Wider Nets for Networking

 

Searching for positions that are already listed on the internet or company website is the accepted and recommended method – there’s a job, I apply and send my resume, then wait for the call to interview. If I’m lucky I can find someone who knows someone in the company to leverage my efforts or sell me to the hiring manager. This is the way most people manage their job search and it works for a lot of us.

Unfortunately in the current market there are far more seekers than openings, so you are competing with tens or hundreds of other candidates for the same few jobs. If you are willing to Ask Bigger* of yourself and your efforts, there is another approach that will widen your network substantially. * What I mean is that you will have to dig deep into your skill and willingness and ask yourself to go much farther than you imagined you could.

One of my business friends sells a product/system that used to be called “Contacts Influential” and now has another name for the web-based version. It is a research tool that gives you everything you would want to know about a business in order to sell a service or product. It gives names and titles for key decision makers. Sales professionals use this information to make an unsolicited approach via letter, email, or phone call and thus widen their business network and make the sale.

Job seekers who are not in the sales/marketing game are often reluctant to make a “cold call” based on this kind of research.  It’s too scary to write or call someone out of the blue and introduce yourself – even if that’s the opportunity that can make all the difference in finding that next career step.

So how do you do it? You request what has been called an “information interview”.  There is a lot of info on the web that will give you the how-tos and the don’ts, or you may want some coaching in one of my groups to get you going.

Bottom line is that if you have been in transition for more than 8 months, you need to widen the net. Challenge yourself to get out of that comfort zone of job boards and asking friends who they know. Ask more of yourself – in fact I would say Demand more of yourself.

Take Charge – Get Moving

And remember, I’m here to offer support and coaching.  livingstonsiegel dot com

Love and light,

Diane

Clear - Concise - Compelling

What do you really want?

What is your unique value?

Tell me about yourself ...

In the last entry I asserted that everyone is OurSelf-Employed. Success depends on our being able and willing to sell "Product Me" in ways that set us apart from the competition.

In networking situations, business owners and career transitioners usually offer routine descriptions of who they are and  what they are selling or looking for. Here's an example: "I am an insurance adjuster and I sell a-b-c-... and today I am looking for people who are interested in a quote." Or "I am an IT professional with expertise in SQL, Java, etc. looking for a company in this geographical area." Ho Hum ... nothing special, not unique, uninteresting, non-compelling, unexciting ... get my drift?


The human brain looks for patterns that are quickly identifiable so it can put your information into a mental manila file folder, file it under "insurance guy" or "IT gal" and close the drawer. It isn't that the information doesn't register, it just doesn't cause the brain to think about it very much. The effect is that you are just another "x" in the file drawer.


What if you could influence the brain of your target audience to process "Product You" a little longer before filing you as data? What if curiosity were stimulated by the way you describe yourself or your service? The person might be sparked to ask you some questions, learn more, even to have a positive emotional response to you!


The photo here could be described as a glass ball resting on a laser pattern - true. That description is clear and concise, but not very compelling! Take a few minutes and think about how you might stimulate more interest in the photo. Then review your "elevator introduction" and make it more compelling. Make sure that your uniqueness and value show up as beautifully as the photo on this post.

Love and light,
Diane

OurSelf .. Employed

"The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are
working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving
force of a career must come from the individual. Remember:
Jobs are owned by the company; you own your career!"
— Earl Nightingale

Who do you work for? Paycheck or not, the truth is that we are all self-employed.

1. EMPLOYED: Working for a company gives a structure, goals, systems, teammates, and rewards defined by the organization.

2. SELF-EMPLOYED: Working in our own business requires self-management to create and invest our time and energy in structure, goals, systems, a team, and rewards defined by us.

3. TRANSITIONING: Working to find or create that next career step requires all of the same things and much more. You are working for yourself without knowing when the payday will arrive.

What I continue to see as I coach 'transitioning people' and employed people unhappy with their work is the battle between knowing and doing. We know that success depends on working as hard as we would in the EMPLOYED state or even the SELF-EMPLOYED state. But the requirement to stay on track day after day, often with very little support is a tall order. 

So let me offer a "reframe" for work in general. Our success ALWAYS depends on DOING what we know needs to be done. Whether we are working toward the next career step, working in a job defined by the company, or working in our self-defined business, the challenge is the same.

Own it! It is your work, your skill and talent put into action.
Focus it! There will always be something to distract or distress you in your work - focus on the task at hand.
DO IT! One step at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time.
CHOOSE IT! Wherever you are, choose to be there rather than fighting it. Do your best right where you are and you will find the path to success.
                                    Take Charge - Get Moving
Love and light,
Diane

Relationship and Rapport

How do you connect with people you meet on the business or career transition path? People often lose valuable opportunities to create new and lasting relationships because they are so busy focusing on what they want that they don't notice what the other person wants. The emphasis is on what they want to say before the other person really wants to listen!

Here are some examples: Do you prefer to start with the big picture or all the details? Do you tend to speak in a fast, energetic style, or are you laid back and studied? The fact is that we each have preferences and a style for communicating ... and we like people who we perceive are mostly like us.

So here's a simple technique to help you be a master at establishing rapport. Pay attention to how the other person tends to behave and speak. Enter into their world and preferences for communicating by matching their patterns. You will find that when you start by establishing rapport, there will be two parties wanting to relate.