Development

Working Your Net To Find Your Next Job

Suggestions for Continuous Networking

Networking is not just for the unemployed. The social contract between organization and employee continues to be rewritten. Can an employee expect lifetime employment? Probably not. Will you want to work at the same organization for your entire career? Maybe, maybe not. Can an employee expect his or her manager to constantly be on the look out for the ideal job for you. I don't think so.

Here's what may be happening to you at work. You look around at your colleagues. One values a balanced quality of life, he arrives at 9am and leaves at 5pm. Another colleague, just got promoted and seems to work on all of your manager's pet projects, you know the projects with high visibility and obviously high reward.

And you, you come to work every day, trying to add the most value that you can. You don't rock the boat, yet do consistently bring creative ideas to the table. But where will this all lead? Are you the first choice for the next big project? The next one to be promoted? The one on the team to receive the best bonus? Assessing where you are on the team, your manager seems to view you in the middle of the pack. Is this good enough for you at this point in your career?

Maybe it's time to get out of your comfort zone and start networking, both inside and outside for your next position.

So what can you do to break the denial of “I'll always have a job here” and proactively continue to expand and broaden your network so “you'll always have the job and life you want”?

Herminia Ibarra, in her book, Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career, defines networking as “a set of relationships critical to your ability to get things done and develop professionally according to your goals”. Below are suggestions to help you determine your next career move and then using your network to achieve your goals.

• Make the time - How many times have you said I have to start looking, only to get caught up in the latest deadline at work. Set aside a couple of minutes each week to network. Maybe it's making one call or having one lunch. Control your destiny and make you the priority.
• Get strategic - “You can't be all things to all people” certainly works here. Find your focus and then identify your career goal. There are a lot of questions for you to begin to sort out. Will you move up (to a larger position in the same company), move out (leave the organization for a new one) or move over (to a complete life style change - consulting, retirement or realizing your dream in a completely different job). Be realistic about what you want, where your passions lie, what your true skills are, where you want to live, how much you want to be rewarded for what you do.
• Get busy - Once you have your focus, identify those who can help you get where you want to go. Think of a pyramid, with your best friends and family at top (hot calls), your colleagues and peers in the middle of the pyramid (warm calls) and the bottom of the triangle is where the cold calls are that need to be made. Call the hot and warm calls first to build your confidence but have your story ready first though. Think about how you will involve you manager or mentor in this process - will they help or hurt?
• Get your story crisp - what will you say to show your passion? What will you say when people ask why you need a change? How concise are you in positioning yourself for the future? What do you have in common with the person you are talking to so that there is a personal or professional connection? Have you practiced in front of someone who will give you feedback on whether you are making your point? If you are still working, how do you ensure that this conversation remains confidential?
• There are really only two degrees of separation - Talk to everyone you know and those you don't. Always have your business card, bio or resume and marketing plan with you. Use every day chance occurrences to network. And…always ask others to help market you as well.
• Get organized - get your infrastructure in place. Will you use your cell phone number for replies? How will you track when you called someone and when you need to get back to him or her (i.e., six months from now)? Will you call people or send emails? Which will get you a better response?
• Know yourself - Take IQ or personality tests (there are many on-line) or speak to a career coach to learn more about yourself. Constantly ask those that you trust to provide you with feedback. Learn where your blind spots are. Listen to the feedback without getting defensive. Are people giving you feedback that aligns to what you think about yourself? Is there a gap in people's perceptions of you versus your reality? If so, what will you do about it?
• It's not about you - Remember the person you are talking may hold the key to opening the door of opportunity for you. Think about their needs and how can you add value to them. How can you differentiate yourself from others? Be aware, there is search time and real time. People are really busy nowadays. They will call you when they are ready to, not when you are ready for them to call. Maybe they won't even return your call.
• Think creatively - besides friends and family, what else can you do? Read business magazines and newspapers. Know when want ads are listed. Identify the journals and magazines that provide you with lists, i.e., Fortune comes out with their list of “Best places to Work”, etc. Then go on the websites of the companies that are listed and determine if there are any positions in the company that are right for you.
• Use the net, but don't get caught up in it - most people still get jobs the old fashioned way, by networking. The Internet is a technology tool not a magic wand. The net can help you expand your network though. Check out Websites from your religious affiliation, alumni websites of your universities, high schools, etc.
• Get involved - volunteer your time both in your current firm and the community, join and present at networking groups for your industry, attend business meetings.
• Personalize the search - Look for ways to get a champion who will help you in each organization you want to work for. Just like you want a champion when you are inside to succeed, you need a champion on the inside of the new organization you want to work in who will open doors when you are trying to get in from the outside.
• But don't take it personally. People will say yes, but mean no. People will say they will get back to you, but they won't. It's not about you.
• Keep your sense of humor, stay positive and be hopeful. Yet balance this with the recognition when you are using hope as a way not dealing with the reality of the situation. Sometimes you need to reframe or transform yourself instead of continuing to bang your head against many walls.
• Follow up. Say thank you. Differentiate yourself by sending an actual letter in the mail. Provide an article you have written or some research you have done.

And after you land the job you were after or transform your life, remember two things.

• continue to network, it's better to build relationships before you need them, keep in touch and
• open the doors for others that come knocking.