Business Networking Contacts Events People Jobs Making Opportunities

When Americans want to network, they have many events to choose from. Many businesses and social organizations create networking opportunities for their employees and members.

For example, many "professional associations" (membership clubs for people doing a certain type of work) "host" (organize and lead) networking events where their members can meet one another and exchange "business cards" (small pieces of paper that have a person's name, business name, job title, and contact information). People might go there to find new job opportunities or to learn how to do their jobs better.

Small "business bureaus" (organizations for local business owners) also host networking events. Business owners and managers come to network with people from other companies that they might want to "do business with" (work with; buy and sell from). They might also talk about important industry "trends" (things that change in one direction over time) and the local economy.

Many universities host networking events for their students, inviting community leaders and business owners to come and meet with the students. The students might use these events to find "job leads" (information about jobs that they might want to apply for) or simply to get advice about their "career path" (a plan for what one wants to do professionally and which jobs one should try to get).

Now there are many networking websites, too, where people can "stay in touch" (continue to communicate) with their contacts and ask them for help when they need it. Of course, if you ask your contacts for help, someday you will probably be expected to "return the favor" (do something in return for what one has received).