membership level is free!

I believe that if you follow-up with whomever you are networking with you will not have to worry about remembering all those names. If you agree to help someone with their job search and he/she is willing to help you then there will never be a problem with the name. Its when you simply have one informal conversation with the person that keeps you from remembering the name.
I now put my picture in my e-mail and on my business card to help people remember who I am. But for those I network with the picture is of no consequence.

Hi Tim, Funny you should bring up this idea. I just realized that I was meeting so many new people lately and thought I should devise a way to remember names when I see my new contacts again. So, I just finished yesterday setting up an Excel spreadsheet to keep contact names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, a note of what event/place I met a person at and what’s there Job Title, Career, or area of interest .

As I am writing this, I realized instead of printing off the sheet, I should link it to my phone so, it is easier access.

Thank you again, for sparking another idea.

I look forward to other postings to see what ideas are out there to make contact information retention even easier and paperless.

Yes this is good article. Very good advice. I find it great when people remember my name it makes me feel important. I think though I could improve on remembering other peoples names though. I am now going to try and to make more of an effort in the future to do that.
Jeffrey Peterson..Finance/Accounting and Mortgage banking Professional..

Hey Tim, Having recently started a job search, I’ve probably met several hundred new people in the past few weeks. Remembering the names of people I’ve only talked to for a few minutes has been a challenge and it is embarrassing when you don’t recall the name of someone you just met.

I recently started using LinkedIn as part of my networking preparation. If the networking event has an associated LinkedIn group, I try to run through the member list before I go to refresh my memory on names (also to network with a purpose by identifying people that I want to meet). If I am going to a networking event for the first time and I can look through the LinkedIn group, it helps to identify the people who might be there who I already know so I can reconnect briefly.

It’s not a perfect sstem but it does help.

Rich

I have been trying to figure out the best way to not only organize, but also remember and communicate with those professionals with whom I’ve exchanged business cards. Organizing cards by the event and reviewing before the next meeting is a good suggestion to try. I know someone who organized handbills in a binder grouped by career pursuits. Then when he gets a lead for an HR position, he flips to that tab and identifies those with the specific skill sets required. Effective networking is not just meeting people, but allowing them to get to know you and also finding out how you can help them…and keeping in contact! None of these actions are easy, but if it was easy, it wouldn’t have the value that it has if you give it concerted effort. I will take your ideas into consideration to increase my networking efficiency. Thank you!