Networking

Are You Using Your Job Search Time Effectively?

October 7, 2019 By Katherine Burik

My purple squirrel (white whale?) has been to find the evidence supporting claims that you have a 4% to 9% chance of getting a job offer from applying to a job posting. I’ve heard it forever but anytime I try to track it down, I hit a brick wall.

I found the answer at the 2019 SocialTalent Global Recruitment Survey! This fascinating organization surveys in-house recruiters and third party agencies (external recruiters or headhunters) to understand current recruitment techniques. The results support what I have been hearing for years!

The in-house recruiters surveyed reported they found an average of 98.5 applicants per opening. They screened 25.61 on average, or about 26% of applications received. About 5 applicants made the short list to be ultimately considered for the job. One person gets the job.

That means this survey supports the view that you have about a 5% chance of getting an interview from a job posting – close to (and perhaps lower than) the working idea of a 4% to 9% chance of getting a job from a job posting.

On the other end of the job search spectrum, a survey conducted by Lou Adler in 2016, revealed that 85% of jobs are filled through networking.

I must say, I was not surprised about these results but it was nice to see actual statistics to support what I thought was happening.

With this knowledge, how are you using your job search time? Are you spending hours every day pouring over job ads and postings, then carefully crafting a well worded message to the hiring manager before submitting your online application?

Knowing that this effort could have a 5% chance of success, how do you justify this time?

Wouldn’t it be better to allocate your time according to the chances for success? What if you inverted your time allocation pyramid to allocate more time to networking? It might be time better spent.

Here is how I propose you spend an 8 hour job search day:

Allocate your job search time according to the value you get from it. I know networking can be difficult for shy people. It is for me. That’s why we created the free ebook, 7 Tips for Career Success for the Shy Person! Download it today to get a head start on networking for career and job search success.

Tips to Unstick Your Stuck Job Search

September 19, 2019 By Katherine Burik

Scott disappeared. Poof – just like that. We organized his job search, created his job search materials then… nothing.

Scott was stuck. Or rather, Scott’s job search was stuck and it was dragging him down into the job search sink hole. You know the place.

I was there once. I remember as clear as if it was yesterday. I was standing on the Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago when the 11:30 clock struck and a million people streamed out of offices into the bright summer sun. It occurred to me that everyone in that crowd had a job except me. I never felt so low.

I was stuck. Being stuck feels terrible.

You send your resume away to dozens of open jobs that sound perfect, but nothing happens. Since you don’t know why this is happening, the human brain starts filling in the gaps with possible reasons why you are still unemployed while thousands of others have jobs. “I must be too something.” “Too old.” “Too young.” “Too female.” “Too male.” “Too dark.” “Too light.” You want to find a reason.

But usually those “somethings” are not the reason. You just need to get “unstuck.” Fast.

Getting unstuck involves changing what you are doing. Any change might be the right change to get you unstuck.

Here are some tips:

Create or change your job search marketing plan.

Change the balance of time you devote to networking and responding to postings. Try to network at least 70% of the time. That forces you to change your focus and increase your activity.
Set daily and weekly goals to increase your networking activity.
Identify target companies and start meeting people and building relationships, even though those companies do not currently have open positions. The conversations could lead to introductions to other people and increase your activity.
Start talking to your existing LinkedIn connections and add more connections. Be curious so you ask questions that get other people talking to you.
Schedule some informational interviews with people who work in your field. People will respond when you ask interesting questions professional to professional.

Get out of the house.

Join a job seekers group to find other folks in similar circumstances who might have more ideas.
Get active in a professional association. These groups welcome volunteers so raise your hand.
Volunteer to get out of the house, do something useful and meet new people. Pick anything just pick something!
Move your office to a new space every day or periodically. Go to a coffee shop or the library to get some new scenery.
Get out of the house every day for some exercise. Go for a walk around the neighborhood or find a park to walk in. The change of scenery can help your perspective.

Be more aware.

Find something to celebrate every week.
Start journaling to see what is sucking up your time and how you might change your viewpoint so you see the world more positively.
Seek out a coach for unbiased feedback about your job search strategy. Maybe they can think of something you overlooked.

What are you doing to move your job search forward and get unstuck? Check out The Interview Doctor’s Free Video training: 5 Tips to a Successful Job Search or Career Transition.

Why Build Contacts for Your Job Search Before You Need Them?

February 18, 2019 By Marta Goertzen

News bulletin: You are not the center of the universe!

