Over 70% of people get a job from networking. As a entrepreneur, you technically already have a job; but you will inevitably go to informational/networking meetings to sell an idea, convince clients to hire you, or secure funding. Here’s how to get started:
Action Item #1: Land the meeting
It’s not easy, but I get meetings with many CEOs and other executives in the Chicago area. When people ask me how, I tell them it’s a fairly basic process – I email people and convince them to meet with me. If I’m trying to reach the CEO, I sometimes schedule a call with one of his direct reports first. I sometimes send a couple of follow-up emails. I sometimes ask other people in my network for referrals.
Be persistent. There are many ways to ask for something, but the key to getting it is almost always persistence. Everyone calls once, some call twice, but the people who land the meetings are the ones who called for as long as it took.
Action Item #2: Ace the meeting
It is not as difficult as you would think to research a company or a person thanks to Google. I research all sorts of things, from industry statistics, to competitors, to website statistics, to hobbies of the person I’m meeting. I also read through press releases and media coverage (all found on the internet) to understand the history of the company, the pain points, and what the management team cares about. If you do your research beforehand, you can make a good impression at the meeting.
Based on your research, you should know how much you can actually contribute to the networking meeting, and how much information you will have to ask for. This will help you set expectations for yourself and the person you are meeting with.
It’s essential to set expectations for a networking meeting so you don’t waste someone’s time. I have gone to meetings where a CEO just wants to chat over beers, and I’ve gone to meetings where the CEO wants a PowerPoint deck of my ideas and how to implement them. If you set expectations well, you can avoid being under-prepared and making a bad impression.
Also, don’t forget to articulate your interest and your value. There are two things people want to see in a networking meeting: enthusiasm or passion, and what you bring to the table. Make sure that you incorporate both these answers into your story about your history and your goals.
Use language that ties both of your interest and your value to the company, the person you’re meeting with, and yourself. It’s a tough balance, so practicing beforehand helps!
Action Item #3: Follow up
Often, you will not get an immediate offer from a networking meeting. That doesn’t mean it was a waste. Instead, you’ve gotten a contact, information, or a referral. Or you found a way to help the person with one of these three things. Be open to what someone can help you with, and good things will come.
Because networking meetings are not for closing deals, you have to follow-up and check in on the person within a reasonable time frame. This reminds the person of what you discussed, what you want, and what value you have to them. I generally follow up with a thank you email to begin with, and then follow up once more within a month.
What’s your most outrageous networking story?
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It’s job hunting season – but if you are looking for a job, the last thing you should be doing is building a network. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but here are three reasons why:
It’s Too Late
Building a network is a lot like planning your retirement; it takes a lot of little inputs over a long period of time. Both are built so you can cash in when you need it the most – at retirement, or in this case, when you need a job (or some other huge favor).
But if you need a job now and you haven’t been building your network, you are screwed. You may as well try opening your 401k at 50 – the math just doesn’t add up. And just like you won’t get by for 20 years on $100,000, you won’t land a great gig on a network held together by shoestrings.
So stop trying to build your network in hopes you will get a job from it. It’s too late. Instead, work on your charm and get a job that way. Then work on building your network in case your charm runs out and you need a job again.
The Law of Diminishing Returns Doesn’t Lie
Here’s what it takes to build a network: Emails. Lunch dates. Networking events. Social gatherings.
All of these take time. In fact, each thing on this list takes the same amount of time the first time you do it and the twentieth time you do it. So when you build a network, you are giving the same amount of time to each network connection. After a certain number of people, though, you start building very weak ties that aren’t going to help you in the end – when you need a job.
This is the law of diminishing returns. Same amount of input for each person, less results as you spread yourself too thin.
So consider first, how many people you can actually fit in your network. A strong connection is worth much more than ten weak ties – put your time where it matters, preferably before you need a job. Then when you need a job, use the strong connections you’ve built to get one, instead of wasting your energy on creating more weak ties.
You Already Know the Right People Anyway
Here’s the thing about getting a job: no matter how much you need a job to pay the bills, you should still try to get the best match that you can for your personality. Not only will you perform better, but you will also stay longer, which means less job hunting. Finding a job that matches your personality comes down to finding the types of people you should be working with.
It turns out you already have plenty of good network connections to find a group of people you will work well with. Like your ex-boyfriend you still talk to sometimes. Because really, good dating skills = good working skills, and people are drawn to others like them. So if you know someone you thought was a good date, he probably works with other people you will like too. Or if you have a friend you meet up with for lunch regularly, she might be able to score you an interview with her manager pal in another department.
In the end, your friends will get you a job, not your “network,” because your friends will connect you with people they like, who are probably like them. And you like your friends, right?
How would you use your network to get a job? Leave your thoughts in the comments section!
Alexandra Levit is an author, consultant, speaker, and Generation Y expert. She has just come out with a new book, How’d You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them. Here are five reasons you should get it:
Cool Self-Assessment Tool
The book opens with a twenty question self-assessment that I love. It meets three requirements that all personality tests should meet:
- it’s short and interesting
- the “answers” are not obvious and you can’t inadvertently choose an answer to get the outcome you expect
- the options cover a variety of scenarios and it’s easy to find one that fits
I’ve found that taking self-assessments are a great way to learn more about yourself and what kind of career you will be interested in. The more you take the better prepared you are to make decisions, and when it comes to choosing a career Alex’s self-assessment is essential.
