(Editor's note:  This blog was written and submitted by Brandon Caudle, who can be reached at brandon.caudle@gmail.com )

We all have a personal network - the family, friends and colleagues that we keep in touch with, whether in person, via email and phone, or even through Facebook stalking.  When “life happens”, and we need a favor, an ear, or as our economy more frequently has shown us, a job, our personal network is an immediate support group.  I recently found myself in the same situation as millions of other Americans, and turned to my network to help me find the next phase of my career.  

Within hours of letting my network know of my situation, I received dozens of emails, calls and messages giving support, asking how they could help, and in many cases, asking for my resume, which they sent to their own personal contacts in our industry.

Rather than me embarking on the daunting task of finding employment by myself, I found myself fortunate and blessed enough to have several hundred friends and colleagues helping me out by passing my information on to their network.  Just as the game ‘The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ always proves that the Footloose star is always less than six steps away from any other actor, it soon became apparent that, through my friends, I was connected to almost every company in our industry.

An unfortunate fact is that any of us may find ourselves in the same situation and ensuring that you have a functioning network ahead of time is critical.

Step 1 – Physically Build Your Network:  This sounds like a no-brainer, but you have to get out and meet people.  There is no substitute for face to face conversation.  There are countless opportunities to expand your network – HDI local chapter meetings and other professional organizations are a great place to start.  While going to a monthly meeting or event is the minimum amount of effort to get to know people, volunteering will put you in situations where you can work with your peers and truly develop the relationships that make the difference.

The time to build your network is not when you need it, but rather ahead of time.  I have met countless people over the last decade who, once they were unemployed, they decided to get out and network.  While we would love to help them, it is hard to refer someone who you just met.  Nonetheless, I have always suggested that the best thing they could do would be to volunteer within the organization, as we always have more work than people.  Sadly, very few people have taken me up on that offer, and their names and contact information soon faded from memory, leaving them almost no chance of being thought of when a job opportunity arose down the road.

If you do find yourself in the situation where you have an extra 40 free hours per week, get out and volunteer.  This will expand your circle greatly (remember Kevin Bacon), and people tend to remember who you are when you are putting together their monthly newsletter or making calls to find new sponsors.  This also applies beyond HDI, to local charities and volunteer organizations.  You never know who is going to know someone who can help you out.

Step 2 - When you meet someone and get to know them, connect to them online: I would suggest using, at a minimum, using LinkedIn and Facebook, this gives you the virtual Rolodex that is the default in our digital society today.  It’s not necessary to post 10 updates a day on either site, however, setting aside some time each day to read LinkedIn discussions and contribute to the conversation in well thought our posts will set you apart from the updates of what your plans are for this weekend.

Step 3 – Give to, help out, and support your network:  No one likes a perma-taker, that person who always needs help, who always bemoans over their horrible spot in life.  Be the person who buoys up those who need help, who steps in to lend a hand, who offers value to those around them.  Make your network stronger and they will be there for you when you need them.

Connect to people over time, build the relationships that make up the fabric of our society and give more than you take – and your network will be there when you need to activate it.