By Ann Logue
If only moving were simple.
Once you've filled out change-of-address forms, waited for the cable guy to show up, and unpacked the last cardboard box, you've got your personal and professional success to worry about.
Even if you've been relocated by your company, you're likely to find yourself bereft of friends—or with a greatly reduced supply—and a professional network that pales next to the one you left. So what do you do?
You Network
That's right—you network.
Start with organizations to which you're already connected. Join your college alumni club, appropriate professional organization if there's a chapter in your new city, and get involved in a religious organization.
Jeffrey Doinoff, the director of research at Hahn Capital Management, has always looked up the Ohio State alumni club wherever he's moved. "I met a lot of people watching football games on Saturday afternoon," he says. This tactic proved both fun and useful to him when he was in a management-training program at Mead Paper Corp., which took him to six different U.S. cities during about three years.
If you don't already have some affiliations, look for organizations in your new town.
Another good avenue for leads is your local chamber of commerce. Many chambers sponsor networking and community events. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, for example, offers networking groups, a Women in Business roundtable, and lead-generating programs for entrepreneurs.
Special Interest Organizations
Michael Foster, who lives in San Francisco, carries a British passport, and grew up "all over the world," recommends joining Hash House Harriers, a very social running club ("a drinking club with a running problem" is its preferred description). With expatriate origins and loosely affiliated chapters all over the globe, it gleefully welcomes newcomers, though it's particularly popular with British subjects sent overseas for their jobs. Members meet for running events that turn into parties. Besides the social benefits, the Hash House Harriers may be a great way to meet people active in international business.
New Economy Networking
The rise of new industries is creating new networking organizations as well. First Tuesday, which operates in 36 cities in 19 countries across five continents, hosts events for professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs in Internet-related businesses.
First Tuesday's programming has expanded to include online advertising, business-to-business e-commerce in the auto industry, and even some subjects of interest to people outside the Internet crowd. Groups are getting started in more cities all of the time.
A parallel organization called Last Tuesday/Big Frontier attracts people with similar interests, but the meetings are less educational and more about meeting people. "Anyone can go to these events—that's what's so great about them," says Kathleen Cantillon, the director of marketing communications at BulkMarkets.com in Chicago.
Locating Networking Organizations
To find organizations in your area or oriented toward your type of career or industry, search for local events on Yahoo. Key in your zip code to get a list of upcoming business events along with cultural and recreational activities in your new town. You might find a trade show, a speech by an industry guru, or a similar event to expand both your industry knowledge and your network. You can also do a keyword search or check a Web directory (Yahoo's is a good one) to find groups near you.
More Tips
Volunteer for something that lets you meet lots of people. One example is to volunteer to check people in at meetings. When Michael Foster moved to San Francisco for his wife's job, he says, "I immediately joined the Groundwater Resources Association. They had a workshop, and I volunteered to work at the registration desk. I met one person from every company in the area doing that. Within a week I had some leads on jobs and got a reputation as an enthusiastic, involved person."
Tell all your friends and colleagues about your move, and ask them who they know in your new city. Then give those people a call. "In larger cities, people are pretty accommodating to meeting new people," says Jeffrey Doinoff.
The Basics
Be friendly, make conversation, and carry business cards as you go about getting settled. You never know who you'll meet when you're out buying furniture, getting your new driver's license, or opening a bank account. Networking, after all, is about random occurrences as much as an organized assault on well-known movers and shakers.
No matter how great your new apartment is, you'll get pretty sick of spending all your time there. That alone is a good reason to get out and meet people. But it makes sense professionally, too. You can pick up new ideas to bring to your job. You might meet people who would be good coworkers, clients, or partners. And if your new job turns out not to be as great as expected, you might get some leads on a new one.
Good luck with your move!
Author Bio
Ann C. Logue is a freelance writer who has been published in Barron's, The New York Times, and other publications. Ann first spent 12 years as an investment analyst, working for Kemper Financial Services, the Chicago Corp., Volpe Brown Whelan & Co., and Andrew Davidson & Co. She has a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago.
