Networking to Find a Job
Posted in Networking Tips
Some of the best jobs aren't listed anywhere. So how do you apply for jobs that aren't advertised anywhere? You meet people who might have insight into your job search. You talk to people who know people who could help you out. You chat it up with strangers at parties. You cold-call people you've read about in the newspaper. You write cordial letters to prominent community leaders. You cultivate an arsenal of contacts. In short, you network.
Below are some strategies for success:
1. Brainstorm for Contacts.
Think of everyone who could possibly serve as a contact. Don't limit yourself to people who could clearly help you out - friendly, accessible people in unrelated fields often have contacts they would be happy to share with you. To get you started with your list, here are some suggestions:
Family friends
Non-profit directors
Relatives
Journalists
Neighbors
Business executives
Professors
Your Doctor
Gym Trainers
Your hair dresser
Former employees
Association members
Former co-workers
Members of professional organizations
2. Where the Contacts Are?
Class reunions
Club meetings
Cocktail parties
Conventions
Fundraisers
Volunteer opportunities
Business conferences
Educational classes
3. Be Prepared
Networking is a little like planning a political campaign. While it's essential that you are honest and relaxed, you should not wing it. Before a business conference, a dinner party, or group event, you should find out who will be there. Then decide who you would most like to meet. When you have your list of potential contacts, thoroughly research their work and their backgrounds and then make up some questions and conversational statements that reflect your research. Finally, think critically about what your goals are for your networking function. What information do you want to walk away with? What do you want to convey to the people you meet? But, as is always true, it's important to be flexible and to perceive opportunities you didn't plan to confront.
4. Networking places
Business conferences, informational interviews, college reunions, and cocktail parties are obvious networking opportunities. Good net workers are flexible people who approach connection making as a fluid enterprise that extends far beyond hotel conference room walls. Don't let opportunities pass you by. Always be ready to make a contact and exchange business cards. Don't hesitate to network someone who has no obvious connection to your ambitions: Your new contact may be able to give you relevant names of his or her friends and colleagues.
5. Follow Up
After you meet with a contact, it is absolutely essential to write a thank you note. Tell your contact how much he or she helped you, and refer to particularly helpful, specific advice. Everyone - even the most high-level executive - likes to feel appreciated. In addition to immediate follow-up after a meeting or conversation, keep in touch with your contacts. Of course, if you get that new job, be sure to tell them and thank them again for their help.
6. Always Treat with Respect
If you want to be treated with respect, treat others with respect. If you want your phone calls and email missives returned, call and write back to the people who contact you. If you want bigwigs to make time for you, make yourself available to others whom you might be able to help out. It's that simple
The higher up you climb in the professional world, the more you'll find that everyone knows everyone else. Remember that the people who seem little now will one day be running companies and making decisions. If you treated them with kindness and respect they'll remember and return the favor later.
7. Make It Easy For Your Contacts
When you call, meet with, or write to a potential contact, make it as easy as possible for them to help you. Explain specifically what you want and ask detail-oriented questions.
An entrée into a productive conversation is to solicit career tips and advice from your contact. Most people love to talk about themselves. By asking for your contact to offer valuable insight from his or her personal experiences and successes, he or she will feel important and respected.
Be sure to avoid making general demands, such as, "Do you know of any jobs that would be good for me?" This sort of question is overwhelming and it puts an undue burden on your contact.
8. Be Organized
Keep a record of your networking. Make sure your system has plenty of room for contacts' names, addresses, phone numbers, companies, job titles, how you met them, and subsequent conversations you've had with them.
