Posted by Saundra Lee on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 @ 02:45 PM
Is Your Job Search Networking Working?
In the last LinkedIn workshop I conducted, I asked the question, “What do you not like about networking?”
This is what I heard:
- It does not work!
- I give people my card but never talk to them again.
- I don’t know what to say to people to keep following up with them month after month.
- No immediate gratification.
Well, I heard more but you get the idea. Yes, networking can be exhausting and all for not if not done correctly.
Here are the 3 keys to networking that I see most people skip and the successful networkers do religiously!
1. Treat your everyday life as a networking event. Sure there are some great events to attend but you never know who you might run into at Starbucks.
Especially at 3pm at the Starbucks right next to the company you have been targeting in your job search. Don’t wake up in the morning and put the “unemployed” clothes on to go about your day. Put the “working professional” clothes on.
Even if you are working, do not slip into a comfort zone of “well, I really like my job” because you never know what tomorrow brings and starting to network just when you ARE looking for a job is a big disadvantage. Get involved in committees in and out of your company to increase your visibility. Also, see You Can Do a Job Search without Quitting Your Job.
2. First impression magic!!! I know you have heard about the importance of a first impression but there is something magical about when we make a really good one. As a Headhunter, I am contacted by many people on the job market and I can tell right off when someone has let the stint of unemployment take a toll on their first impression. A magical first impression conveys an attitude of energy, enthusiasm and passion for the work they do. That type of thing sticks with people! Stay clear of all signs of depression, aggravation, discouragement, desperation and blame.
3. Give First. Get later! This is, by far, the most important and overlooked key to success in professional networking. In my workshops, when I ask participants how to build relationships once you make the contact, maybe, 1 out of 50 brings up this concept. WOW! This is a general life principle that, like most, can be a principle in professional success as well. Here are some “give first” actions.
- Build alliances by going out of your way to help others out.
- Look to see what others in your LinkedIn network are asking for and see if you can do a networking favor.
- When you meet someone, ask about their needs instead of going straight into your needs.
- Make your follow up about their need.
Most of the professionals I work with regarding career moves are Sr. Management and above making 100k+ and so many of them tell me,
“I wish I understood the importance of networking earlier in my career.”
Start now!
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Posted by: Saundra Lee President Dubin & Lee
Posted by Saundra Lee on Wed, Feb 02, 2011 @ 01:30 PM
Congratulations! You just got that interview you were really hoping to get and now the anxiety starts to set in. Let's face it, the competition is tough!
- “What if I blow it?”
- “What if they ask me a question I just can’t answer?”
- “What if I go blank?”
In a previous blog I talked about the top 10 most commonly asked interview questions and how to handle compensation if the interviewer brings it up but this is not about that. This is about how to be prepared for the ones you did not see coming. So here are
7 steps to nail ANY INTERVIEW QUESTION!
1. Make sure you get prepared for the interview questions you expect.
2. Review your own resume thoroughly and have familiarity with every bullet, “reason for leaving” and date.
3. Get a clear understanding of who you are and what you have to offer. Yes, all the good stuff.
4. Get a clear understanding of what the company is all about and what they want.
5. Come up with as many examples and scenarios from your professional work that reflects the subset of step 3 and 4 ahead of time so they are on the forefront of your mind. Trying to dig to deep for the memory can cause one to “blank” in an interview.
6. Make sure any answer you give to any interview question they through at you, focuses on the subset of step 3 and 4.
7. NEVER B.S. (you know…no “fake it ‘til you make it.”) If you are unfamiliar with something they ask you about (that means don’t bring things up you don’t know just because you saw it in the job description), admit it! Just express a desire to want to learn “it” if that “something” is intrinsic to the job. Follow it up with other examples of how fast you learned new things and how much it excites you!
Don’t worry if you don’t think you are good at interviewing. Good at interviewing implies you interview a lot and that can be a red flag to an interviewer. Just be gracious, sincere, honest, enthusiastic about the company /opportunity and focus on what you have to offer them that you know they need and how it will benefit them.
Have an interview question that has stumped you or fear will stump you?
Submit your question to Dubin & Lee.
posted by:Saundra Lee, PresidentDubin & Lee