Essay Guideline

We’ve all heard it before: “Just get out there and network!” If it was that easy, we would already be doing it. So why is it so hard? Well, you’re an introvert, aren’t you? Enough said.

However, unless the prospect of a really long job search excites you, you have to get out there and connect with people who don’t know you but who could benefit from your expertise.

Below are a baker’s dozen tips to help you crack the connection code.

1. Attend with a purpose in mind. Be choosy about the events you attend. Pick the ones that interest you most. It could be a ribbon cutting for a new business, a chamber of commerce mixer, SPCA benefit, or pink slip party.

2. Take a friend. Make a game of it. Challenge each other to beat your stated goals with the winner treating for ice cream.

3. Plan ahead. Set a networking goal to talk with at least five people and collect business cards from three individuals in your industry, profession, or career of interest.

4. Split up. Rule #1 is you can’t talk to your networking partner until you’ve met the goals you’ve set for yourself. That means you can’t sit with each other, hang around the food table together, or accompany each other to the rest room. However, you may smile encouragingly across the room.

5. Surprise, it’s not about you! Walk up to someone you don’t know. Ask the other person an opening question. It can be something as simple as, “What made you decide to attend tonight?”, “What brings you to this meeting?”, “Do you attend often?”, or “What kind of work do you do?”

6. Focus on them! Ask compelling questions: “Tell me more about your work or business.” “What is a good referral for you?” “What are you hoping to achieve tonight?” Get them talking about themselves and then offer a little information about yourself.

7. Create a compelling commercial. When it’s your turn to tell them about yourself, take fifteen seconds or less to capture their attention and make them want to know more. Help them understand what you hope to achieve at this event and how they can help.

8. Take little steps. Don’t force yourself to join a large boisterous crowd. Instead seek out a friendly looking individual who isn’t part of a group. Smile and extend your hand in greeting. He’s probably as relieved as you are to connect with a friendly stranger.

9. What’s in it for you? Everything! Seventy to eighty-five percent of jobs are found through networking. It’s not who you know; it’s who your friends know that makes the difference! So use this networking opportunity to make friends.

10. Visibility is key. As an introvert, I’ve learned three important things about networking: You’ve got to get out there and be seen; the more you do it, the easier it gets; and the more people who know you, the greater your chances for making meaningful connections.

11. Get on the fast track. Join a networking group. Your comfort level and connection quotient will grow astronomically when networking is part of your regular routine.

12. Smile! Be approachable. Make others want to meet you and get to know you better.

13. Make a date to follow up. Make it your goal to connect with at least one person that you would like to get to know better. Invite him or her to meet by telephone or for coffee. Look for ways to make the meeting mutually beneficial.

You have a whole world of valuable contacts to share and new ones to make, so apply these networking tips. Before you know it, you will crack the connection code!

Mary Jeanne Vincent is the author of Acing the Interview tip cards featuring answers to the 20 top “Killer” interview questions. Included are tips for interviewing in the new economy, techniques for taking the sting out of illegal questions, and tips for avoiding 10 deadly interview mistakes. Go to http://www.2bworkwise.com for free job search articles, to sign up for the free WorkWise ezine, and to find out about other valuable, easy-to-use career tools and personal career coaching. You may also reach Mary Jeanne at 831.657.9151.

Share This

Comments(0)

Do you want to change your job but don’t know the right way to go about it? Are you vacillating between waiting for your dream job or accepting the first one that comes your way? Or are you a fresher falling in line with what your parents wish you to be rather than what you wish to be? If this is the kind of situation you find yourself in, then the next few minutes will help you get a clearer picture. Here is our bowl of chicken soup for the job seeker’s soul. Read on

Searching for a job today is almost a job in itself because you are spending so much of your time and effort on it. Enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, frustration and depression-all these are phases one encounters during a job search. The key point is to take this phase positively and persevere till you get that pot of gold at the end of your job search rainbow- your dream job. In today’s cut-throat working environment, looking for a job is not just about working hard but about working Smart.

So to stay ahead of the herd, here are a few tips from the team of Naukri.com, India’s No.1 Job portal-

1) Set your priorities right -Don’t take a decision by simply imitating your friends, batch mates or depending on word of mouth. Be aware of what is really important to you and what is not, because once your priorities are set, things will automatically start falling into their place.

2) Resume writing - Employers are busy people and they hardly spend more than 30-45 seconds on a resume when they have 500 more to scan through. They are not interested in your entire history as they just want to know what you are best at. So, make your resume to the point and clearly showcase your key skills. In fact some recruiters prefer only single page resumes.

Try out the Resume Services provided by our counselors at Naukri.com.

3) Self-marketing is the key - When you are applying for jobs you are actually selling yourself. So, sound confident, positive and persuasive during an interview, but DO NOT exaggerate about your accomplishments.

