If you were laid off today, who would you contact first? Lifehacker calls this question the layoff test. How you answer it might tell you a lot about your professional network — or lack thereof.
If you can’t name ten people, it’s time to get cracking. Lifehacker blogger Alan Henry suggests asking a few connections out to lunch or coffee to catch up, while you’re employed and don’t need to worry about asking folks for favors. You can start by seeing if you can do anything for them.
“Remember, a ‘professional network’ is really just career code for ‘friends willing to help each other professionally,’ so stay in touch and see if you can lend them a hand as well. After all, what goes around comes around,” Henry writes.
Career karma will get you a lot farther than a bunch of LinkedIn connections you never talk to, and you can feel good about helping a friend in need — while you yourself are still safe from the job hunting game.
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