Job Search Networking Phone Tip: Did you Really Want to Sound like a Telemarketer?
No matter how important you think you call is, or how urgent, always let the other person set the timing. Telemarketers never ask “Is this a convenient time to talk” because they know the answer. They don’t want to give you the chance to tell them no. So if you launch into your discussion without asking if the other person has a moment to talk to you, you’ll give a great impression of a telemarketer.
ALWAYS ask if NOW is a good time. It will be greatly appreciated. Even if they say yes, be sure to listen to the background noise and how they respond. If it sounds as though there is a lot going on, or they sound distracted, check with them again. Often, I tell people I’ll be happy to call back because it really doesn’t sound like a good time.
You can hear the relief in their voice when they realize you’re not going to dump on them before they get a chance to say anything, and that you respect their time. When you eventually get to talk about you, you’ll find you already have a relationship started because of your sensitivity to their time and needs.
It was hard for me to do this when I started. I wanted to get to my agenda right away. Once I got someone on the phone, or even got their voicemail, I wanted to tell them what I wanted.
That cost me a lot of potential relationships and lost me a lot of time. I finally learned that slowing down, making the relationship the most important thing on my agenda, and having an approach different than most job seekers was what was getting me good connections into the hidden job market. I think it will do the same for you.
Thanks for reading!
Hidden Job Market Networking: Secret to get into a new industry
I know it’s possible to change industries because I’ve done it several times. My secret? Networking!
Here is a strategy that can be extremely useful when you would like to change industries. It will help you in your job search networking and, as a bonus, when you interview. I had to develop this technique because throughout my career, after about 18 months in a position, I wanted a new one! Especially if it could be in an entirely new industry or function.
Here is the reality. If you don’t make a compelling case about why your experience in a different industry makes you the best candidate, they won’t be able to figure it out! And we all know what the probably outcome of that will be.
Critical Questions to answer even if they don’t ask
Let’s assume your career has been in Industry A and now you want to work in Industry B. Before you start networking and interviewing, think of compelling answers to these questions:
• How is your experience in industry A an advantage to a hiring manager in industry B?
• What did you learn by being in industry A that people who never have been anywhere than that industry would not have a chance to learn?
• What unique results will you be able to get for a company in Industry B because of what you learned in Industry A?
• Look at your resume, review your experience. Begin to identify any areas where you may differ from the “ideal candidate.”
Think through your answer to:
how can the things that could be perceived as liabilities actually turn out to be assets for the company where you want to work?
The ultimate question to answer, even if they don’t ask:
“what is it about you and your experience that makes you a better candidate than the candidate who does have industry experience?
Practice your answers to these questions. Be able to weave them easily and briefly into your career brand statement as well as the requests you make of those you are networking with.
Create a compelling case for them to hire you
If you have thought this through and have brief, powerful answers to these questions, you will be able to present a compelling case for your candidacy. People who are networking with you will feel more comfortable introducing you to people in your new target industry if you have answers to these questions.
Why your “transferable skills” claim is ignored
Many candidates who want to change industries rely on that old standard: “well, my skills are transferable”. That statement without the supporting information from the questions above just puts you in with the majority of candidates who said the same thing. In reality, it will probably really lose you the game. Most recruiters and Hiring Managers I’ve worked with typically ignore that argument.
If you answer the questions above, even if they don’t specifically ask, you’ll always beat out those who have nothing but “transferable” to talk about.
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 them in industry B. Don’t leave this quantum leap in thinking to your interviewer or person you’re networking with. They will never make it.
Make it for them and get the job!
Job Search Networking: When Do I Spill the Beans?
When networking to get into the hidden job market, I think we’ve all worried how to answer the question “When do I tell people that I’m looking for a job?”
Some say you should wait until you’ve known someone a while or have done them a favor.
I think you can do it right away when you do it the right way. I hope this audio will help you feel comfortable letting people know you’re in job search.
Hate Job search Networking? 10 Tips to Help You Hate It Just a Little Less
1. Look at networking as a way to increase your knowledge about your industry and function. You’ll learn things that will differentiate you from the competition who aren’t bothering to create a network.
2. Network to create relationships. Network with people even if you don’t think there is a job available right now. This is the way you’ll find your next job. Plus it can bring you every job after that. You may never need to be in job search mode again.
3. Be willing to help other people. And make that clear by always asking “How can I be of assistance to you?”
4. Play to your strengths. Use the skills that make you successful in a job to help make you successful in networking. Do what you do best: if you’re detail oriented, do lots of research. If you’re marketing professional, create sound bites about what makes you a great candidate.
5. When people offer to help (and more than you might think will be very willing to lend assistance), let them. Protests like “Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that” aren’t necessary nor flattering to either of you.
6. Be willing to ask specifically for what you want. I know that can be hard. However, if you don’t, the other person has to do the work to try to figure out how to help you.
7. Be willing to be yourself. You don’t have to embellish or fabricate; you’re great just the way you are, even if you haven’t had much confirmation of that recently.
