When I previously ran a traditional construction company, we did a small industrial project and the customer was completely satisfied with our performance. I called the person in charge after project completion and got rave reviews about how we handled every aspect of the project. A few years later, that same industrial firm was bidding a bit larger project and I didn’t find out till after someone else was awarded the job. I called the customer and asked why we hadn’t been invited to bid. He responded (like Steve Martin when describing how to get a million dollars and not pay taxes, first get a million dollars, then, when the IRS knocks on your door about the taxes, just say, “I Forgot”) by saying, “I Forgot.”

We need to understand the unfortunate truth that we aren’t nearly as memorable as we suppose. Even people that think well of you probably won’t remember you in critical times when you wish they would…when they are giving recommendations, thinking about who to hire, just talking about effective people. It’s always valuable to stay networked with people who think well of you and essential in these challenging times.

Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn help you keep these connections in ways that aren’t pushy or weird. I strongly recommend you take a few minutes and register on both these sites. Feel free to go to my Facebook profile and become a friend and my LinkedIn profile and become a connection.

Treat social networking as another career development tool that will help you advance in the future. Put in some time and effort now and you will be glad you did. You’ll also have some fun with it. So get out of your comfort zone and sign up today.