IT INVOLVES TWO IDEAS
- Talking to people gets jobs.
- Most job openings are filled by word-of-mouth (estimates range up to 90%), before advertisements and recruiters get into the picture.
THE GOAL IS
To move into the hidden, unadvertised job market using every avenue available - primarily contact with other people.
THE BASIC STEPS
Building a Base of Contacts
Remember: You are trying to get information from these people, not necessarily a job. Asking friends or associates for a job outright can put them off and make you sound over-anxious or desperate.
Start by talking with friends and close associates. Even if they are not employed in your field they may have career information and contacts that can be useful.
Base your approach on how well you know and trust each person. Let him or her know you are looking for a job and that you would appreciate advice, ideas, and suggestions. Bring up the subject of your job hunt in general, then ask if you can sit down to discuss it later. This is to enable your friend/acquaintance to prepare in advance.
Don't be afraid to call people you have not talked with in a long time; most people are flattered when asked for advice.
Be open and go into details about the work and organizations that interest you.
Expanding Your Contacts
Talking with people you know will increase your confidence and prepare you to contact acquaintances you have met through professional organizations, within your company, and in other companies and groups.
You never know who can help you. Talk with as many people as you possibly can. Quality and quantity both matter when you are developing a network.
Alumni associations and trade groups are good places to find contacts. Don't stop with job-related groups---other clubs, groups, and schools may be of assistance. Inevitably, someone made it big and that person is usually happy to help someone else from the same background.
Focus your goals and your requests, be specific in your conversations. Strive for a concrete discussion. Don't digress from the topic.
From Your Contacts Make Sure That You Receive:
- The name of another person to contact.
- A time to meet to go over your resume.
- Names of companies that might be hiring.
POSSIBLE NETWORKING CONTACTS
- Friends
- Neighbors (current and past)
- Social Acquaintances (golf, swim, tennis, and social clubs, PTA's)
- Classmates (from any level of school)
- College Alumni (get a list of those living in your job search area)
- Teachers (your college professors, your children's teachers)
- Anyone you wrote a check to in the past year: tradespeople, pharmacist, doctor, dentist, optician, lawyer, accountant, real estate agent, financial consultant, travel agent)
- Manager of the local branch of your bank
- Co-workers and former co-workers
- Relatives
- Politicians -local leaders (administrative assistance to congressmen and senators, state senators and representatives, local city council representatives, township trustees)
ONLINE NETWORKING
LinkedIn is an online network of more than 20 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.
When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.
Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.
Through your network you can:
- Search for great jobs
- Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
- Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know
LinkedIn is free to join. They also offer paid accounts that give you more tools for finding and reaching the right people, whether or not they are in your network.
How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job - Or Have a Job Find You
- Create a Profile. Create a detailed profile on LinkedIn, including employment (current and past), education, industry, and web sites.
- Consider a Photo. You can add a photo (a headshot is recommended or upload a larger photo and edit it) to your LinkedIn profile. Note that it must be a small photo - no larger than 80x80 pixels.
- Keywords and Skills. Include all your resume keywords and skills in your profile, so your profile will be found.
- Build Your Network. Connect with other members and build your network. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have, with one caveat from Kay Luo, "Connect to people you know and trust or have a business relationship with, no need to go crazy and connect with everyone."
- Get Recommendations. Recommendations from people you have worked with carry a lot of weight.
- Search Jobs. Use the job search section to find job listings.
- Use Answers. The Answers section of LinkedIn is a good way to increase your visibility. Respond to questions, and ask a question if you need information or assistance.
- Stay Connected. Use LinkedIn Mobile (m.linkedin.com) to view profiles, invite new connections, and access to LinkedIn Answers from your phone.
NETWORKING TIPS
- Early in the morning, in the middle of the week, is usually the best time to make networking phone calls.
- Don't call on Monday, Friday, lunch hour, or late afternoon if you can help it.
- On the telephone, get to the point of your call quickly, which is to:
| - Introduce yourself |
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| - Briefly explain why you are calling |
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| - Arrange a meeting |
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- An example of what you might say is:
"This is John Jenkins. Martin Parks from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company tells me that you are the person I should speak with about _______________ (a field of interest, an industry, a company). He suggested that I call to see if we could get together."
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Show interest in others. Career experts say the secret is to stop focusing on yourself and take an interest in the other person. Ask questions and get the contacts to talk about themselves and their business experience. This is easier than you might think.
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Don't ask for a job. It may force the other person to say no to you. Instead, seek advice. People are likelier to be generous with their time if you ask for their counsel. Don't worry. If you seem qualified for an opening, they will refer you to the right person to set up an interview.
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Build relationships. Strangers will not put their reputations on the line for you. Build ties with a new contact before asking for help. Consider sending a personal note to any new contact you meet at an industry event. Then, follow up, perhaps with a helpful article or introduction to someone you know.
- Don't be selfish. No matter how desperate you are, remember networking is a two-way street. If you have met with a recruiter, you can always offer to introducing him to the smartest people you know in your industry.
- Don't abuse relationships. There is no rule here for how many phone calls are too many. Just try to gauge if you are coming across as always looking for a favor.
- Follow through. Nothing can kill a budding relationship faster than not writing a proper thank-you note. In many cases, you can e-mail it, but don't assume the content is any less important than snail mail. If you really want to stand out, send a hand-written thank you note. Keep the other person abreast of how your meeting went with someone with whom he or she referred you.
