job networking

Job Networking: Is Your Story Working?

October 16, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

How do you know when ‘your story’ is working?

If you intend to change jobs or find a new job in the near future, I’m sure you know that you need a story. Building a story takes some planning. To know if it is working well involves three ingredients.

The first, frequency, is easy enough to measure. If you are telling your story three, four, or five times a week, or more, it is likely your story has a good chance of working for you, because you are getting a lot of practice. And in the following example, I think you’ll notice the other two ingredients, feedback and results, as well.

I am a Toastmaster; we meet regularly, and we usually have guests. Since our deal is practicing public speaking, we tell our guests when they arrive, ‘if you would like to tell us a little bit about yourself at the end of the meeting, we will give you a chance to speak.’

Last week, a visitor was introduced; he gave a remarkably clear synopsis of who he was (experienced supply chain manager), why he was there (‘looking for a new position’), how the group might help him (‘teach me better presentation skills’), all within a minute, and then he sat down.

After the meeting, I congratulated him on his brief ‘who I am’ speech; he kind of grimaced, I really wanted to say a few other things, and they just didn’t come out.

When you seek perfection at a skill that can change your life, things can happen quickly, even when you are not “perfect.”

‘Have you worked on how to talk about yourself?’ ‘Yes I have, and the frustration is that I can do a lot better.’ ‘Well, you must have high standards; to my ears, you sounded very clear.’

Just then, another member came up to us, ‘you know, my son does what you do, and he just took a position with another company, I mean just this week. I’ll bet his old job is still open. Would you want the name of his company?’ ‘Wow, that would be great,’ our visitor responded.

To which I piped in: ‘could he call your son, and pick his brain a little bit about the job before he calls the company?’ ‘Well sure, my son is hard to get some times, let me give you his cell number; maybe you can text him first?’

If you are frequently (this is the hardest part) talking with people, telling your story, are you getting feedback?

Have you had any kudos lately? Or any suggestions to improve? And most of all, are you getting results? Do you more-often-than-not get a referral, a name of someone who could offer you a better job?

These three ingredients, frequency, feedback, and results will tell you if your story is working.

Why Build Networking Contacts Before You Need Them?

October 2, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Are your preparing yourself in case of a Job Layoff?

It is easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of busy work life that you are not the center of the universe. Until you need something that is. Once you have been laid off or want to change jobs you realize how much you need other people.

Odds are people who do not know you won’t return your phone calls. We hear this complaint a lot. “Why doesn’t she return my calls?” “Doesn’t he know how rude that is?” The truth is, people 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 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 on her way out 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 acts of 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.

Take the time to meet people and network 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 your next position, please return the favor others gave you and return phone calls from those who need to network. Those desperate phone calls should also act as a reminder you that you should always be networking before you need to.

Here are some tips for building networking contacts before you need them:

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!
Return phone calls from people trying to network with you. They will get a job eventually and they will remember how nice you were and be likely to help you when it is your turn in the barrel.
Be active on LinkedIn. Extend invitations. Accept invitations. Participate in discussions. This is networking for shy people!
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 that person. Put the contact information in your contact file.
Ask people outside work for advice on business projects. You get a different business perspective and network at the same time.

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

How prepared are you to network to find a job

July 28, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

The longer I work as an entrepreneur the more convinced I am that networking in job search is very similar to prospecting for new clients.

I am constantly trying new techniques to meet people who might need help from The Interview Doctor. Today was a perfect example.

I was at a Panera catching up with an old friend, Chad (building and maintaining relationships). We were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful sunny morning chatting about the ways we are growing The Interview Doctor. We swapped some stories about ways to train human resource people to organize job search better.

After we said our goodbyes, a woman I didn’t know stopped me. She apologized for eavesdropping but overheard us talking about job search. Sarah is a stay at home mom ready to return to work. She just doesn’t know what to do to make it happen. This is a pretty common problem. Job search has changed so much that even taking a few years off to raise children makes a job seeker feel pretty inadequate.

Sarah and I exchanged cards. I will reach out to talk with her with the idea of building a relationship. Whether she becomes a client or not, I know I can help Sarah somehow. Reaching out to Sarah could lead to more connections, more relationships, and more business.

