Am halfway through the book “Work Smarts – What CEOs Say You Need to Know to Get Ahead” by Betty Liu, and an enjoying every bit of the read.

Amazing insights and I must say, it’s hit a sweet spot! This is reading a compilation of career advices written in a simple and down to earth manner.

Among the many nuggets of good tips, here’s a couple which I really enjoyed.

Opportunity + Preparation = Luck

We often look at someone successful, and comment that they are just lucky in their careers. Or, they had it easy; they’ve met the right people whom help set them on the right track etc. The truth of the matter, luck’s got nothing to do with it; they were prepared, and they reacted when opportunities came knocking.

Having worked with many people at different junction of their careers, the topic of “job stability” often creeps into the discussion. I don’t know how many times I’ve used this, but I would always say to them that “Job stability is not about how long you get to keep your current job, but how fast you find the next one!”

Thus, I cannot emphasis enough the importance of being prepared and staying prepared for the moments when opportunities come knocking.

Network

The other part of book which I really enjoy is the chapter on “How to Network”. Apart from the acknowledgement on the power of “Linkedin”, a tip from Dan Portillo on how he uses Linkedin, I think what’s really important is how we can leverage on technology to help us network efficiently.

When I first started to network “professionally”, professional social networking sites such Linkedin were not as mature as it is today. We had to rely on the old fashion phonebook and manual records. I remember keeping my contacts and notes on a spreadsheet. This made networking a lot more tedious and disciplined process.

Fast forward to today, technology help transformed the process and the “workflow” of networking. There are numerous software and tools to help us manage our contacts and network efficiently. This allows us to focus on building relationship, rather than just administrating contacts.

A lot of us would agree that opportunities increases with strong networks. However, many of us forget that part of the preparation is in cultivating the network, keeping current with the network, and identifying the win-win proposition in which both you and your contacts can bring to the table.

Last but not least, never be too shy to ask! You never know what you’ll get.

Happy preparing and happy networking!

Cheers
Eric

Eric Wong is Head of Talent Acquisition & Development (APAC) at Polycom, and blogs about how video collaboration can benefit the HR function on Polycom’s “The View from APAC”. Connect with him on Linkedin or follow him on Twitter @ErickyWong.