Essential Job Search Networking Skill — Sorry, Mom!
Probably your mom, like mine, told you not to talk to strangers.
But in certain situations when you’re networking, you may want to think about ignoring mom. Just for a moment. You may also want to ignore Linkedin’s scary (did the Linkedin mom write this?) rule: don’t connect with people you don’t know. Yikes, isn’t connecting with people I don’t yet know one of the huge advantages of this fabulous networking site?
Networking in all its flavors is the key to getting into the hidden job market.
Today’s social networking makes it possible and relatively easy for you to find the people you want to network with. It doesn’t matter that today you are total strangers. Take the opportunity to connect with them to begin building a relationship. As the two of you get to know each other, it is likely that both of you will benefit.
On many social networking sites, and Linkedin is a great example, you may already know someone who knows the person you’d like to meet. So you and they can feel more comfortable because of that mutual connection. Because you can see information about the person you want to meet, you will know other things you may share with them.
Building a relationship is really the place to start.
In the list below, you will notice I did not say to start out by sending a resume to someone who is connected to the hiring manager or recruiter for a position you’re interested in. While they may not say it, many people will simply feel used.
Social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had as well as those you would like to create. Of course, you must take action. As long as we’re breaking mom’s rule, here are some ways to leverage your expanded community of “contacts” to assist in your job search.
• Search for old connections to reconnect and catch up
• Find people with whom you’ve only had a brief connection and strengthen that relationship
• Build business relationships with hiring managers as well as other people you should know in your industry/function/geographic area
• Identify and meet (on line and off line) recruiters, people in your target companies, prominent people in your industry or function
• Follow, learn from and connect with thought leaders
• Increase your web visibility and credibility which makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find you
• Find out what your target companies are doing, their business issues, competitors, etc.
• Be better prepared for all your networking calls, calls for informational interviews, etc.
You can buy mom flowers to celebrate your new job!
Job Search networking like crazy and wondering why still no job leads?
When I first started networking in my first job search, I was disappointed when I realized that most people wouldn’t have great job leads for me. Even after I got specific about the kind of position I wanted and had a reasonably good career brand statement, it seemed that almost no one knew about any job leads I should follow up on.
I had thought the process was: you tell people about yourself, tell them what kind of job you wanted and bang! You’ll start hearing about all those jobs in the hidden job market. That was what the books said would happen!
I started to assume people just didn’t want to share leads with me. As I spent more time interviewing those people I had found who were so fabulously successful with networking, I realized that it wasn’t personal.
The reality is that when we are working in a company, we’re probably not aware of all the open positions even if it’s a small company or we’re in Human Resources. We may know of a few, but if they aren’t in our department or vicinity, we probably don’t pay much attention or have any way to hear about them. When I worked in large companies that communicated all their openings to their employees, I paid very little attention.
So often people simply don’t have a lot of leads to share, or may only have leads in their particular function such as accounting or IT help desk. Good for you if you’re looking for those kinds of jobs. Not so good if you’re a VP Finance.
So a Sales Manager is probably pretty tuned in to all the sales openings, but probably not as aware of opportunities in finance or marketing.
The solution: network for the connections, not just job leads. Unless I was talking to someone in my exact field, I would ask for introductions to specific people I wanted to meet. This is an important strategy for networking online as well as offline. Don’t just ask for job leads; ask for connections. Ask for information about the company and for names of other people you should be talking to.
By following those introductions and then asking them for other people to whom I could talk, my job opportunities arose. And it’s how I got my last four jobs by networking my way into the hidden job market.
Job search networking: They never got back to me!
It can be difficult to know what to do when people who offer some kind of help for your job search and then don’t follow through.
I’ve found that if people offer to help you, they almost always intend to do it. And then there is that big thing that can get in the way of those good intentions–life.
When people offer to do something, be sure to thank them. Then ask some questions so you know what they really intend to do. This also gets them to start thinking about really doing it. Often I’ve found that people say they will follow up with a colleague to introduce you but don’t really think about what or when specifically they will do it. So they just honestly forget.
And of course sometimes these offers are a lot like those promises to “call you for lunch—really soon.” So get specific to find out if this is a real offer or just an air kiss.
A few easy questions will help. Maybe questions like “are you sure you have time to do that?” or “I’ll want to follow up with them right after you’ve contacted them. Will you let me know when you’ve connected with them? Or do you recommend I just plan to call them on Wednesday? Should I call you later this week to follow up?” You get the idea.
