Networking Activity In this course your will be asked to expand your circle of contacts by completing a networking assignment. We strongly encourage you to start early and think about how you will do this. Your discussion of this activity will occur in Unit 9 but 9 weeks goes by quickly! So start thinking about it now. What you need to know is that the most productive relationships occur among people in the same field. Networking is nothing more than talking with and meeting other people. You do this every day. Networking is about helping each other, giving and getting advice, and building relationships. It is about helping others and others helping you. Networking is simple! One form of networking is just contacting people you know. If you do not know anyone, as is often the case, then you can attend events and participate in meetings. So how do you meet these people? One way to meet people is through trade associations. Practically every trade group has a local or state chapter, and they usually hold regular events, both locally and nationally. Also, if you think you are not ready for a membership quite yet, you should change your mind quickly! As a student most of these trade groups give significant discounts for joining as a member while still a student and when you attend member events, you receive attention and receive resources that could easily land you in a desirable job! For this assignment you are tasked with finding an association or trade group that you would like to join. Below are a couple of links to help you to find groups in the area of finance or other networking groups. These sites offer many career groups to consider. If none of these trade fields appeal to you as a career choice, you can Google something that is more in your area of interest. http//career-advice.monster.com/job-search/professional-networking/Trade-Groups-for- Finance-Networking/article.aspx http//www.rileyguide.com/support.html Another Website that will help you with more information on this topic is the Work Bloom Website. http//workbloom.com/networking-center.aspx INSTRUCTIONS Your task for this assignment is to join a trade group or association in your area of interest and to attend an event of your choice. If you do not want to actually join an association then you can attend some other local event (i.e. http//www.meetup.com/ or a Chamber of Commerce meeting, etc.) By the end of Unit 9 compile information about your networking experience. This needs to include  The association you joined or the type of event that you chose as an alternative  Information about the event that you attended o Something that shows when and where the event took place  Information about who you met by providing one of the following for each person you made contact with o A written paragraph about the people whom you met OR o A copy of the business cards (at least four) of the people you met and a sentence about each person.  Write a short critique of how you did. This may be the most important assignment you ever do