The summer generally isn’t viewed as the best time of year to drum up new business or make new connections. With many people going on vacations and spending more time traveling, the networking events are much more rare during the summer. However, this presents a great opportunity for other avenues of networking that could prove to be even more valuable. The thing about personal branding for senior level managers is you can never stop improving your brand. Here are some reasons why the summer may be the best time for you to do so.
People Are Generally More Relaxed
Since many businesses hit their slower months during the summer, you’ll notice people are more relaxed than normal. This means they should be more willing to connect with you, whether it’s finally grabbing a cup of coffee or going to brunch. Taking a relaxed and casual approach when networking during the summer can improve personal branding for senior level managers more than you think.
Use Downtime to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
Summer could also prove to be the best time to work on your executive LinkedIn profile. Companies may not be hiring much during the summer, but working on your LinkedIn profile development during the slow periods will help you be prepared when business starts ramping up again. This is also the perfect time to get your name out there by joining LinkedIn groups, reaching out directly to connections and sending out resumes. Utilize LinkedIn as much as possible now and you’ll reap the benefits later on.
Always Be Aware of Networking Opportunities
The summer months offer some of the most unique networking opportunities when compared to other times of the year. You don’t have to be dressed in professional attire in order to make a connection. Listen to conversations at the beach, at sporting events, kids events or anywhere else you may be. As much as people say they don’t want to think about work when they are at different places, many conversations will inevitably lead that way. You never want to miss the opportunity to work on personal branding for senior level managers.
Professional Resume Services has plenty more networking tips like these to get you through the summer. Whether you need assistance with your LinkedIn profile development or identifying other networking opportunities, feel free to contact us at any time.
* By Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, BS/HR, a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She has achieved international recognition following nominations and wins of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. Find Erin at http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com.