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When you’re looking for a job, everybody tells you that you have to network. That’s true. The problem is that very few people have good advice on exactly how to network.
Most of the career advice I see on networking is bad. It goes something like this: “Get in touch with everybody you know when you're beginning a job search. Let them know you are in the market for a new job. Ask if they know of any jobs for someone with your qualifications. See if they’ll introduce you or refer you.”
The problem here is that it’s too late to start networking when you’re looking for a job. You need to have a strong network in place that you can call on at a moment’s notice.
When I get a call or e-mail from someone with whom I haven’t been in contact for quite a while my first thought is, “I bet he or she is looking for a job.” I’m right 90% of the time. I don’t resent these calls because I am happy to help anybody in any way I can.
On the other hand, there's that nagging little voice in my head that says something like, “This person hasn’t been in touch for a long time, and now he or she is calling because they need something from me.” Being human, I am more likely to go out of my way to help someone with whom I’ve been in regular contact. Here’s a true story.
I have a friend who lost his job last December. I called him immediately, did my best to pump him up, and asked him to send me his resume. When I got it, I sent it to several people I know who might have been able to help him out in his job search.
A couple of weeks into the new year, my friend called to tell me that he had landed a new job. He didn’t settle for just any job either. He landed an executive position with another company in his industry and is making more money than he did in his previous job.
I knew he would land a job quickly, but I was surprised by just how quickly he did. As it turns out, he was referred to them by a friend he worked with about 20 years ago. She left that company, but they stayed in touch. Every couple of months they would chat on the phone or have dinner.
Not knowing that he had lost his job, she called him to wish him happy holidays. She called him back on January 4 with a job lead. Long story short, she recommended him, he got the job, and all’s well.
This story brings me to an important bit of life and career success advice:
Build and nurture a strong personal network before you need it.
If you wait until you need something from others to begin networking, you’re too late. My friend stayed in touch with his old colleague for many years. They spoke on the phone, had dinner, celebrated successes and promotions, and commiserated when things weren’t going great. In other words, they did what friends do. And when you come right down to it, that’s what networking is all about – building and maintaining friendships.
My friend’s story is a great illustration of this type of networking. He has built genuine relationships that have grown strong over the years. To put it into Stephen Covey’s words, he has big balances in his emotional bank account with lots of people. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about here, read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.) When my friend needed some help, his friends were willing to do so because of the relationships he had built with them over the years.
Let me repeat this simple piece common sense advice on networking. Build and nurture your network before you need it. Think of networking as building friendships. Friends help each other. If you have a large group of friends with whom you stay in contact regularly, you have a strong network – one on which you can rely when you need it.
Tweet 129 in my book Success Tweets: 140 Bits of Common Sense Career Success Advice, All in 140 Characters or Less makes an important point about networking. “There is no quid pro quo in effective relationships.” You build strong relationships by being a friend: staying in touch and helping others when you can – not because they might be able to help you, but because you value them as human beings. Do this and you won’t have to network as you begin a job search, you’ll just be getting in touch with old friends on whom you know you can rely.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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