- Maintain your network. Cultivate ties even when you are not job hunting. Remember, the majority of jobs go unpublished, so you may hear of an exciting opportunity.
MEETING WITH YOUR CONTACT
- Get your contact interested in you without directly asking for a job.
- Mention your job hunt in general, your need for names, information, and advice specifically. Do not speak in the abstract, be concrete.
- Before meeting with contacts, thank the person that made the initial suggestion to meet with him or her. Ask for tips about how to communicate best by determining some likes, dislikes, and interests. If you can, tailor your approach to fit the individual personality.
- At the meeting, summarize your objective - even if it means repeating what you had said on the phone.
- Be an active participant - well thought out questions, a brief summary of your job hunt, and clearly defined goals show that you have prepared for the meeting and are in charge of yourself.
- Personalize your questions when you can - make the person understand that he or she can make a significant difference in your job search. Give him or her a good reason to want to help you.
- Don't underestimate the importance of your initial meeting. At some point, this person will be in a position to hire someone or recommend someone for a job. You want to be that person.
- Act as though you were being interviewed for a job.
- Be positive and confident about your goals and background.
- Never say anything negative about your current or former employers or jobs.
- Most importantly, show a genuine interest in and enthusiasm for your job search, and for the meeting itself.
- Honest compliments never hurt - but do not resort to insincerity.
- Take written notes during the meeting.
- Keep the initial meeting to 15 to 30 minutes.
- Right after the meeting, make notes on 3x5 cards or in a spiral notebook: date, what was discussed, suggestions that were made, new names given by contact to call---refer to this for a quick reminder before you call this person again.
FOLLOWING UP
Keep in mind a meeting is not an end, it is a beginning:
- Set up a concrete reason for checking back - following-up on suggestions, names you have been given, companies to apply to, and research to complete.
- When you have a reason for calling back, it makes it easier for you to keep in touch. It also ensures that you will maintain an ongoing relationship.
- After each meeting, always take the time to send a short THANK YOU NOTE. Recap a particular part of the conversation - one that highlights a skill or achievement from your previous job, or something especially interesting that you had discussed. A note that is more specific than a general thank you note will have greater impact and be remembered. Personalize each thank you note - do not use a form letter.
- Continue to build on initial meetings - don't mistake being persistent for being pushy. Periodic calls maintain and build a relationship; constant calls destroy a relationship.
- The best way to follow-up is to call with a special question relating to your discussion or to call to explain how the advice that you received is contributing to your job search.
- Nobody is too shy or timid to follow-up effectively. If you are not comfortable on the phone, send thank you notes or notes to request another meeting.
- Have your initial contacts speak to the referral persons and ask for feedback.
As your network develops, start weeding out those people who haven't been helpful. It makes your network smaller but stronger.
REMEMBER
- The best way to find a job is through networking with people that you know, are acquainted with, or want to know.
- Don't be afraid to use the telephone to make contact with people who can help you.
- If you are enthusiastic and express appreciation, in most instances, people will respond positively, and want to help you.
- Always carry several copies of your resume with you. You never know when you might run into someone who can help you in your job search.
- Be prepared to ask pertinent questions and to answer questions. Be honest, but careful. Always follow-up.
- Keep detailed written and/or computerized records to avoid confusion about what transpired with your many contacts.
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Once you start networking, don't stop.
- Networking is only one avenue to pursue in your job search. You must also explore the Internet, classified advertisements, trade magazine advertisements, recruiters, and/or cold calling.
DO'S AND DONT'S OF ASKING FRIENDS FOR HELP WITH YOUR JOB SEARCH
Before consulting your friends' wealth of job info and contacts, consider these do's and don'ts of asking friends for job help:
DO:
Make a list of key friends and how you can leverage their contact circle. Ask the following questions to draw potential contacts:
- What companies are your friends from college working at these days?
- Who do you know at the gym and where do they work?
- What do the parents of your children's friends do?
Be positive when you mention anything about work or the job hunt. If you sound negative, depressed or angry -- no one really wants to help you, they will only try to comfort, and that is not what you need right now.
Be proactive. Develop a communication plan, mapping out who you'll leverage, how you'll communicate, what you'll say and how you'll follow up. This plan allows you to hone your message into concise statements.
Ask your friends questions when asking for information or referrals. Use questions like:
- Do you know anyone in the ___ industry? You will be surprised what people they come up with.
- Can you give them a call to let them know I'll be calling? Warm referrals are 100 times better than cold calls.
- What keeps you at (name of company)? This is a key question. It will make them stop, think, and answer honestly. It gives you a clear idea of where you might be going.
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Network, schmooze, and connect. Friends are invaluable resources in helping you do this. They multiply your search circle of influence exponentially. Used effectively, with a well-planned strategy, you will find that your job search will provide fruitful dividends, better pay, and a shorter unemployment period.
DON'T:
Ask friends for résumé assistance, unless they are very skilled at writing, formatting, and proofreading. "I suggest hiring a professional," he says. Gee contends: "Isn't it worth the $300-$500 to catch that $100K position?"
Let your friends take charge. Friends will give you their opinion on what you need to do and direct you somewhere they think you need to go -- not where you want to go. Tell them you need their help and show them explicitly how they can help you. That way, you are in charge of your job search, and you are not allowing them to hold your hand.
Take the job searching process lightly -- especially with friends and family.
Ask for advice unless you have no idea, clue, or direction about your job search. You are looking for warm referrals -- people that know that they can either hire you or point you in the right direction. Ask for specific opportunities that they might know of, specific companies, specific people.
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