It is easy to forget this important tidbit in the hustle and bustle of a busy work life. We run from meeting to important assignment assuming life will always be that way. No need to attend that professional association meeting. No time for lunch with old friends.

Until something shocks you out of your hectic life. Until you need something. Once you have been laid off or want to change jobs you realize how much you need other people.

Odds are people you dropped while you were so busy or those who do not know you yet won’t return your phone calls. They are too busy doing what you were doing before you were laid off, or before you needed them.

We hear this complaint a lot. “Why doesn’t she return my calls?” “Doesn’t he know how rude that is?” They won’t return your calls if they don’t know you.

Everyone knows someone who has been laid off or in some way finds themselves in a job search. After realizing they should have networked before they needed contacts, these folks become quite responsive to job seekers who call them. They know how it feels when no one will answer your call.

Yesterday I went to an association meeting and encountered a woman who looked vaguely familiar. However I couldn’t place her. She slipped out of the room early before I could speak to her but before she left she came to my table and quietly whispered in my ear that she appreciated how nice I was when she was in her job search. She wanted me to know that my small kindness, something I only vaguely recalled, meant a lot to her. It made me smile that I helped her.

I am not an expert in networking, although perhaps I am compared to some people, but small kindnesses even in a very busy workday, go a long way to helping other people and eventually come back to you. This is the true meaning of networking.

So take the time to meet people before your job is impacted. This way you can ease into the job search mode by networking seamlessly with people you already know. And after you find you next position, please return phone calls from those who need to network. Those desperate phone calls remind you that you should always network before you need to.

Here are 5 tips for building networking contacts before you need them to help you find a new job:

1. Be active in business associations.

When you go to meetings, plan to meet at least 3 people you did not know before. Get their business cards. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. Inquire about their experiences. Share yours. Be friendly. Next time you go to that association meeting, I bet they remember you!

2. Return phone calls from people trying to network with you.

Those folks will get a job eventually and they will remember your kindness. They will be more likely to help you when it is your turn in the barrel.

3. Be active on LinkedIn.

Extend invitations. Accept invitations. But don’t stop there. Use LinkedIn as more than a repository for your connections. Participate in discussions. Ask questions. Comment. Share ideas. This is networking for shy people!

4. Be friendly on airplanes and in public.

Collect business cards wherever you go and connect with those folks later on LinkedIn. Jot a note on the business card to remind you where you met. Put the contact information in your contact file. Then start a conversation so you build relationships with these new contacts.

5. Ask people outside work for advice on business projects.

You get a different business perspective and network at the same time when you talk to other folks professional to professional.

Networking is easy if you do a little at a time. As Mama used to say, it is easier to be friendly. It hardly hurts at all!

Check out The Interview Doctor’s 7 Tips for Career Success for the Shy Person. Whether you are a shy person or not these tips will help you in your networking.

5 Reasons to be Networking to help your Job Search and Career Growth

February 4, 2019 By Marta Goertzen

Networking, one of the most dreaded job search activities, but it does work!

This was overheard at a networking meet, “I don’t care what they say. I don’t see the point of networking. All we are doing is manipulating people who can’t help us anyway.”

I’ve heard that comment before, especially the part about networking being a form of manipulation.

What is a person supposed to do? Why build a network? Why contact people? For the most part, they will NOT have a job for you to consider. They may NOT be interested in talking with you. After all, people are SO busy these days.

I especially hear, “Why take the time to go meet, when you could be filling out an on-line application, or responding to a job posting with a resume and cover letter!”

I bet you know what I am going to say.

Accessing a network of contacts, acquaintances and friends is THE best way to find a new role.

BEST, meaning most reliable, most money, and most interesting opportunities compared to any other form of job search technique.

Consider these reasons below for networking and why planning time to network is critical as you search for a new job.

5 Reasons you should be Networking when looking for a New Job

Reason #1: Statistical:

That’s how most good jobs are filled. More jobs are filled by ‘who you know’ than by qualifications or compelling resumes or working with a recruiter. The numbers are staggering: 60% – 75% of jobs are filled through Networking. I can never find that citation when I need it but trust me, it is true. And since that statistic is true, we should be spending at least 60% to 75% of our job search time on networking!

Social Media complements networking today. It is so much easier to connect and reconnect with acquaintances from ‘past lives’ because of LinkedIn, Facebook, and yes, even Twitter. These sites allow us to NETWORK with folks we know (or knew before) regarding job opportunities.

