How to Create a List of Warm Contacts

How to Create a List of Warm ContactsUsually when you are looking for a job, you wouldask for help from family and friends. You wouldcontact these people to ask for information oncurrent job openings, business opportunities andtips.Your family, relatives and friends belong to yourwarm contact list. The warm contact list is thelist of people with whom you have or had somepersonal association. A former classmate,officemate or neighbor may belong to your warmcontact list.

Who may be included in your warm contact list?Here are a number of selections.* Relatives and FriendsThese people are always willing to help you inyour job search or business venture. They willbe able to provide you information if they havesome, or refer you to trustworthy people who willbe able to help you. If they will introduce youto some of their contacts, they can surely providehonest information to you regarding the personyou are going to associate with.* Members of the church, political party, socialclub or fraternity or sororityYou probably did not expect it, but people whoshare the same faith, beliefs or hobbies may alsohelp you with finding a job. You may have adifferent career from theirs, but they might knowsomebody who is in the same field or will be able

to help you in your career.However, depending on your level of associationwith them, they may think twice about giving theiropinion or thoughts about their contacts. Theiropinion can sometimes help you in making astrategy on how to approach and ask for help fromtheir contacts.* People who sell you thingsYou may think that your relationship with thesepeople is purely based on trading goods andservices, then paying for them. However, peoplewho sell you things are also sources ofinformation when networking.Since these people sell their goods to differenttypes of persons, they may have associated withsomebody who belongs to the same field as you do,or have heard information about your target jobfrom their other clients.

These people will also be happy to help you, sincethey know that maintaining a pleasantrelationship with you means a stable business.Also, if you have a good job means you haveincreased your purchasing power, and then itcould also mean that you may purchase more fromthem.* Former employers, colleagues or co-workersMaintaining a good relationship with previousemployers and colleagues has more benefits thanyou can imagine. This is the reason that mostpeople try their best to iron out any difficultieswith their previous employers even if they are nolonger associated with the company. Aside fromthe possibility that your potential employer willcall previous employers when they review your jobhistory, former employers and colleagues are alsoa good source of information related to thatfield.

When you ask for help from family and friends,there is the possibility that the informationthat they can give to you is just from anothersource. They may not be able to give youfirst-hand information or detailed informationunless they also work in the same field that youcame from or would like to go into.This is very different when you consult formeremployers and colleagues from the same sector.They will be able to provide you with valuableinformation and may be able to clarify suchinformation and answer you questions.* Members of your professional organizationIf you belong to a professional organizationrelated to the field in which you are looking fora job, you can consult the organization forcurrent posting from the members. If you don'tbelong to any, consider joining one since this

will be beneficial to you career growth.A professional organization can provide youunbiased information on current job openings fromits members. The organization can also give youdetails on the company profile and even on currentmarket and career trends.These are the most important people that youshould include when creating a list of your warmcontacts. It is better if you contact them allso you can have as many options in your job search.When you talk to them, tell them that you areactively seeking a job.