Tag Archives: job search

5 components of a jobseeker’s company called Me, Inc.

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My son just learned how to cut the lawn…well sort of. I still have to follow him around, helping to guide the mower and making sure he doesn’t run over any objects hidden from his sight. The first time he cut the lawn, he ran over our dog’s wire cable, causing me to wonder if this would be the first and last time he’d cut the lawn.

As I’m helping him to better learn the fine art of lawn-mowing, I fantasize about my kid starting his own business, which would ultimately depend on him (or me) creating a company.

When I think about my 11-year-old son starting his own lawn mowing business, I relate it to my jobseekers who all have their own business–it’s called Me, Inc., a term Martin Yate applies to jobseekers, who are ultimately responsible for selling a great product, themselves.

In an article Martin wrote, he talks about the five components of Me, Inc. as they apply to jobseekers, which makes total sense because jobseekers are a business of one. Here is Martin’s explanation, verbatim, of the five components necessary for jobseekers to run Me, Inc.

  • Research and Development: Every corporation invests in the ongoing identification and development of products and services that will appeal to its customers. For Me, Inc. this translates into skill-building in response to market trends, which you do by connecting to your profession and by monitoring the changing market demands for your job on an ongoing basis.
  • Marketing and Public Relations: The effective branding of Me, Inc. as a desirable product requires establishing credibility for the services you deliver and positioning those services so that your professional credibility becomes visible to an ever-widening circle, both within a company—to encourage professional growth—and within your profession—to encourage your employability elsewhere.
  • Sales: Me, Inc. needs a state-of-the-art sales program to constantly develop new strategies to sell your products and services. This will include resume, job search, interviewing, negotiation, and other career management skills that must be developed to sell your products and services effectively.
  • Strategic Planning: This encourages you to create concrete plans to achieve the goals you have for your future: plans for growth with your current employer, plans to time strategic career moves that take you to new employers or new professions. Creating actionable strategies for the realities of your professional future enables you to make your plans happen on your timetable and not as a panicked reaction to unforeseen employment disruptions.
  • Finance: Treating personal finance more seriously will ensure you invest wisely in initiatives that will deliver a return on investment. You must invest in your future success rather than fritter away your income on the instant gratification drummed into your head by 24/7 media.

My son has years to go before he establishes his prosperous lawn-mowing company, but jobseekers must put to use what Martin proposes for a successful company called Me, Inc. Only when they take ownership of their job search will they operate as a successful business that sells a great product.

Martin Yate, CPC, author of Knock ’em Dead: Secrets & Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World, is a New York Times and international bestseller of job search and career management books. He is the author of 11 job search and career management books published throughout the English speaking world and in over 50 foreign language editions. Over thirty years in career management, including stints as an international technology headhunter, head of HR for a publicly traded company and Director of Training and Development for an international employment services organization.

Job Search Tip #2: Assess your work values

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In the last article we looked at the importance of beginning the job search almost immediately after losing a job. Now let’s look at assessing one’s work values, which is something people often overlook.

Wes Welker, a former wide-receiver for the New England Patriots, declared that the walkout of NFL players some three years ago was “pretty sad.” He further told reporters that he was happy when he played and never imagined he’d be making the money he was. It’s obvious he loved football.

This made me think of two things: one, there are professional players who wanted to play that season and two, money wasn’t everything to some. Surely pro athletes make more money than most of us could imagine, but for a pro athlete to almost imply that he was making more money than he should is remarkable and refreshing.

Perhaps the lesson we can take away from Wes Welker’s statement is that money doesn’t define the success of one’s career. What defines the success of one’s career is how rewarding it is. Yes, some would say that money is their most desired value; but it’s a known fact that the majority of employees hold other values closer to their heart.

In a workshop I deliver at our urban career center, I conduct an exercise on work values, asserting that we have values that make work rewarding. Many of the workshop attendees list values such as:

  • Achievement: Being able to meet your goals.
  • Balance: Time for family, work and play.
  • Independence: Control of your own destiny.
  • Influence: Able to have an impact on others.
  • Integrity: Stand up for your beliefs.
  • Honesty: Telling the truth and knowing that others are telling the truth.
  • Power: Control over others.
  • Respect: Care and trust of self and others.
  • Spirituality: Believing in your core beliefs.
  • Status: Having influence
  • Creativity: Able to express your personality in your work

Over the years our values may change. Some of our jobseekers now see health as their number one value, and this comes as no surprise as they are mature workers and our bodies are changing. Personally, I value balance, creativity, and autonomy. Like Welker, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, money is not my number one value.

