I was speaking to a group of job seekers recently about the “new rules” of networking and the following question came up:
“I’ve connected with a lot of people and they’ve all been very helpful in giving me advice and answering my questions. Some even agreed to meet with me for informational interviews. But now, I just don’t know what to do next. I can’t ask them for more help, and I don’t know how to keep the networking going. What can I do to keep them engaged without them feeling like I’m nagging them for help in finding a job?”
This is a common problem job seekers experience. Nobody wants to be seen as a networking nuisance. Especially people looking for work, since networking is the number one method for getting a job these days.
What’s the answer? It lies in the scales of justice.
Time To Balance The Scales
When someone you’ve been networking with has been extremely helpful to you, it’s as if they’ve tipped the scales in your favor. Your goal has to be to bring the scales back to balance. You do so by giving back. This is usually where job seekers say, “But J.T., I don’t have anything to give back.”
You’re wrong.
You have the ability to share with them your knowledge and experience. You also have something called “social currency” at your disposal, and you need to use it.
Become A Content Curator
As a professional, you have lots of knowledge stored in your head. You also-- I hope-- stay up-to-date on industry news and trends by reading as much as you can. As you find interesting articles, you should be bookmarking them to share with your network. This is called “curating content” and it involves you identifying information online you feel would benefit your network. The power of being a content curator is, by default, you show how smart you are. The fact you knew enough to select the timely information to share with your network shows your knowledge and expertise.
Here’s What You Do
Once someone in your network has assisted you, besides sending them a thank-you note, put a reminder in your calendar to send them some content you curated in three weeks. When the day arrives, pull one or two articles you feel they’d find interesting and send them off in an e-mail that says:
Hi, I saw these articles and thought you’d find them of interest. Enjoy!
That’s it. Just give them some content and nothing else. I guess you could add a quick sentence or two about why you chose each article, but don’t go crazy. The point is to keep it brief. This tactic is the leveraging of social currency I referred to earlier. It’s you providing value in the form of insight sent by e-mail! If they like it, they might reply back, but don’t expect a response. Just think of it as a little give you are putting in their inbox. Send it and move on.
Then, mark your calendar for six to eight weeks out with their name and when the time comes, do it again. And then, keep doing it every several months or so. The goal is to earn their trust (a.k.a. balance the scales) by showing them how you can add value to the relationship in a respectable fashion. Anyone who is committed to staying in touch with someone as I’ve outlined above proves they are a true professional worth networking with.
FYI - Balancing Will Take Time... But It’s Worth It
Granted, the approach above takes time, but all good relationships take time, right? When you invest in the process above, you’ll give the people you are networking with the chance to get to know you better. You’ll earn their trust and respect – and that will lead to them feeling comfortable referring you. That’s when the networking really pays off in the form of introductions to others in their network. And that, could lead to your next job! Now you know how to not be a networking nuisance.
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
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Make 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
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Are 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.
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
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Your 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.