Whether you believe in fate or not, sometimes saying a few words to the stranger beside you can put you in touch with just the right people you need to boost your career. The next time you find yourself in one of these five locations, work up the courage to spark a conversation with the person beside you. Public transportation can be grimy and crowded, but perhaps the unsavory conditions will Read more

First rule of networking: always keep in touch! This means reaching out to your contacts on some major holidays and even their birthdays to show your sincerity in wanting to keep in contact. If you're not keeping up with your communications, you may lose your contacts. And if ever you need their help (perhaps for a job lead), it would look bad if you reach out to them only when you need to call Read more

While you're busy scouring job websites online, did you know that the majority of job listings won't pop up in your search? 80 percent of available job positions aren't listed, according to the founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, Steven Rothberg. This brings us back to the importance of networking. Diligently looking for jobs online is helpful, but using your network of friends, family, and work Read more

Make yourself unforgettable by carrying interactive business cards. Lifehacker found these awesome engaging business cards designed by Saul Wyner, someone who works in the user experience field. When Saul did some initial research, he noticed that people who were able to handle a large volume of business cards had a habit of immediately marking the card soon after the meeting. He knew from past Read more

If you're attending an event with big shots you want to network with, make sure you do some preparation beforehand so you're not stuck for words. If they are very influential in their industry, everyone will want speak to them, so make good use of time if you manage to get ahold of these gurus. Here are some tips to help you mingle with the VIPs: Research. First of all, if you know who is going Read more

There really is an art to networking, and don't worry if your efforts haven't been paying off — workin' your contacts is a skill that can be learned. In this poor job market, people might be a little jaded about strangers reaching out to them for a job, so make sure you're being smart about your approach. Here are some things Fortune recommends to start doing in order to become a networking Read more

Although networking can reap rewards for your career progression and job hunt, it's not always easy. In fact, it's a skill that requires a lot of dedication and time. Business Insider featured an excerpt from Never Eat Alone, written by Keith Ferrazzi, which talks about how Bill Clinton took networking seriously even when he was still in college: [While] a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, he Read more

I was at a conference this past weekend with my best friend and noticed her furiously scribbling on the business cards we just exchanged with people. "Why are you defacing the cards?!" I asked, horrified. She then explained the method behind her apparent madness, and it was such a brilliantly simple idea that I knew I had to share it with you. When you receive too many biz cards at a networking Read more