In your search for a career, it’s important to to be fully aware of your values because having them met will make you happy and more productive. Not having them met will make you feel like Welker did when he was waiting for the kick-off of the season, a kick-off he probably would have returned for a touchdown.

Next Friday, we’ll look at assessing your skills.

3 ways introverts need to promote themselves in the job search

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I’m cleaning the house, going room to room, and come across a test sheet attached to the refrigerator with a magnet that says Welcome to Massachusetts. The test is one of my daughter’s and it says in large red ink, “100%!” Upon close inspection, I notice the test was taken in September of last year. I throw away the test.

I go to the living room and start watching the Celtics/Heat game and suddenly jump out of the seat. I stride to the trash. There I retrieve my daughter’s test sheet and put it back on the refrigerator.

I don’t do this because the test covers a stain on our refrigerator—I do this for a different reason. When my daughter attached her test to the fridge, she did it because she wanted to promote her achievement. I want her to know that self-promotion is acceptable.

My colleague, Wendy Gelberg, is a champion of introverts. I believe she would call my daughter’s act of tacking her test on the refrigerator a healthy way for a teenager to promote herself to her parents; and in fact we were very pleased when we first saw her grade…almost eight months ago.

Introverts who have a hard time promoting themselves must learn how to do it correctly. Especially when it comes to jobseekers who are trying to make a great impression in the job search. In her article, Alternatives to Self-Promotion, Wendy suggests three ways for introverts to promote themselves without looking boastful:

  1. Let others speak for you
  2. Bring a portfolio
  3. Report the facts.

Of the three ways mentioned in Wendy’s article, my daughter illustrates “bring a portfolio.” She is providing a visual aid for us when she attached it to the refrigerator. She can tell us every time she does well, but she feels that showing proof of her success would deliver the message more effectively.

“We all know that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words–and sometimes having some visual aids can help you promote yourself,” Wendy states.

The portfolio jobseekers show potential employers acts as a picture. Wendy gives “work samples, news articles, certificates/licenses, letters of praise, or other documents” as examples of bringing a portfolio. Bringing a  portfolio to the interview also helps introverts get over the fear of “boasting,” as it confirms to introverts of their accomplishments; it is concrete. Furthermore, employers are convinced of said accomplishments.

The third way to promote yourself in the job search, Report the Facts, is also imperative to doing well at the interview. This means you must back up what you claim. Wendy suggests answering question with the Problem-Action-Result (PAR) formula, and I agree. The PARs explain the skills you’ve demonstrated in the past and also uncover other valuable skills, skills the employers might not ask for but will be happy to hear.

The Celtics are down by nine points, the bathroom still needs to be cleaned, and I have to make dinner; but I’m feeling a sense of pride for what my daughter has accomplished, even if it was eight months ago. More to the point, I’m proud of her for realizing that self-promotion is necessary, even if it’s only for her parents. Self-promotion will be more important in her future job search. This is something I’m going to tell her when I have the chance, even though she’s only 16 years-old.

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Job search tip #1: Don’t wait too long to start the job search

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tip

Today begins job-search tip#1. Check back here next week to read tip #2.

It’s tempting to take a break after you’ve lost your job to recharge your batteries—live off the severance package and UI benefits, go on the three-week vacation you promised the family, or take the summer off—but this is a huge mistake.

As an example I give you a former customer of mine, a talented hardware/software engineer who did exactly what I mentioned above. He lived comfortably off his severance and UI benefits until he realized he had to get his butt in gear and look for work.

This was a year after being laid off from a job he’d held for more than 22 years. Fortunately he was able to land a job, but he lamented that he wished he’d started the process immediately after losing his job.

What are some of the pitfalls of taking too much time off before starting the job search?

1. There’ll be a learning curve. If you haven’t had to conduct a job search in many years—some people haven’t had to look for work for 10, 20, 30 years or more—you’ll soon realize the job search has changed dramatically.

My client who put off his job search didn’t realize the way resumes are written today has changed, had never used LinkedIn, and was unprepared for interview styles. He felt like a babe in the woods. But we worked on his confidence and things turned out all right.

