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Making Your Network Work For You
By Margie Monin Dombrowski
Considering that only a fraction of jobs available are advertised, it makes the job hunt extra difficult without an “in.” We are currently in one of the most tumultuous job markets in American history and are constantly bombarded with news of massive layoffs and a deepening recession. In times like these, whether we have lost a job or fear losing the one we’ve got, our personal network becomes a lifeline, and perhaps, our only chance at making that next career step. But how do you get started when you don’t have a network? These successful Latinas show us how they have established and nurtured networking relationships — and how you can, too.
 Blanca Martinez |
 Claudia Monks |
Roughly 80 percent of jobs come through referrals word of mouth, a friend of a friend or someone who knew someone. To some, networking is a verb involving schmoozing and business card swapping. For others, it’s a noun depicting something more organic—a connection to others stemming from the people around you and the people around them. For Elena Letona, director of Organizational Learning and Research at Third Sector New England in Boston, Mass., who came to the United States from El Salvador about 30 years ago, “networking” in the American sense is not something she does consciously. “I’m about building relationships with the intention of getting to know another person,” she says.
 Elena Letona |
 Laura A. Schoppe |
Learn From Others: The Snowball Effect
Networking to Blanca Martinez means learning from others so she can do her job most effectively. A volunteer coordinator for SCAN Health Plan’s Independence at Home organization in Long Beach, Calif., Martinez will set up a meeting with a volunteer coordinator at another organization “just to pick her brain,” she says. Martinez then asks questions such as, What are your long term goals? What is your strategic plan? How do you get and maintain volunteers? Who are you networking with? “It’s a snowball effect,” she explains as she believes this type of relationship building works for her.
Relationships are a vital part of the hospitality industry and are important to Claudia Monks, director of Business Travel at Hotel ICON in Houston, Texas. Monks, who got her start working for AeroMexico and moved her way up through various aspects of the airline industry prior to managing corporate accounts for Hotel ICON, believes that attending networking events relevant to your industry (for her, it’s airline and hotel related events and events with the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) is one way to get and stay connected to other professionals like her, plus potential clients. “In Houston it’s about who you know,” she says. “By attending these events, it helps to develop and grow your clientele because people tend to do business with who they know.”
 Rosemary Donoyan |
 Nurys Harrigan |
“Following through shows a lot about your character, always follow up,” Harrigan says. “If you promise to refer them to something, do it. It’s easy to say yes in the moment. Some people forget to get back to me and it’s very disappointing and makes me think, ‘How can I recommend you?’”
Involvement in the Latino community is another way of networking. Donoyan went on to establish the Latina Alumnae Mentorship Program (LAMP) at her alma mater, Whittier College, to promote community involvement and career advancement for Hispanic female students. Donoyan believes the personal and professional development and networking opportunities gives the students exposure they need while in college, and that exposure of giving back to her community is equally beneficial to her.
Networking means you have to go outside your comfort zone. That includes making your network as diverse as possible. Samantha Brown, who most recently was a senior director of the children’s Spanish-language Sorpresa! Cable Network in Los Angeles, surrounded herself with mentors from different parts of her industry and learned their side of the business too. “You need to understand every component of your job and company,” Brown says. “We learn so much by opening up our world.” Brown recommends signing up with Latina and minority related business organizations and looking up other professional organizations in your industry to meet up with other like minds.
Most importantly, Brown says, is getting your name out there. In an age where we rely on online social networking too much, face-to-face contact is important and so is reaching out when you need advice or contacts. “Don’t be afraid to ask,” Brown says. “People are humbled by being asked for advice. They want to help. Even if the person can’t help,” she says, “She probably knows someone who can. At least it’s a start.”
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