8. Treat any networking encounter like a business meeting even if it’s a phone call, email exchange, on line or in person. Don’t forget to bring your personality and unique style.
9. Listen, listen, listen. ‘nuf said.
10. Thank them, write to them, keep them informed, stay in touch, remember them.
And an extra:
Create good career karma by connecting people to each other for their benefit even if there isn’t anything in it for you at the time.
Meetings, Meetings, I’m Drowning in Job Search Networking Meetings!
When you first start to network in your job search, you’ll hear about a lot of meetings that sound as though they would be useful for you. However, you probably won’t be able to attend all of them—or benefit from attending all of them. Often job seekers are encouraged to go where every other job seeker is going. That may not be the best strategy for you. Being very selective and strategic about where you spend your time can accelerate your job search.
I’ve had job seekers tell me they are spending many hours a week in meetings. But they don’t feel they are getting much value
The first step is to understand why you are considering attending ANY meeting. Is it to meet other people in job search? Is it to learn more about job search tactics? Sometimes meetings in these categories can be helpful, and if you’re benefiting, that’s great.
However, if you’re not feeling excited and energized about your job search after these meetings, consider skipping them. Or at least cutting down on the time you spend in them.
The following might be more useful questions to decide which meetings are worth your time. Is it to meet influential people in your field? Are you looking for people who just seem to know everyone in your industry/career so you can expand your networking contacts? Do you want to have an opportunity to meet people at the right level to hire you?
How to find out if a meeting is right for you:
• Be really honest in deciding what you want from a meeting.
• Ask about the people who typically attend.
• Talk to the organizer and people who have been to this event before.
• Check out the speaker, not just to see if you are interested in the topic but also to see if it might be someone you would like to meet.
Then you can determine:• If this is the place where you will find the appropriate people for to network with,
• If there will be the kinds of people who would be able to hire you,
• If these other people attending might know the other people you’d like to meet,
• If you might meet people at this meeting you will want to call for information and/or advice, etc.
Then you’ll know there is a high probability you’re going to a meeting where you will meet the best people for your networking efforts.
Hidden Job Market: How Tim Got In!
Tim Collins is founder and President of Toronto-based Stafflink Solutions, a full service permanent and contract IT recruiting firm. I’m delighted to have had a chance to talk to Tim Collins recently about how he got 4 jobs through the hidden job market mechanism. And how networking has helped his company, Stafflink Solutions, have its best year ever!
Please listen to Tim’s great tips and ideas. They are fabulous. Start implementing the ones you like right away–no reason to delay. Enjoy!
Click for a transcript of this interview so you can refer back to all his techniques!
I highly recommend his blog for job seekers: http://www.stafflink.blogspot.com/
Job search networking: How to get really good at getting past the gatekeepers
It can be very frustrating and/or intimidating to want to talk to someone in the course of job search networking, only to have the gatekeeper shut you down. Most advice is to try to get around the gatekeeper or get past them as quickly as possible. This article is about doing the exact opposite, and the tremendous rewards you can get when you try it this way.
I’d like to encourage you to stop trying to get past a gatekeeper. In reality, these people are not a fierce negative force. They can be your best ally in getting what you want—a meeting with the boss.
Make the receptionist a friend. Make the assistant a friend. Remember and use their name. Have some sympathy for their job and busy day and tell them so. It doesn’t take long. You can benefit from the fact the people who are typically thought of as “gatekeepers” are actually real people. You can also benefit from the fact that most job seekers calling for a meeting don’t bother to make the gatekeeper a friend.
Be ready with a brief and truthful statement about why you want to talk to their boss. Let them know you just need a few minutes. You’ll be amazed at how helpful some of them will be.
Will everyone try to help you? Probably not, but see how high a success rate you can get. If they don’t, then you can network in other ways to meet the executive. But don’t say anything negative to either of them. If you underestimate the power of the assistant, you could just end up as toast.
I typically call very senior executives during the course of my recruiting. I write down the assistant’s name as soon as I hear it (my brain cells seem to be dying at an alarming rate these days!). By taking time to remember the assistant’s name and being truthful (and brief) about why I was calling, I found a lot of them went out of their way to get me some time on the boss’s calendar.
Whenever possible I compliment the executive on their assistant, and email the assistant my sincere thanks. I’ve never regretted taking a few minutes to make them a friend.
In one case I called an executive three times. The assistant and I had fun brief conversations each time. The first two times, the assistant told me she would give her boss the message, but he didn’t call. The third time she went in to his office and told him he had to take my call! How much better than that does it get?
Everyone you talk to is a networking contact. Instead of rushing to “get past” take a few moments to create a relationship.
I hope this helps in your job search networking into the hidden job market.
I hate small talk! 7 Essentials for Job Search Networking
I will freely admit that in addition to being a reluctant job search networker, I also hated small talk. Slam bam whammy a double curse!
When I became determined (ok, desperate) to learn how to do networking in ways that felt comfortable for me, I started interviewing people who were master networkers. That research is how I learned all the networking secrets I love to share.
