It's not who you know, it's what you know.

In business, it's important to keep abreast of your contacts and relationships on a regular basis. For those of you looking to find that "dream position" fresh out of college, it's even more important to follow this practice. It seems like yesterday that I was working at the local mall as a recent college grad while working to meet the executives that would be dazzled by my ambition and skills and hire me on the spot. A good friend and I frequently reminisce about the professionals that would give me their business cards and tell me to call them after listening to me tell them of my ambitions to enter the world of communications and public relations.

My friend and I reminisce because so many of those people who said they were willing to have an informal meeting with me and said they were excited to help me along my journey ended up avoiding my initial emails and phone calls. To this day, I don't know why they ever offered their contact information if they were only going to avoid all contact.

I must say, as a college graduate with the ambition of no one I've ever met, I was eager to get my career going pronto. I was however, considerably considerate and never pressed anyone for meetings or contact information. If I ended up with a business card from the executive of a Fortune 500 company, it was only because they offered it to me.

Fast forward, I think I've done well so far. I'm comfortable in my current position and with my employer. I have good rapport with my director, and though I feel I bring a myriad of skills to the position, it is challenging and ever-changing. In business, the phrase, "it's not about what you know, it's about who you know" is so very popular, that sometimes recent grads have a difficult time trying to decipher the importance of focusing on their career plans and are busy out there "shaking hands and kissing babies". In my experience, recent grads sometimes make a judgement about how well a networking event went by the number of business cards they obtained. I can honestly say, no one from my past that has given me their business card has ever brought me in their office, given me the opportunity to wow them and offered me a position 1, 2, 3. It has always been a struggle.

The experiences have however helped me indirectly by fueling my drive and challenging my creativity in my approach. This entry is not to deter you, but to challenge your creativity. Don't ever let someone convince you that your success is solely dependant on who you know.

It's about you, your drive, your thirst for success, and your ability to stay on top of your game. That way, when you are at the point of achievement you can share the story of how you worked to gain leverage in your field. Many times, people have a dream of having doors opened for them and having everything handed to them. But there's no better feeling than reaping the rewards from your own time, sweat, and tears spent achieving your goals.