Give to Get during Networking

Networking is an important part of the job search. We've all heard the statistics that 70% or more of jobs are found through networking. Whether it’s online networking or face-to-face networking, it’s important for job-seekers to give when networking. 

Many job-seekers have reported feeling uncomfortable asking someone for help. Does this sound like you? Do you feel you have nothing to give in return? To turn this around, I encourage you to first ask your networking contact how you can help him/her. This will give you an opportunity to add value to the relationship immediately. You could then provide a suggestion or a referral, whatever is appropriate. Once you have helped the contact, you will feel more comfortable asking the contact for help. Always ask the contact who else he/she knows that you should talk too. This will help to continue expanding your network. 

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Network into Your Next Job

A job search can feel overwhelming at times. You don't need to do it alone. Your network can help take some of the "work" out of your search.

Getting Clear

It's important to let your network know that you are in a job search. They can't help you if they don't know! And, without clearly defined job targets, i.e., specific positions, industries, and companies you are seeking, it can be even harder for your network to help. When asked what job(s) they are targeting, job-seekers often tell me, "I'm open. I'll work for any company or industry." While that may be true, the more focused you are, the better your job search, the easier you make it for others to help you.

Feedback

Your network can provide you feedback on your job search techniques and refer you to other individuals or organizations. They can also offer insight into a new position, field, or industry if you are contemplating a job or career change. And, your network can share with you what it's like to work at a particular company.

Hidden Job Market

Many job openings aren't advertised. Considered the "hidden job market," it's your job to uncover those leads. Employers oftentimes go to their employees for referrals when trying to fill an open position. Imagine if your name was recommended, it clearly puts you in front of other candidates. I encourage my clients to create a list of target companies and then do an advanced search on LinkedIn to identify contacts that work at those companies. Oftentimes it's your second level contacts that are going to be most helpful in your search. Ask your first level contacts to introduce you to your second level contacts that work at your target companies.

Volunteering

Harvey MacKay, business guru and author of Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door and Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, encourages those just laid-ff to immediately start volunteering. Consider volunteering on a high-profile fundraising event for a local charity. Not only will it allow you the opportunity to develop or fine-tune your leadership, fundraising, and/or speaking skills, it will give you a chance to network with people in high places. It will also give you a reason to get out of the house and make you feel much better.

Are your Sundays Spent Dreading Mondays?

Do you enjoy your work? Are your Sundays spent dreading Mondays OR do you look forward to getting up each week day? Since yesterday was Labor Day, I thought this topic would be fitting.

On average we spend 40 to 46 years of our life working. With work consuming a large chunk of our day and our life, why not be doing something we enjoy? For many people, little thought was put into their career choice. Some may think that work is not supposed to be enjoyable, and yet others may have outgrown their career. With so much of your time devoted to work, why not find a career that brings you passion? The first step in finding work that works for you is a thorough self-assessment. This assessment includes looking at your personality, interests, skills, values, financial needs, and lifestyle.

What Type are You?

Various theorists believe there are sixteen different personality types. For each of these personality types, an individual has natural preferences (i.e., certain things just feel more natural or comfortable than others). For example, while one person may be more suited toward working alone, another may prefer working in a team environment. What one person may like doing, another might find boring. If you like expressing your creativity, sitting behind a desk answering phones all day may not match your personality style. It’s important to take stock of what type of work and work setting you prefer, and the type of people with which you prefer to interact.

Where Do Your Interests Lie?

What are your career interests? If you already have some ideas, great! Your next step is to determine which ones are in alignment with your personality, skills, and values and then research those options. If, however, you are unclear where your interests lie, you need to do your homework. One effective exercise involves thinking back over your life and choosing five activities you did well, enjoyed doing, and the time flew by while doing them. These are your success stories.  This exercise can include work and non-work related activities, including childhood experiences. These memories may uncover activities you may want to include in your next career. Perhaps you volunteered on an election campaign and thoroughly loved it. You might want to consider politics as one career avenue to explore.

Transferable Skills

Utilizing the skills that you are good at and enjoy are important considerations for career satisfaction. Don’t limit yourself to work-related skills. Throughout your life you have also gained new skills from hobbies, volunteer experiences, and internships. These skills are called transferable skills.  In other words, these skills can be transferred from one job to another and one career to another. Examples of such skills include implementing, supervising, planning and organizing, physical activity, and selling. If you like being active and are good at working with your hands, a construction job may be one option to explore.