2. Your employment gap is going to stand out on your résumé. Some companies won’t consider people who’ve been out of work for over a year, let alone three months. Unfair? Yes, but true.

The long-term unemployed (LTU), unemployed six months and longer, have a more difficult time of finding a job, regardless of their occupation. You must avoid this, if you can.

3. Your skills start to diminish, particularly if you’re in a highly technical occupation where software and hardware change dramatically. A solution to this conundrum is to pursue training in applications like PaaS, SQL Server, PageMaker, or get your PMP certification which is often required for project management jobs.

Lack of job-related, or technical, skills is a huge complaint of employers who are trying to fill positions. Despite the large number of people unemployed, employers are screaming that their’s a skills gap. This enforces the need to stay on top of required skills.

It’s understandable that you’ll need time to get over the trauma of  losing your job and to develop a strategy to penetrate the job market, so some time of reflection—not to be confused with self-pity—is healthy.

Give yourself a week, at most, to get over the shock of losing your job and then put your best effort in beginning your job search. It will be hard at first but eventually you’ll generate momentum and see the job search for what it is, a challenge.

Check back next week for Tip #2!

Photo: Flickr, vamsi

5 ways to connect with LinkedIn members; the good, bad, and the ugly

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connect on linkedin

I was speaking with someone who asked me how he should connect with people on LinkedIn. Together we looked at what I consider the best way to connect with someone (through someone’s profile), but there are four other ways I showed him how to connect with others on LinkedIn.

So how might one connect, you wonder.

Through someone’s profile–the best way

This is the best way to connect with someone. Why? Because you actually take the time to read the person’s profile to see if you want this person in your network. I happened upon someone who does very similar work and is a career-advice blogger. I had to connect with him.

You find someone’s profile by searching for him/her using LinkedIn’s awesome search engine or selecting that person from “People You May Know,” found at the top right-hand corner of your homepage. You’ll see the box below, where you’ll indicate how you know your potential connection.

LinkedIn asks you how you know this person. Of the seven criteria, David and I are in the same LinkedIn group. Great luck. As I don’t qualify for any of the other criteria. What I dislike is when someone I don’t know tries to connect with me as a “Friend” when they don’t know me. Claiming to be a “Colleague,” “Classmate,” or “We’ve done business together,” Also ruffles my feathers when none of it’s true. But being in the same group/s means we’re like-minded.

Important note: always write a personal note similar to the one you see in the box below. To send the default message is poor laziness.Direct connect

Through an introduction–proper but slow

This is considered proper etiquette when you want to connect with one of your first degree’s connections. You ask your first degree to introduce you to the person with whom you’d like to connect. A LinkedIn purist may believe this is the only way to connect, but I think this policy is a bit extreme, as well as taking a long time to accomplish.

Go to the desired person’s profile and choose Get introduced next to the Send Inmail button. This will bring you to a command that asks you who should make the introduction.

Craft a professional message, understanding that the person making the introduction might send your message straight through, along with a message of his own. If your intention is to ask to connect, your wish may be granted, but this method usually takes longer than it would to simply try to connect.

The person I chose as an example is not in any of my groups; thus I would not feel good about trying to connect directly…unless, of course, I indicate he’s a “Friend” and in the not beg his forgiveness.

get introduced

Who’s visited your profile–getting around the default message

Everyone I know is curious about who’s visited their profile. Aren’t you? You can, with impunity, connect with anyone who visits your profile and discloses their identity.  What I mean by this is you don’t have to state how you are related to said person…and you can still write a personal note.

I’m a bit conflicted with this method of connecting. While I don’t believe one should have to request an introduction every time he/she wants to connect with someone, I do believe there should be some relationship, such as belonging to the same group.

Who's visited your profile

Mass mailing-invite–for beginners

Like a tooth ache, you’re reminded on every page that you can send an invite through your e-mail contact list. Simply click on the icon to the immediate left of your photo to see a command like the one to the right. Select your e-mail provider, follow the prompts, and connect to your heart’s desire.

This is one of the least effective way to connect, as it doesn’t allow you to send a personal note. I’ve complained bitterly about people who just connect willy-nilly.