Many times (most times, actually) I’ve seen job seekers say something like “OK, thanks.” It’s almost as though the job seeker is afraid if they keep talking the person will change their mind. Or they are thinking “OK, got one. Now need to move on to someone else to talk to.”
You just need to ask some questions to make this work for you. You might feel that asking for specifics is being pushy or might sound ungrateful. As long as you don’t grill them under hot lights, I have found that some follow up questions from you makes the other person feel you are excited about what they have promised to do.
When you just say “thank you” and then just change the subject or move on to the next person at the meeting, it might give the person an impression that their offer wasn’t all that attractive to you.
Think of it like getting a present. When you just say thank you and that’s all, I might think you aren’t all that crazy about the sweater I knit for you. When you try it on, ask me how I fit the sleeves so well, I feel you really like what I’ve done. Help me feel you like the idea I’m going to do something that will help your job search.
If these questions about the specifics don’t you get specifics in return, I would assume the other person is making an offer they aren’t going to follow through on, and just lower my expectations. Then if they actually do follow through, it’s like an extra present. One that really fits.
A Backward Secret to Job Search Networking Into The Hidden Job Market
Job seekers often tell me “I’m worried if I am too specific when I’m asking for assistance, I’ll miss out on hearing about all available opportunities.”
I can certainly relate to people who are concerned that if they are too specific when they ask for assistance in their job search, they will miss out on hearing about other things that might be of interest to them. They tell me, “if I’m vague, then people will just tell me about a lot of things. If I’m specific, they will just tell me about that specific thing.”
Interestingly, a specific request actually just opens the door to so much more. It’s as if you need that specific request to get people thinking about you. Then they may be able to introduce you to the exact person you want to meet or tell you about the exact job you want, though that’s not always the result. If they don’t have that information, however, because you were specific they are able to think of other things that you might be interested in hearing about.
For example, one job seeker usually asked people to let her know if they heard of any recruiting manager positions she might be interested in. She’s a fabulous recruiter, but that request wasn’t getting her any leads to openings or other people to network with. We worked on creating a job search networking strategy wherein she listed the industries she wanted to explore.
Then she started telling people what industries and even the specific companies where she wanted to meet people. All of a sudden she was getting introduced to the right people! It’s as if that specific request just primed the pump to get them thinking. A vague request doesn’t seem to have that impact. And the worst request of all is “let me know if you hear about something…..”
Think about how you might respond to these requests. The first request is “let me know if you hear about something that might be a fit for me.” That request usually gets you a polite “you bet.” But it just won’t get you much more. Even worse, it makes you sound like nearly every other job seeker. What’s the benefit of that?
The second request is “I’ve targeted company XYA as a place I would love to work. Who do you know who works there?” This request can get you a variety of answers, all of them likely to be more useful than “you bet.”
Perhaps the person does know someone there, and would introduce you. Perhaps they know someone at a competitor to company XYA. Or maybe they know of an opportunity at a similar company.
Because you were specific, you made it easier for them to start thinking about specifics for you. Just try it and see what happens.
Launch your job search networking into the hidden job market with this song (even if you can’t sing)
You may find it easier to develop an overall strategy after using this list that lets you get started right now. A body in motion tends to stay in motion—it’s a beautiful thing.
I originally drafted this to be sung to the 12 days of Xmas (with apologies to…well, just about everyone). The good news it works for any other holiday of your choice.
So here we go. Sing along…
12 days of (insert holiday here) networking for job seekers
On the first day of networking I decided to: Make 1 call to someone who never heard of me
How to “up” your attitude in job search–fast!
Job search can be such a difficult time, and at the same time, you have to be upbeat, positive and self-confident. Here is a simple technique (and cameo appearance by ZK!) Read more
Networking into the Hidden Job Market to Change Industries
This strategy can be extremely useful when you would like to change industries. You can’t assume that the person you’re talking to will automatically be able to see why your experience in industry A will be an asset to him in industry B. Don’t leave this quantum leap in thinking to your interviewer or person you’re networking with.
Most candidates say their skills are “transferrable” and then they stop. If they cannot explain in a compelling convincing way how that is true, it’s is unlikely that a recruiter or hiring manager won’t be able to see how that’s possible. So while it’s true, you must be able to explain HOW it’s true. What does the hiring company get if they hire you from a different industry that they don’t get if they just stick to people in their industry.