Work Values

Another important factor in career satisfaction is compatible work values. Work values are those principles that are important to you in a job. They are valued so highly that they influence your life’s decisions or behaviors. Work values include advancement, status, security, and helping society. If you want your evenings and weekends free, a career as a corporate executive requiring extensive travel may not be a good fit.  Individuals early in their career may have valued advancement and status, successfully climbing the corporate ladder.  Now at mid-life, some of these same individuals are reassessing those values with either a desire to spend more time with their family and friends, or with an interest in leading a less hectic lifestyle.

Generating Career Options 

Once you have completed a comprehensive self-assessment, you are ready to generate possible career opportunities. Possibilities may include changing your career, a new commitment to your current position, or a lifestyle change. After you have compiled a list, you will research your options. Research can be accomplished by reading and conducting informational interviews. The next step is evaluating your options and deciding which one(s) to pursue. Finally, you can begin self-marketing through networking, resumes, cover letters, and interviewing. The career of your dreams can happen. Don’t give up!

How to Climb the Proverbial Career Ladder

If your goal is to climb the career ladder, you need to continuously market yourself. Successful marketing is necessary throughout your entire career. Never stop selling your skills, abilities, and accomplishments once you land a new job.

Lifelong Learning 

Moving ahead in your career requires you to continually update and enhance your skills. Be sure you keep a record of what you have accomplished. Research indicates that 50% of our skills become outdated in three to five years. With technological advancements growing by leaps and bounds, lifelong learning has become extremely important in maintaining your marketability in the workplace. Today’s fast paced technology requires you to keep your computer skills current. With downsizing, companies have removed their hierarchical layers. No longer can managers expect access to an administrative assistant to type their correspondence.

Take advantage of training that may be offered through your employer or take classes or seminars through a local community college. Volunteering is another good way to learn new skills, and it doesn’t cost anything. Perhaps you would like to gain some skills in the fundraising arena, consider volunteering for a non-profit. Maybe you would like to acquire some training experience, offer to teach a workshop at a non-profit. Document your skills so you can add them to your resume.

Get Noticed

Increase your visibility in your department and other departments within your company. Continue to network with others at work.

Get noticed at work by volunteering to work on a special project. Demonstrating effective leadership skills can help you climb up the next rung on the career ladder. Offer to chair a special committee or identify and fill a need that is not being addressed. Keep your manager apprised of your accomplishments. Don’t be afraid to 'toot your own horn.' If you don’t, who will?

Due to downsizing and restructuring, companies must now rely on teamwork to get the work done. To demonstrate you’re a team player, determine what contributions need to be made and how you can support the group in achieving its goals.

Go the Extra Mile

You won’t climb the career ladder by merely performing your job description duties. To get ahead you need to go the extra mile, displaying initiative and competence. Today’s marketplace requires you to think of yourself as a business. To be a successful business, you need to actively promote yourself throughout your career by selling your skills, abilities, and accomplishments to current and potential employers. 

Show it Off 

Showcase your accomplishments in a career portfolio that contains a sample collection of past work and achievements. Consider including in your portfolio the following: documentation of leadership experience, agendas from committees you’ve served on, and certificates from classes you’ve completed. Use your portfolio during performance evaluations and interviews. The career portfolio is a powerful tool, offering current and potential employers proof of what you’ve accomplished. Your portfolio can be in paper form and/or an online tool. Start climbing the ladder!

Factors for a Successful Career Choice

When exploring career options, it's important to take several factors into consideration, including your skills, interests, work values, personality, and lifestyle.

Skills - You're no doubt good at a lot of things, but what are you both good at AND enjoy doing? These are referred to as your motivated skills.

Interests - Are you interested in animals, helping people, the outdoors, or leading? Or maybe you're creative and enjoy making everything look beautiful or you love to paint or draw?

Work values - What's important to you in a work setting? Is it independence, money, a short commute, flexibility in schedule, or variety?

Personality - Do you need to be around people most of the time to feel energized? Or maybe you need a lot of down time in order to feel energized? Do you like to start and finish things? Or maybe you just like the starting part? Do you make decisions based on the feelings of others or are you more analytical?