However, if you’re just starting out, you may want to use this way to connect.

connect 1

From your phone–the ugly

If you’re on the fly, you can connect from your mobile device. The LinkedIn app makes connecting on your phone as easy as clicking a button…literally. This is the epitome of laziness–here I go again–as there is no option to write a personal note.

I tell my LinkedIn workshop attendees to avoid using this method and, rather, wait until they’re sitting at their computer so they can connect using the first or even second method. I also tell them if they want to connect with me, they’ll need to include a personal note, which most of them neglect to do. Oh well.

The good, bad, and the ugly

There you have five ways to connect with people on LinkedIn. You may call me old fashion for choosing the first method, visiting a person’s profile, to connect. Or asking for an introduction. At the very least connecting with people who’ve visited your profile. But to connect with someone through a mass e-mail or by phone is pure blasphemy.

My nomination for person of the year for 2013

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On December 11, 2013, Time announced its Person of the Year, Pope Francis. I suspect because of his stance on the poor, women, divorce, and marriage. Or maybe because he chooses to live in a spare hostel surrounded by priest, rather than in the papal palace.

jobseekers 2

Last year I declared my Person of the Year; and because I believe in tradition, I will again announce my Person of the Year. This may come as no surprise to many of you; I am going with the same “person.”

The Jobseeker.

Although the Jobseeker is not the Pope–who prays all the time, even while at the dentist–he or she demonstrated dignity and professionalism, networked and paid it forward, wrote compelling marketing material resulting in interviews, and finally (after more than a year, in some cases), landed a job. Or maybe not.

There were many Jobseekers who demonstrated true heroism throughout the entire year, simply by the way they handled themselves. They:

  • Woke up every morning to put in a full day of hunting for work, leaving no stones upturned and considering every possibility.
  • Maintained that screw-the-economy-I-will-get-a-job attitude.
  • Knew that every day was a day when they might have run into a person who could hire them, or someone who knew a person who could hire them.
  • Took a break every once and awhile to recharge their batteries, but not too long of a break. A day or two at the most. They even networked during the holidays.
  • Followed their career plan of revising their résumé, creating a list of companies they research and contacted, building a LinkedIn profile that meets today’s standards, and other best practices.
  • Attended workshops and took advantage of job-search pundits’ advice, learning that things have changed in the past ten years, but, nonetheless, trudge on.
  • Accepted and embraced the Hidden Job Market, making penetrating it a priority in their job-search plan.
  • Attended interview after interview until they hit a home run with an employer smart enough to hire them. The Jobseeker will never give up, despite the challenges they encounter.
  • Never forgot the important things in life, like family and friends, and taking care of their health. They didn’t let the job search consume them.
  • Faced despondency or depression with courage and perseverance.

These are just a few of the reasons why The Jobseeker  is my Person of the Year. If you think of other reasons, let me know by commenting on this article. I think I should send my reasons to Time and demand a recount.

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Beginners’ guide to using LinkedIn effectively

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linkedinThis is a guest post from Rich Grant, a valued LinkedIn connection and college Career Advisor. He has a great way of explaining how to teach LinkedIn to beginners. 

When I meet with students – two to four each day – in my college’s career center I almost always ask, do you use LinkedIn? Most students say “yes’” but the real question we start exploring is, are you using LinkedIn effectively?

I’m pleased that almost every college junior or senior I meet with has a LinkedIn profile. Very few students, however, have taken full advantage of the networking power of LinkedIn. This is where I come in. I love showing students the nooks and crannies of LinkedIn.

I typically have about 10 – 15 minutes within a 30-minute appointment to provide students with an overview of LinkedIn. That’s just about enough time to cover the basics. So, here is my 10-minute tutorial on using LinkedIn to make connections and as a resource in a job or internship search.

Defining LinkedIn. For students who have not seen LinkedIn, I tell them about the similarities to Facebook (connecting with people, posting a status and / or links, joining groups, etc) and then quickly add, But it’s NOT Facebook! I also explain that social media networking (LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and others) does not replace traditional face-to-face networking, but it complements your overall networking efforts.

About the profile. I talk briefly about how to beef up your profile. Don’t set up a bare-bones profile and think you’re done. Change / expand your headline, create a summary, and describe each job with appropriate key words. Add skills and highlight projects. I talk with students about posting a professional profile photo and customizing their URL, both of which are easily found when you’re in “edit profile” mode.