Since that strategy worked so well to learn how to network, I decided to take the same approach to learn how to do small talk. I didn’t expect to learn to like small talk, just to learn some ways to sound as though I liked it. As I learned some techniques that actually worked, I started to like small talk in spite of myself!
Let me share some of what I learned, just in case you hate small talk, too!
First I had to learn and then accept there is a purpose to small talk. It gives you and the other person a chance to find something that you have in common. That is the beginning of building a relationship. And you’ll want to be a master of creating a relationship quickly since they are the foundation of your job search networking success.
So here are some quick tips to make small talk easier for those of us who kinda hate it and/or don’t do it particularly well.
• Make your first remarks quite neutral and non-threatening. Remember, the purpose of opening remarks is to let people process the sub-text that says you like them.
• Say something relevant to the situation. You may build agreement right away. For example, you may say “Beautiful place for this event, isn’t it?” This would encourage your conversational partner to start agreeing with you from the first moment. This is good!
• Say something pleasant, complimentary or empathetic because your first sentence is 100% of their experience of you at that point. If your first comments are boastful, complaining, negative or sarcastic (no matter how witty or intelligent), that will be their impression of you, and it will be a difficult task to change that impression.
• You will find that acknowledging them for something they have done is a powerful way to melt the ice.
• Say something that is easy to agree with. This provides sub-text that says “we agree, we’re alike, we have something in common. We can now move on to more meaningful conversation.”
• Save your jokes, strong opinions, clever remarks for when you know the person better. The sub-text here says “look at me; appreciate me.”
• You want your sub-text to say “I see you and I appreciate you.” Keep that thought in your head and it is conveyed easily in your small talk.
I know these may seem to be in the “well, duh” category. But I’m always amazed at how they help me feel a little more like a smooth schmoozer. I hope they help you if you hate small talk, too!
Job Search Networking for Introverts & Extroverts: There’s hope for all of us!
Introverts may think they cannot do networking. Yes, they can. And in a way that works for them.
Extroverts may not recognize just how many networking skills they have—and how to best leverage them.
Introverts: Your Unique Strengths
• You are sensitive to what’s happening around you and can pick up and relate to other people’s needs and feelings, resulting in others sensing you are empathetic.
• You come across as thoughtful and focused because you take the time to think before you speak. You are often able to quickly develop rapport and trust.
• You are skilled at sensing how to respond to people most effectively.
• You don’t always feel as though you need to be talking, making you are an excellent listener.
If you’re introverted:
• Realize that you have great information, and other people want and can use what you know.
• Give yourself permission to network in ways that make you comfortable. Remember that some of the most effective networking is done in a venue in which introverts shine – one-on-one.
Extroverts: Your Unique Strengths
• You are at ease with small talk and can easily engage others in conversation.
• You think things through by talking, so people know what’s going on with you.
• Because you ask easily for what you would like from the other person, you tend to get more of what you want.
• You are an excellent brainstorming partner because don’t force yourself to think things through before speaking.
If you’re extroverted:
• Because you are self-confident and can easily talk to people, be on the lookout for those times when you will want to ask other people a question. Find out what they want to talk about and get a sense of how they are feeling.
• Remember to switch gears beyond the social aspects where you clearly shine to take advantage of making connections and leveraging the job search networking possibilities.
Job Search Networking: Two Essentials—and Neither is Your Resume
The hidden job market really isn’t all that hidden.
It’s actually right in front of you, and all you need to do is network your way in. You’ll be surprised at how willing people are to assist. You can accelerate getting into the hidden job market when you are prepared for networking.
So if you’re going to a networking meeting—coffee with someone, an association meeting or conference where you will meet people who can hire you, an informational interview phone call—please have these things in place first.
First create your search strategy.
I’m amazed at how many people ask to talk to me about their job search without having defined who they want to meet, companies they would like to work in, etc.
I was talking to one job seeker and told her that I was really unfamiliar with her job function. But I might know people in her target companies so could perhaps help by introducing her. I asked if she had a list of companies where she wanted to work. What was her strategy?
Her response was that she was hoping she could just network and not have to create a strategy. When you have a strategy defined, you know exactly what to ask for. One way to guarantee they won’t be able to help you is to say, “Well if you hear of anything I might be interested in, let me know.”
Creating a strategy takes some time and perhaps some introspection and honesty. It’s time well spent.
The second essential is your career brand.
This is how you become memorable. By having your brand statement, you help people talk about you! You stand out and capture their attention.
Sadly and surprisingly, most job seekers today cannot tell a recruiter, hiring manager or networking connection what is compelling about them—what makes them the candidate to hire. In today’s economic climate, it may feel as though experience and skills are just commodities. What can put you in the lead, make you memorable to your networking contacts and irresistible to the hiring manager is all built around your brand.
If you are struggling to create your brand, please get my free report available on my blog.
It shows you how to have others help you uncover your brand–easier and you get some networking in at the same time! Please try it.