4) Knowledge of your field - It is very important to know your field thoroughly. Brush up your knowledge on the who’s who of the field, current trends, the competition, the dos and the don’ts and so on. Keep yourself abreast with the latest developments by keeping your eyes and ears open.

5) Tools of Job search - you could begin your job search by scanning newspaper classifieds, talking to job consultants and logging on to premier job websites. Be regular in your search, spend ample time on it and follow-up with the companies where you have applied.

For an internet job search and for Jobs in India you can log on to http://www.naukri.com and check out the vacancies available in your field of specialization.

6) Networking - It pays to know people in high places. Or in a job seeker’s world “people in the right place”. Networking is an important tool that can help you immensely during the job search. Track friends or contacts in the organization you want to be in, talk to them, and they might be able to open new doors for your dream job.

7) Have patience - ‘Patience is a virtue’. Being desperate and anxious does not help much, rather it may spoil your job search. If it’s your first step towards your career then think before taking each step. Don’t feel inferior just because you are a fresher, after all you will be spending time, energy and intelligence on the firm that will hire you. Don’t forget the fact that other employees cannot match the energy level of a fresher.

If you are already working somewhere then don’t leave the job just because you are not happy. You’re marketable because you are already working with a firm and have added work experience and value to your resume. So, wait for a while.

About Naukri.com

Naukri.com is an Indian career website that serves as an employment exchange forum for employers, placement agencies and job seekers. Started by Info Edge (India) Pvt. Ltd., Naukri.com went commercial in October 1997 and since then it has served more than 25000 companies for recruitments through its database.

The traffic growth on this website is 20-25 percent every quarter and it is today, the Number 1 Job Portal on traffic rank as per Alexa. So far it has a database of 4.5 million resumes and gets 8500-10000 registrations daily.

For more information log on to www.naukri.com.

Madhurima Sil
Executive Marketing (Content)

Naukri.com

Share This

Comments(0)

The Super Bowl is a game but, like sports in general, it offers useful life lessons that we can take with us . . . if we only look below the surface. As I watched the game, I saw a number of things. How many did you see?

1. Winning is a team effort. The teams that make it to the game don’t get there by accident. There are teams of planners and leaders who are constantly evaluating player performance and performing competitive analysis of the team and its capabilities with others. Scouts are looking to improve it. A GM looks at the draft and player cost to see where he can improve. Trainers and doctors are reviewing medicals. And then the coaches start getting involved.

You need to look at your own career in the same way in advance of when you need to make a job change. What is the market like for what you do? Do you excel, are you ordinary or below average? What can I do to upgrade my skills before management starts looking for lower cost alternatives? What is my real value (and understand that is a changing figure both up AND down)?

2. It is important to network to develop close and effective relationships with other professionals in your field. When management starts looking to hire new players, they are working with player agents who they often know from other negotiations. Doesn’t that make the process smoother for everyone?

3. Attack your search like your life depends on it. Teams often come out attacking their opponent on both offense and defense. You need to attack your search with ferocity and not casually.

4. If your plan isn’t working, make adjustments. Both teams enter the locker room with concrete feedback about their plan and how it’s working or not working. If your plan isn’t working as well as you like, change it using the feedback you’re getting, just like the pros do. Analyze what is working and what isn’t and adapt.

5. Keep a level head about you. It’s one thing to play with a lot of emotion on the field, but it’s hard to sustain for 60 minutes. Both the Eagles and Patriots came out with aggressive blitzes early in the game and attacking offenses before settling into a rhythm. In job searching, you may start off the search with a lot of fervor, but you need to remember that a search can take a long while. You need to manage your emotions for a 60 minute game and not just the first quarter.

6. Try not to be predictable. A football team that runs the same plays in the same sequence or under the same circumstances becomes predictable and other teams learn what they will do and will out perform them

7. Big mistakes can be critical. It’s one thing to be defeated on a play or a series. It’s another to make a bad call and be left exposed to a big play at a critical time like the Patriots did letting the Eagles back in the game with a 30 yard touchdown late in the game. When you get to the end of the search, it is best to have an agent negotiate for you, rather than leave you exposed to your own emotional whipsawing; if you aren’t being represented by one, try to get input from trusted advisors with real knowledge (not your uncle who knows nothing about your industry but has good intentions).

8. Planning starts as soon as the game is over. As soon as the teams walked off the field, I can assure you that both will be planning for change for the next season and will take steps to rectify perceived weaknesses. What that means for you is that you continue your career development, training and networking even when you’ve just started a job. After all, the time when you have the most leverage in a negotiation is when you don’t need a new job.

© 2005 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman - Concepts in Staffing

Jeff Altman has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is also co-founder of Your Next Job, a networking group focused on assisting technology professionals with their job search, a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist. For additional job hunting or hiring tips, go to http://www.newyorkmetrotechnologyjobs.com

If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).

Share This

Comments(0)