Making connections. With whom should you connect? Initially, I tell new LinkedIn users to connect only with people they know and trust who also know them reasonably well. I explain the concept of 2nd degree and 3rd degree connections, that is, your connections’ connections and so on. If you connect with people who know you well, you will have better success in getting referred to your 2nd degree connections. I tell students to avoid the “LinkedIn Open Networkers” known by their acronym LION (a better description might be “Spread-thin LinkedIn Unselective Trolls”)

Participating in groups. Find your college’s alumni group and seek groups within your professional interests. Don’t just join groups, participate in them. Post discussion topics, comment on discussions. Engage with people within groups… you know, be “social” on “social media.”

Using “advanced” search. Click “advanced” to the right of the search bar. On the left side, you’ll see several fields. You can search on one variable or multiple variables. I usually show students how to search on keywords, company, college (filling in the name of our college), and zip code. You can also search by industry. I run through a couple of searches to show how easy it is to identify relevant 2nd degree connections.

Now what? Once you find a 2nd degree connection that you’d like to contact, you can see who your common connections are. You can get in touch with your connection or connections to facilitate getting through to the person you don’t know. In my job searches, I would typically contact my connections by phone or email. You can also message people on LinkedIn, or from the 2nd degree connection’s profile, click on the down arrow by the “In Mail” button and use the “get introduced” feature. It’s worth repeating a key point: connect only with people you know and who know you. If you identify a 2nd degree connection, it’s no use to you if your common connection is a LION in another country.

Basics of networking. I would be remiss if I just showed the technical aspects of LinkedIn, so I talk with students about proper networking etiquette. As you start reaching out to your 2nddegree connections, you need to follow the same guidelines / protocol as you would if you were meeting someone at a networking event… or meeting someone new on campus. You wouldn’t meet someone for the first time, and say, nice to meet you; let’s rent an apartment together. Don’t come on strong. Build a rapport before you ask for anything. Get to know people first, and don’t put them on the spot.

As you connect with new people on LinkedIn, it’s important to build your relationship with an information-seeking perspective rather than jumping in and asking about job openings. That’s a conversation killer. Most students I meet with truly can benefit from exploring career options by having conversations with people who work in those career fields (aka “informational interviewing”). Most professionals are willing to help college students who are looking into potential career fields. And by using LinkedIn properly and effectively, your connections most likely will be willing and able to help you get in touch with their connections, provided they are also connecting with people whom they know and trust.

This has been my quick tour of LinkedIn that I provide to new users of LinkedIn. I rarely talk about job postings on LinkedIn; to me, LinkedIn is about networking. I have started to show students “University Pages” found under the “Interests” pull-down menu (look for “Education”)

What do you show new LinkedIn users in your overview?

Rich Grant ● http://www.richcareer.net

Photo C. 2013 by Fred Fieldfredfield.comRich Grant has a background in business planning, freelance writing and higher education. Rich was recently the director of career services at a small four-year college in Maine and is currently filling an interim role as a career adviser and internship coordinator at a private college. He serves as the president of two professional associations. Find Rich on LinkedIn and Twitter, and become a regular visitor to his blog where he imparts his words of wisdom once or twice a week.

Our obsession with numbers; approximately 1 to 20 ways to succeed or fail

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numbersI think people have a fascination with numbers, percentages, and dollars. I do. I know that 88% of the time I spend is productive and the other 12% of the time is wasted. I’m cool with that, but I don’t know how to explain it. It’s good that I’m at least getting a B+ in life. I spend approximately $3 a day on coffee, which is about 2% of what I spend weekly. So that’s not too bad. I read 25 pages of a book before I drift off to sleep—any less, any more, I’m up all night.

What is it about numbers that fascinates people, that makes their claims legitimate? Does it make the abstract concrete? Often we base success and failure on numbers because numbers give us something to grab, or understand better. No one really knows how many ways there is to write an effective résumé, except employers that choose people for an interview. Here is a look at numbers that get thrown around, including by me.

Interview numbers: I tell my workshop attendees that 99% of the time an employer will allow them to take notes at an interview. They must think I’m pulling this number out of a hat. I’ve been to approximately 25 interviews in my life, and at all interviews I was allowed to take notes. There must be some interviewers who don’t allow note taking.

