Every new generation entering the professional world gets accused of lacking humility, poor work ethics, a know-it-all attitude, along with a sense of entitlement sprinkled in for good measure.

Fortunately for you, this is all being said of your generation today, which is great, because you can leverage this "bad press" to your advantage by finding great mentors & building strong professional networking relationships.

Big Shots Want To Mentor You

At the time of the fight for racial and sexual equality, the then President Lyndon Johnson used this awareness to fuel his rise to the presidency of the United States:

"Old men want to feel that the experience which has come with their years is valuable, that they possess a sagacity that could be obtained only through experience -- a sagacity that could be of use to young men if only young men would ask."

Lyndon Johnson asked, and it was appreciated; he would tell how he had followed the advice, and how well it had worked. "'Thank you for your counsel,' he would say. 'I needed that counsel.' 'Thank you for giving me just a little of your wisdom,' he would say... 'I just don't know what I would have done without it.' "

Johnson became the most influential man of his generation, partly because he was smart enough to enlist the help of the generations ahead of him.

You can use this same strategy to fuel pursuit of jobs, mentors and professional success.

Social Media Increases Your Access to Influence

Many experienced professionals welcome the opportunity to share their wisdom, you just have to reach out to them and ask.

Social media sites like LinkedIn make this easy, you can make useful contacts at all levels by joining the special interest LinkedIn groups relevant to your profession and becoming a visible part of those groups by asking sensible questions that brand you as a serious young professional, and by contributing to the conversations.

Increase Your Credibility

Read group discussion posts, then add "likes" and comments. As a first time job seeker, you probably can't add substance, but you can make comments like this: "I just received my accounting degree from ____, and I'm entering the professional world, and this was a really helpful."

You flatter the person making the post, get noticed by everyone following the discussion (including corporate recruiters); you have announced your credentials, your school and stated the kind of work you are seeking, and all without looking needy.

It's a no-brainer to ask for a connection with everyone who gets involved with the discussion.

You especially want to make comments on the posts made by those who hold job titles directly above your target job title.

You can then reach out to all these people to become contacts, this way you build a professionally relevant network and potential mentors at the same time.

Increase Your Visibility

Post discussions of your own. You don't have much of interest to say to experienced professionals yet, but you can get mileage by postings blogs and articles from influential sources, which others will comment on.

Read professional blogs and media, and when you see something that has real relevance to your profession, post a brief introductory comment, "Interesting blog on..." or, " What do you think of this..." and add a link to the article.

Subsequently you can make link requests to anyone who comments, again expanding your network and possible mentor pool.

Increase Your Visibility & Credibility

Post questions of your own. Not questions about finding a job or employers, but issues about the challenges of the job. All jobs, at their core, are about anticipating, preventing, and solving the problems that regularly arise within their area of responsibility.

So, questions about improving skills, or finding solutions to common problems, are of interest to everyone. For example: "Hello, I'm a recent accounting graduate from _____.

I recognize that accounts receivable has an important role in company operations, and of course when everyone pays their bills on time life is sweet, but my question is what we can do to anticipate and prevent [notice the word choice] late payments. I'm new at this, so any comments would be much appreciated."

Finally, People Like to Give Advice

The answers posted by more experienced professionals will deliver great insights into what it takes to be good at your job and gives you the opportunity to connect with people who just might know of such job openings.

Questions like these tell every recruiter or hiring manager who sees the post that you are someone who sees to the heart of the job, and if they are looking for entry-level personnel, you are exactly the kind of professional employers want.

An ex-Silicon Valley headhunter & HR Director of a publicly traded storage company, N.Y. Times bestseller, Martin Yate CPC, brings a lifetime of street-wise career management experience to his work.
The Knock Em Dead career management books unfold a new and unique approach to getting what you want out of life rather than becoming a powerless drone trapped in some high-rise salt mine.
With 17 career management books collectively published in 81 domestic and 63 foreign language editions, he is increasingly thought of as the father of the new career management. Perceptive, direct and witty you can join Martin here to change the trajectory of your life forever.
As Dun & Bradstreet says, "He's just about the best in the business."
Knockemdead.com delivers exemplary resume and coaching services and encourages affiliate relationships with professional colleagues.