How To Create A List Of Warm Contacts

by Mickey Mixon

Usually when you are looking for a job, you would ask for help from family and friends. You would contact these people to ask for information they may have about current job openings, business opportunities and tips they may know about.

Your family, relatives and friends belong to your warm contact list. The warm contact list is the list of people with whom you have or had some personal association. Relatives and Friends are always willing to help you in your job search or business venture. They will be able to provide you information if they have some, or refer you to trustworthy people who will be able to help you. If they will introduce you to some of their contacts, they can surely provide honest information to you regarding the person you are going to associate with.

Who else may be included in your warm contact list? Here are a number of suggestions:

* A former classmate, office mate or neighbor may also belong to your warm contact list.

* Members of the church, political party, social club or fraternity or sorority

People who share the same faith, beliefs or hobbies may also help you with finding a job. You may have a different career from theirs, but they might know somebody who is in the same field or will be able to help you in your job search. People you know will always offer to help, but depending on your level of association with them, they may or may not give you a list of contacts.

Politicians, especially when they are up for election, will often offer help and a list of contacts.

* Outside Salesmen and people who sell you things

You may think that your relationship with these people is purely based on trading goods and services, then paying for them. However, people who sell you things are also sources of information when networking.

Outside salesmen and all sales people in general, sell their goods to different types of persons, they may know someone who works in the same field as you do, or they may have have heard information about your targeted job from their other clients.

These people will also be happy to help you, since they know that maintaining a pleasant relationship with you means keeping a good customer. Also, if you have a good job, you have increased your purchasing power, and then it could also mean that you may purchase more from them.

* Former employers, colleagues or co-workers

Maintaining a good relationship with previous employers and colleagues has more benefits than you can imagine. This is the reason that most people try their best to iron out any difficulties with their previous employers even if they are no longer associated with the company, and not to “burn any bridges” when they leave employment. Aside from the possibility that your potential employer will call previous employers when they review your job history, former employers and colleagues are also a good source of information related to that field.

When you ask for help from family and friends, there is the possibility that the information that they can give to you is just from another source. They may not be able to give you first-hand information or detailed information unless they also work in the same field that you came from or would like to go into.

This is very different when you consult former employers and colleagues from the same sector. They will be able to provide you with valuable information and may be able to clarify such information and answer you questions.

* Members of your professional organization

If you belong to a professional organization related to the field in which you are looking for a job, you can consult the organization for current posting from the members. If you don't belong to any, consider joining one since this will be beneficial to you career growth.

A professional organization can provide you unbiased information on current job openings from its members. The organization can also give you details on the company profile and even on current market and career trends.

These are the most important people that you should include when creating a list of your warm contacts. It is better if you contact them all so you can have as many options in your job search. When you talk to them, tell them that you are actively seeking a job.

About the Author - Mickey Mixon
Sugar Land Businessman Mickey Mixon is a Licensed Private Investigator, and a Talented Internet Marketer specializing in Affiliate Marketing. Mickey’s career includes a 15 year career in Houston Texas area retailing, owning stores in 5 malls until 1998. In 1997 he formed the PI firm American Information Bureau/American Investigation Brokers LLC. In 1996 he published his first book, Job Search Survival ,with an updated edition released on July 4, 2009. He is also Ministry Coordinator for the SCBC Job’s Ministry in Sugar Land TX. Contact Mickey at JobSearchSurvival@gmail.com http://www.JobSearchSurvival.com