Reason #2: Meeting-Oriented:

Networking requires face-to-face contact, and that’s how people get hired. When you network with someone, you must set meetings. Avoid lengthy phone conversations. Set the appointment, and get off. People get hired when some hiring manager decides they like you, and trust you, and believe you will help them solve problems. It is VERY rare that kind of decision is made by reviewing a resume, or by simply talking on the phone.

Talk about something interesting to the other person, something about their background or about a problem you know or guess is important to that person. They will want to get coffee with you if they think there is something in it for them.

Set a goal to have coffee at least 2 or 3 times a week with someone in your field. If you commit to consistent network interviews, you will be interviewing for jobs without even knowing it. You need to get in front of a LOT of people.

Reason #3: Opens Doors:

Talk with people that you know at first. Then expand your range to people that those folks suggest. This process of accessing a network two and three degrees removed from that network of immediate contacts will open doors you had not idea were out there. This is the voice of experience talking. That’s how it works. You have to work it hard to get to that ‘third degree,’ and for it to open the door you will enthusiastically say “YES, that’s my next gig!”

Reason #4: Teaches You to Fish:

How many jobs do you expect to have in your career. With an average tenure of three years in a 40 year work life, it makes sense that we will change jobs ten to twelve times in our careers. Will you ever change jobs again? Probably. Why not learn the skill that will give you the best chance at a really interesting job in three years or five years or ten?

Reason #5: Recharges You:

Yes, networking serves to regularly re-energize you. Networking IS the recharging power behind your search, even for quiet people. Talking professional to professional is very gratifying.

Do you have a phone? How often do you charge it? I plug mine in at night and sometimes even during the day. Job search requires a lot of energy. It is a full-time gig in itself. Without regular positive energy boosts, it’s fairly common to get mired in negativity. Networking, when done efficiently and well consistently keeps you going, and causes you to stay focused and positive, both important to successful job changes.

Check out The Interview Doctor’s 7 Tips for Career Success for the Shy Person. Networking is a MUST-DO activity in any job search. No matter how hard you find it.

7 Tips for a Successful Networking Experience

September 11, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Solving the career or job search networking puzzle can be daunting, but not with these 7 networking tips.

Last night I attended a network event for our local Financial Executive Networking Group chapter. I was tired but I went anyway. Networking events can be intimidating, especially for shy people, but meeting new people and expanding our networking is critical part of job search, career growth and building or maintaining a consulting practice.

Face it, we all need to talk to people we don’t know yet, regardless of how tired we are or how shy.

Here are a few tips to make your next networking experience positive and productive:

Have a plan. What do you want to accomplish by attending that meeting? David wanted to meet folks who could introduce him to private equity. My goal was to pass out cards to grow my LinkedIn connections and to spread the word about my consulting practice. Without goals, why are you there?
Prepare a few things to talk about. Lamar Ratcliffe, a transition coach and networking expert, suggests having a go-to question you can ask. As the MC of the group that night, Lamar helped by giving us a networking challenge to ask everyone you meet what you like to do in your spare time. Just asking that go-to question sparked plenty of conversation. What other questions could you ask? Being prepared makes you feel confident. Having a go-to question takes the burden off of you to do all the talking.
Set a goal. It is hard for many people to walk up to a stranger and start a conversation. I used to force myself to talk to three people I didn’t know before I sat in the corner with my friends. Sticking with this goal helped me meet strangers. I have grown more comfortable with practice. So will you.
Be gracious and kind. Remember Go up to the person in the room who looks most uncomfortable. That person is probably more uncomfortable with networking than you are. He or she will appreciate your conversation the most! No one likes to be picked last for dodge-ball like in grade school so you will be doing that person a favor. Focusing on making the other person comfortable takes the attention and burden away from you and might make the other person open up more.
Having a job to do makes it easier to network. Volunteering gives you something to do with your hands and gives you purpose, an excuse to talk to people. Every group needs volunteers so they will be thrilled to give you a job to do at the next networking event.
Don’t drink too much. When I go to a networking event I limit myself to 1 drink every hour. I might have a beer or glass of wine then water or ice tea. This way I keep my wits about me so I present the sharpest version of myself.
Thank the host. Make yourself memorable by thanking the host for his or her effort. It just takes a minute but might lead to additional conversation or opportunities.

What can you add to your networking tool kit to make the networking experience more productive for your job search or career growth? Check out The Interview Doctor’s “7 Tips for Success for the Shy Person” for more ideas on how to grow your career.