YOUR NETWORK IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK

Once you have completed your resume, and have decided what kind of job of career you are going to look for, you need to advertise the fact that you are available to hire.  You also need to let prospective employers know what you have unique talents that will be of value to them.  This is the true value of your own personal network…an effective, personalized tool to let others know that you are looking for employment.

Many of you who are looking for a job these days are probably not aware of just how rich a network you have to assist you in finding your next job or assist you in changing your career.

If you think about it, your own network consists of some or all of the following:

• Family
• Friends
• Co-workers at your current or former job
• Contacts at previous employers
• Contacts at competitors of your company
• Customers
• Your neighbors
• Fellow members of community organizations (such as Lions Club, Optimists Club, Rotary Club, etc.)

And  you can expand your network by joining networking clubs, signing on to networking websites (like Linked IN, or Gray Hair Management), or attending meet and greets organized by church, Chamber of Commerce or other private and government organizations.

One good approach to expanding your contact list is to ask each of the people on your initial list (your friends, family, coworkers, etc.) 3 questions.

• Do you know of any companies that are hiring?
• Have you heard of any companies who might be hiring?
• Can you give me 4-5 names of people you know that might help me in my job search?

This will give you a big list of additional contacts you can make.  Be sure to get the name, company, title, and phone number for each contact you are given.

My suggestion then, is to write each of these contacts a letter of introduction.  The letter is a way of letting the new contact know that you are looking for a new position or career, and a brief description of your skills and background.  You should also let the new contact know who it was who referred you to him/ her.  Ask them if you can make an appointment to meet them.

Do not ask networking contacts for a job.

Don’t ask for a job in your first contact letter.  Ask them for an appointment to meet with them to discuss what suggestions they have that would help you in your search.  What you want is information…nothing more.  Have no fear, though, this networking will eventually lead to that one, two or three contacts who will say something like, “You know, we’ve been looking for someone with your background!”

And then, your discussion of working for that company begins, and if you are interested in a position with that company…that is the time to express an interest in a job with them.

So develop your network.  It will take time, but it will be time well spent.  I will talk in a later post about the best letters for introducing yourself to networking contacts.

If you have any questions, or suggestions, let me know.