LinkedIn Summary numbers: Your LinkedIn Summary allows you 2,000 characters. Did you know that? I once proposed to my customers that utilizing 90% of this space makes for an excellent Summary. That’s fine, but how does one use all 1,800 characters if one doesn’t have 100% compelling content? How do you retract a dumb statement like this? This is how hung-up on numbers I am.

Résumé numbers: I may believe there are 5 ways to write a résumé that will get you invited to an interview. But somewhere I heard there are 6 and another source cited 10. Does the person who claims there are 10 know more than the one who alleges only 6?

Somewhere I read that only 50% of recruiters read cover letters. Is this a known fact or a guestimation? If that’s true, then a jobseeker will waste 50% of her time writing a cover letter for all the positions to which she applies. This boggles my mind. I say to cover all your bases.

Networking numbers: Sixty percent of most jobs are gained through networking; however, more than 80% of executive-level jobs are a result of networking. Or is it 85%? When people ask me how effective LinkedIn is in getting a job, I’m tempted to say, “If used in conjunction with personal networking, your chances of getting a job is 80%.”

Did you also know you must contact a person 7 times before that person becomes a bona fide network connection? Again, how was this figured out? There are several connotations associated with the number 7, including biblical references, but I doubt you’d have to call or e-mail someone before you’re officially connected.

Getting-a-job numbers: Richard Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute, places a 4%-10% success rate on applying for jobs online. Because he is the guru of the job search, I believe him and tell my customers to focus their energy on other methods, e.g., networking, using a recruiter, knocking on companies doors. I say this because Bolles attaches numbers to his claim. Yet I’ve heard many customers say they got their interviews from Monster, Dice, SimplyHired, Indeed, etc.

My personal formula for getting a job is 60% personal networking + 20% online networking using LinkedIn + 6% applying online + 14% doing something else = 100%. These are good odds, don’t you think? The problem is, everyone’s different, so this can’t be proved.

I was tempted to title this entry, “10 reasons why numbers mean nothing.” But as I thought about it, I realized that there is some merit in numbers. For example: Your chances of getting a rewarding job are 0% if you use the sitting-on-the-couch-and-hoping-for-a-job-to-land-in-your-lap method. Zero percent of employers will be impressed if you send a résumé and cover letter written in crayon. Zero percent of jobseekers will get their dream job if they arrive at an interview dressed in just their underwear. So these are safe numbers to cite.

Note of apology: This writer acknowledges that there are many great authors who cite numbers in their entries, and hopes not to offend those who do. Henceforth, this writer will cite numbers whenever appropriate.

A letter to my daughter’s career advisors

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college studentBelow is a letter sent from a concerned parent to a College Career Advisor as his daughter enters her freshman year of college.

Dear College Career Advisors,

I’m writing to you because my daughter has arrived at the University, and I’m hoping she’ll get some guidance from you. She and I agreed that she’d introduce herself to you after she’s settled in. Expect her to be a bit lost in the world of a major university.

As a Workshop Specialist at an urban Career Center, I occasionally see college grads in my workshops. Many of them didn’t take advantage of their college’s career centers and are hearing about the career search for the first time. I don’t want this to be the case with my girl, so I’m reaching out to you now.

My first request is that you impress upon my girl how crucial it is for her to develop her “soft skills.” In a survey by Glassdoor.com, employers feel skills such as, collaboration, verbal and written communications, and analytical thinking, are lacking in college grads.

She’ll need to learn how to write a great résumé of course. On her résumé she’ll need some real-life experience, namely internships. I’m seeing this lack of experience on some of the recent grads’ résumés I critique. If you would emphasize the importance of obtaining internships, it would be much appreciated.

Her interviewing skills will need some polish. I conduct mock interviews for my customers and I’ll tell you, they benefit from them greatly. Would you put her through a mock interview or two? Better yet, have her attend college career fairs and speak with some of the representatives there. There’s nothing like sitting in the hot seat.

Many of my customers balk at the idea of informational meetings, despite my impressing upon them the importance of gathering information; building their network; and, who knows, perhaps striking it lucky as the company is thinking of hiring. I want my daughter to go on as many informational meetings as possible.

She needs to learn about LinkedIn. Even though I teach LinkedIn, she’s never taken an interest in it. Why would I expect her to? Most high school students don’t even know about this platform; they’re wrapped up in Facebook and Twitter. Please emphasize the value of LinkedIn as an online networking application. Show her how she can reach out to the alums from the University.