The exact same activity works for job seekers.

Find people who can potentially help or that you can help.

Reach out. Start conversations. Build relationships. Ask for referrals.

Job search and being an entrepreneur are not for the faint of heart. Working together we can make a difference for each other. Working together we can achieve our goals!

You say potato…Prospecting & Networking are Important to Entrepreneurs & Job Seekers Alike

July 21, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

I hate prospecting. I hate picking up the phone and making calls. I hate walking into a room full of people I don’t know and talking about myself.

But I have to. I have to prospect for new clients all the time. It is a fact of life for an entrepreneur like me. It is also a fact of life for job seekers.

Face it. Finding a job is a numbers game. You have to find more people to build relationships with people who can help you find that elusive job that is right for you. You are prospecting exactly like I am! Our goals are a little different but the process is exactly the same.

Let’s take a deeper look at prospecting for opportunities to see if there is a way to make prospecting a little easier. Instead of cold calling and lots of big, faceless networking meetings, let’s change our definition. I like this definition much better:

“Prospecting is a perpetual search for new customers by initiating contact with likely buyers through a series of relationship building activities, including:” phone calls, visits, mail, voice mail, and social events.”

Notice the key words:

Perpetual – Prospecting is forever. You can’t just network for this job. Job search networking will be a part of your life forever. We are all just one meeting away from finding our next job. You will need your network forever so start accepting that idea.
Likely buyers – Just like a small business person, when you network you are looking for likely buyers, people who will be helpful, people who know someone or something you need to know. These are your targets.
Series – Prospecting / networking is an ongoing project so consider your activities to be a series, not just one touch. It takes several touches to make this work. You should set goals and measure your progress in outreach and networking activities.
Relationship building activities – Your goal is to build relationships not just reach out and touch someone. Just collecting LinkedIn contacts is not sufficient. You must do something with your contacts – you must build relationships so people know who you are. You must be prepared to give people what they need in order to get what you need. Those relationship building activities take many forms. Don’t confine yourself to LinkedIn contacts or networking meetings. You should be having lots of coffee to get to know people!

What are you doing to turn your contacts into relationships?

How are you helping your contacts so you can build relationships to find new opportunities?

I would love to build a relationship with you to help you get the job you love! Just drop me a note to let me know how I can help.

Why won’t they call me back?

June 16, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Recently, a few clients have complained about the lack of response from employers. This is what I hear:

I don’t know what happened. I responded to the ad and then I called a few times but no one calls me back.

Or this variation:

The recruiter said she would get back to me on Thursday. I followed up every day for the last two weeks but she never returned my phone call. What is going on?

These comments are not unusual. We have a lot of confused job seekers out there. A few experiences like that can make a job seeker think there is something wrong with him or her. I must be too old, too different, too unqualified, too whatever.

Likely something else is going on. Here is what I know for sure:

People filling jobs are over-worked – too much to do in too little time. It is easy to eliminate follow-up or even responding to resumes. It is not personal. They just don’t have time.
There are more applicants than job openings. This labor situation leads companies to think they have the upper hand. They don’t have to respond to candidates or even be polite if they don’t want to. They can always find another candidate.

They aren’t calling you back because they don’t have to. They can find plenty of candidates. They don’t need to talk to you on your time schedule. If they want to talk to you they will call you.

So the question becomes how to get a response under these circumstances?

My advice? Don’t rely on job ads to find a job. People filling jobs are over-worked and there are more applicants than job openings. The odds are stacked against you.

It is not likely you will land your next job from the job ads, much less get someone to call you back. Submit your resume to job ads in the off chance something good happens but don’t spend so much time or energy on that avenue of job search. You cannot control or even influence the folks at the other end of the job ad.

Instead, make yourself a real person instead of a random resume.

Your goal is to find a job. You will find your next job through people, not through job ads. Get out there and meet as many people as you can who 1) already perform the job you want, 2) are the boss of the job you want, or 3) know someone in the first two categories. Odds are, these folks will return your call. They can steer you to opportunities where you won’t be a faceless one in a hundred.