When I first found myself in the first forced search of my career I thought I had established a fairly strong personal and professional network that I could look to for guidance and feedback in my search. After all, I graduated from USC with my MBA, which has a tremendous network, and I have spent most of my entire professional career in Orange County. Whenever there were challenges or I needed to add to my staff I always knew what contacts I could turn to. What my network provided me was the insight on further dialing in my search and helping me to expand my network. They helped me become acquainted with new organizations that I will likely continue using for the rest of my career.

The most redeeming part though is that I have made some fantastic new contacts within these groups, that I have met with personally away from the dinners and networking meetings. Folks that I equally enjoy helping in their efforts, but absolutely appreciate for their feedback, professionalism, and expertise. So what are the groups that might be worth your time?

1. Financial Executives International (FEI): There are chapters in most major metropolitan areas across the country. They run about a 9-month calendar with a monthly dinner that hosts speaker(s) from market leading companies or to panel discussions affecting the Finance community.
2. Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG): Another great Finance network that shares professional expertise and has been a great source of potential career leads and subject discussion boards.
3. USC Marshall Alumni: The alumni group for the business school at USC. The group hosts monthly breakfasts with a variety of speakers, lunches, as well as informal evening mixers. Another great way to meet your professional peers.

I could continue profiling more groups, but it comes down to the question of what you’re doing to bolster your professional network. This is not simply to prepare you for a potential search that you will likely encounter over the next few years, but surrounding yourself with talented individuals that can be a great source of expertise. Individuals that you can call on when it comes time to call in some artillery for one of those key projects. The formation of my network will extend far beyond any search efforts that I will encounter in my career. So how do you rate your professional network? Really…..

Thanks for reading . . . .