One last thing and perhaps most important. Please suggest my daughter attend any networking events at the University and other venues. I think I read of a student networking group at the University that meets bi-monthly. This would be a great step in getting her to meet potential long-term contacts. Impress upon her that she should start developing her network before she needs it.

Thank you in advance for your consideration Your attention to my daughter’s success is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Dad

Guest post–Introvert leadership: how to master networking in 7 simple ways

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Introvert Networking TipsA person once told me that she would rather clean the floor of Grand Central Station with her own toothbrush than network. Comments like this kind of sum up our overall attitude about networking.

For many people, introvert or not, networking is like falling into the black hole. Scary, tiresome, unproductive, mysterious and endless – is this YOU?

I may not be able to turn you into the poster child for networking. However, I have successfully learned many ways that will be easy for you to use, which can turn the dreaded networking into an acceptable activity.

Try these:

  1. Redefine networking. Networking is this decade’s terminology for building relationships with other people. We’ve done this since we were infants and it comes somewhat naturally, unless you put undue pressure on yourself. I think networking has us tensed up by thinking that we need some specific outcome in our interactions with others. While that is apt to happen anyway, it won’t be the outcome if you don’t first build a relationship with someone before putting demands on that relationship.
  2. Don’t work the room. A big misconception many people have when going to a cocktail party or meeting is that you have to cover as many people as you can. Not true. No one (and most importantly those of us who tend toward introversion) likes superficial relationships. There is no way you can work the room and become meaningful with anyone. The simple idea of trying to meet everyone can drain the energy right out of an introvert. Adjust your thinking before you go.
  3. Set a goal. Rather than make an event an open-ended, never-ending activity set some goals like how long you will stay and how many people you will engage with at a deep level. My own goal for meeting people is usually three. Meeting three people is fairly easy to achieve in most settings. Knowing that there is an end in sight helps you stay focused and positive about interacting with new people.
  4. Be a Friend. When you are meeting people, particularly at business-oriented events, it’s too easy to slip into a mode of wanting something in return. That feels icky for you and the other person. Rather than thinking about other people as a potential client, resource or supporter, think of making friends with them. Find common ground and interests. You will be more genuine and you’ll feel better about your interactions. This makes networking much more worthwhile.
  5. Speak to someone without having a purpose. This is especially true while at work. Introverts tend to focus on their work and speak with a purpose in mind. That’s all good, but you also need to branch out. Make a point of chatting with someone for just a couple of minutes without having a specific purpose. Keep in mind that when it comes to relationships the biggest commodity you are trading is your time and attention. Networking or building relationships at work is one of the most important things you will do. It’s critical for your ongoing success.
  6. Follow up. When you meet someone and you feel a connection, make the first move. We are inherently lazy creatures especially when it comes to communication with others. We like this new person and even think about contacting them, but we rarely do. You are doing the other person a favor by following up and following through to make contact for further interaction. If you email them, you may also need to make a phone call, as email habits and technology cannot be relied upon.
  7. Follow up again. You’ve met for coffee and are now thinking they should call you for the next interaction. Maybe, but don’t count on it. Wait for some period of time and if you don’t hear from them, call. I know of a few people who consider me their best friend. They never call and they also love the fact that I do. Be prepared to carry an unequal weight of building a relationship.

You may never love networking or the act of building ongoing, new relationships, but with these simple actions, you will be a networking rock star.

Getting ahead as an introvert doesn’t have to be painful or difficult. I continue to share great ways to make it to the top as the climbing manager you are. Learn these skills and others that will accelerate your career. I offer an ongoing FREE newsletter full of valuable career advice and insight. When you sign up for it, you will also gain access to “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” the eworkbook to improve your job where you are today.

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This is brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, Introvert Whisperer & Climbing Manager Champion at: www.nextchapternewlife.com.

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a certified life and career coach. She works with aspiring professionals who are looking for career growth, advancement and entry into the “C” suite. As well, she works with people to overcome the sometimes daunting task of changing careers. With over 21 years in management, Dorothy has coached, trained and guided other professionals who have gone on to impressive and fulfilling careers. Her personal philosophy about careers is: “It’s not JUST a job; it’s half your life – so love your career”. You can check out her resources, blog and services at Next Chapter New Life and MBA Highway.

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