It’s a Quick Read If You’re in a Hurry
Once you get the results of your self-assessment, you are directed to one of seven sections: Adventurer, Creator, Data Head, Entrepreneur, Investigator, Networker, or Nurturer. Each section is only about 40 pages long, so if you are in a hurry you can just read through the section that describes you best to get the biggest bang for your buck.
If you have a little more time, it’s worth it to take your top three scores and read those three sections. With seven possibilities, some of us are bound to score high in more than one (I did). The beauty of the book is you can explore careers that fit different aspects of your personality and pick and choose the ones that interest you most.
Really Interesting Jobs. Really.
Personally, I would read all the sections eventually, because the jobs Alex has found are really offbeat and interesting. Here are a few that struck me as cool: Futurist, Pro Sports Team Manager, Life Coach, Image Consultant, Professional Organizer, Travel Journalist, Oceanographer, Landscape Architect, Classic Car Restorer, and Urban Planner. Want to learn more about one of these gigs? Buy the book.
Stories. And Lots of Them.
To write the book, Alex interviewed a ton of people for each gig she talks about. So for every gig, you get real life examples from two or three people who have already transitioned into the gig, and practical advice for how to get the gig yourself. Interviewees include a past winner of the Survivor and an HGTV interior designer. It’s the real deal!
The Research is Done for You
For each gig, Alex provides a road map to follow in order to get the gig as well as further resources: websites, books, and real life examples. All her sources are quoted and annotated beautifully throughout the book, so it’s very easy to get more information and make your dream job a reality.
This book is perfect for: recent college grads, soon-to-be college grads, career shifters, and anyone looking to escape the cubicle. Purchase today at Amazon.
Image Source: ykmm85 via FlickR
As school winds down for the year, there is a lot of talk about recession and the prospective job market for graduating seniors. The economy is not the best, but luckily, there is a lot of great expert advice for students looking for jobs or struggling with the quarterlife crisis. I’ll be posting any opportunities or resources I come across in this thread. I encourage others to leave comments of any resources they find as well – I’ll be adding those comments into this post with a link to the recommender’s blog.
Lindsey Pollak is offering free advice to graduating seniors and free professional consulting to those who were planning on working for Bear Stearns and have now had their offers rescinded. She writes:
For any of the 250 undergraduate student with a rescinded job offer from Bear Stearns, I would be happy to provide you with a free 30-minute career counseling session by phone between now and September 1, 2008. For the first 10 students to respond to this offer, I will mail you a free copy of my book, Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World (HarperCollins, 2007).
Get the rest of the details at Lindsey’s blog.
Gen Y personal branding expert Dan Schwabel will be releasing the fourth issue of Personal Branding Magazine on May 1st. For less than 10 bucks, you get 25 articles about personal branding for HR recruiting.Here are some of the highlights:
- An interview with Robert McGovern, former CEO of CareerBuilder.com and current CEO of a new job board, JobFox, which focuses more on personal branding.
- An interview with Pamela Slim, blogger and founder of the acclaimed Escape from Cubicle Nation
- 10 Thought Leaders Speak About the Future of Recruitment – Founders, CEOs, and celebrity bloggers in the HR world answer the question “If you could change one thing about recruitment, what would it be?”
- 20 Personal Branding Tips to Make Your Career Recession Proof from personal branding consultant Paul Copcutt
- Two Sides of the Recruiting Story from recruiter Justin Orkin
- plenty more, including articles from gen Y bloggers Tiffany Monhollon and Adam Salamon
Still not convinced? Download a free 9 page sample of the issue here. You can purchase the magazine here starting May 1st!
Alexandra Levit’s new book just came out – How’d You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them I got my hands on a copy of the book and plan to give it a full review; but right now I will say if you are looking for your dream job, this book is a great resource to find very cool jobs that are tailored to your personality type.
JT O’Donnell is relaunching her book Careerealism in conjunction with a new website described below:
Launching in late spring, Careerealism.com plans to become the on-line encyclopedia of career options for college grads and young professionals. The site will offer career insights from those in the trenches, fellow twentysomethings, who will relay first-hand what work is really like. Careerealism.com intends to help the more than 15 million individuals seeking degrees in America answer the big question after college, “Now what?” Subscribe today by e-mail and you’ll be invited to the on-line launch party where they will be giving away thousands of dollars in career coaching products and services.
I’m looking forward to JT’s website launch and I will be contributing my own career story to her website. Her book Careerealism will be available on May 1st, but advance purchasers will receive 20% off her Professional Strengths Assessment Package.
Kristen Fischer’s new book is out as well, smartly titled Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life
. She says,
“Life after college doesn’t have to be an all-out crisis—it is more so a time of change that can be very beneficial for young adults if they have an idea on what they’re facing.”
This book helps recent graduates:
- Determine what career path will bring satisfaction
- Select a job hunting strategy that gets results
- Decide if graduate school will benefit their career
- Prioritize work responsibilities with personal commitments
- Cultivate better relationships with family and friends
- Organize a living plan—at home or on their own
- Manage their finances with the future in mind
- Overcome stress, anxiety or depression
I haven’t read the book yet, but what I like most about it so far are the topics covered span much more than just getting a job. Looks like it will be a great resource for recent grads who feel a little clueless about the transition to adulthood.
Finally, the women at LifeBeforeNoon are doing a series of guest posts about graduation and advice on life afterwards. I am excited to be contributing to their Week of Wisdom, which will start sometime in May.
If you know of any other resources or opportunities for graduating seniors, please leave a comment!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
