Once Thanksgiving Day has passed, it seems like the entire world bursts into a frenzy of activities preparing for the holiday season. Over the next few weeks, your calendar will most likely be filled with invitations to personal and professional networking events and parties.

Before you start running around to every party and event you can find, create a preferred list of high-profile individuals or top industry professionals you would really like to meet; prioritize your party attendance accordingly. As you interact and connect with strong contacts who can play a vital role in your career development, make sure to collect their business cards and follow-up with them after each event.

In addition to the normal exchange of business cards, distinguish yourself from the crowd this year by sending out a networking resume. A networking resume is an innovative one-page document that provides readers with a quick snapshot of your career milestones, personal qualifications and job targets.

Key Components of a Networking Resume:

1. Title Header: A branded title header prominently placed at the top of your resume (below your personal information) lets your contacts know who you are and the value you bring to any organization. For example:
   
   SENIOR OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE
   International Businesses - High-Growth Companies - Consulting
   Raising the standards for organizational leadership and executive management
   
2. Executive Summary: A well-written executive summary will give readers an overview of your career path, years of experience and touch upon your career-defining achievements. For professional and personal contacts who are reviewing your resume for the first time, this section provides them with talking points they can use when referring you to someone else. An executive summary for a sales profession may look like this:
   
   Self-directed, motivated sales professional with consistent record of success in taking startup and growing companies to higher levels. Astute business acumen coupled with solid customer relations, new business development and marketing expertise. Employ consultative sales approach to identify clients' needs, secure new business opportunities, expand customer base and achieve corporate goals.
   
3. Core Competencies: Incorporating a section for core competencies and areas of expertise allows readers to evaluate at first glance your industry strengths and management capabilities. Using either a two or three-column table or simply listing keywords in a neat format allows this section to stand out in the resume. Below is a sample of core competencies for non-profit executive:
   
   Executive Liaison Affairs / Corporate Sponsorships / Government Relations / Budget & Financial Management
   Brand Marketing & Media / Human Resource Management / Strategic Planning & Vision / Advocacy & Outreach
   Technology Planning / Training Programs / Contract Negotiations / Staff Coaching / Policy & Procedure Creation
   
4. Target Positions & Industries: Use this section of the resume to indicate the job titles for the types of positions you are seeking and the industries you would like to work in. For example:
   
   JOB TARGET
   Positions: Executive Vice President / Senior Vice President / Director
   Focus Areas: Sales, Marketing and New Business Development
   Industries: Financial Services / High Technology / Manufacturing
   
5. Career History & Performance Milestones: This section of the networking resume will simply list your employment history and touch up on at least one (you can use more) high-impact achievement realized throughout your career. Because the document is limited to one page, this portion will be brief and concise.

Overall, the networking resume is not intended to replace your executive resume - which should be two to three pages long depending on your experience - however, it can be effectively used as part of a structured networking plan. When an initial request about your career goals and job history comes about, introduce yourself to Tier 1 and Tier 2 contacts with a networking resume. If your experience and qualifications spark a deeper interest, you can follow-up with a more comprehensive resume and cover letter.

Visit http://premierwriting.typepad.com/NetworkingResumeSample.pdf for a networking resume sample.