Lifestyle - What kind of lifestyle do you want? Do you want a big home in an expensive part of the city? Or would you prefer a small home or townhome? Do you want to buy a new, expensive car every year or are you satisfied with an economical car that you drive for 5 to 10 years? Do you want to travel?

Once you've identified some careers that you want to explore further, conduct some informational interviews with folks working in those careers. Oftentimes we think we have a good idea of what a particular career is like, but talking with folks that are actually doing it, will help to paint a clear picture.

Climbing the Proverbial Career Ladder: Network Your Way to the Top

Want to advance to the next level? Networking can help you do just that!

How networking can help you….

1.     Be seen as an integral part of the company.

2.     Become well known within your industry.

3.     Be seen as a subject matter expert.

4.     Expand your network.

5.     Keep your network alive.

If you’re serious about your career and want to move up to the next level, networking can help make that happen! Let’s say you've noticed someone who has successfully advanced in their career. Ask that person if he or she will brainstorm with you for 15 minutes over the phone about how you can move up from your current position.

It’s not always about who you know, it’s about who knows you. Who are the movers and shakers in your industry? Career influencers are those people who can hire you or introduce you to others who could potentially hire you. They are those people who can champion you- past managers and past customers who know you are great! A career influencer can also be a mentor; someone who has a career path that you want and has the connections and experience needed to help you do the same.  Reach out to that person and say, “I’ve admired how you have transitioned into various roles and I would love to hear how you did it.”

How can you get on the radar screen of someone who can influence your career? What professional associations do they belong to? Join those associations and get involved. Don’t just merely be a member. Step up to the plate and volunteer to serve on a special committee. Volunteer to register members at the monthly meeting. This will help you start to put names to faces. Consider serving on the board. This will help you gain visibility and credibility within your industry and demonstrate your leadership skills. Create a presentation that would be beneficial to the members of this professional association and volunteer to be a speaker at a monthly meeting or special interest group.

Social media is a good strategy to position yourself as an expert in your field and convey your personal brand. It can also help you get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. Join groups related to your field and industry. Post questions, respond to questions, and get on the radar screen of career influencers. But remember, social media today can be a source for companies to view your activity as well. Keep it positive and informative. And certainly, no fowl language.  Later you will learn tips on how to expand your network and keep your network alive.

Network to Keep Your Work!

Increase your visibility up, down, and across your current organization.

Networking can help you….

1.     Be seen as an integral part of the company.

2.     Become known as a subject matter expert.

3.     Expand your network.

     4.  Keep your network alive.

While some may reserve networking for times when they’re in a job search, others are continually working to build and maintain their network for career insurance- to keep their current job. How about you?

Networking can happen right at work! Network with those above you, below you, and those at your same level and with individuals from other departments and other divisions. Keep your network appraised of your accomplishments. Did you just

finish a big project? Let your boss and your boss’s boss know about it. Let’s say

you meet your boss’s boss in the elevator and she or he says, “Hi, how are you doing?” Rather than simply saying “fine” say, “I’m doing great, now that I just finished the Acme project two weeks ahead of schedule and under budget.” Toot your own horn! If you don’t, who will? It’s important for others to see you as an integral part of the company; someone who goes and above and beyond their job duties. Remember, your co-workers may have a family member or friend that is looking for a new job or a connection. Imagine there impression of you, when you can demonstrate that you can help them, even if it’s only an introduction or a tip.

Are you particularly knowledgeable about a certain area of your field? If so, make sure others at your company know that. If you’re not a subject matter expert, what can you do to become one? Do you need an advanced degree or a certification or maybe take a class? Once you've taken the steps to becoming a subject matter expert, let others at work know what you’re working toward.

Set up coffee or lunch dates with your peers and other colleagues. Later you will learn more tips for expanding your network and keeping it alive.

If you’re not already a member, join LinkedIn. Monitor activities of your network and when you see they've posted an update, ping them or call them. It can be as simple as “congratulations on the new promotion or new LinkedIn recommendation.”

If you were to lose your job today, who are the ten people you would reach out to for advice on your job search? Don’t wait until you are laid off to reach out to them. Contact them today! Set up a coffee or lunch date.