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Leveraging your professional network… are you making this mistake…
Following on from our ‘Building your professional network’ article in last fortnight’s edition of x-Press, I had a number of emails from people asking about the best way to approach their contacts in order to find out about possible job opportunities and continue to increase their list of contacts.
Many people think leveraging their direct network of contacts is the only way to source possible job opportunities. If this is what you are currently doing, then you are missing out on numerous potential opportunities. Don’t make the same mistake by thinking that when we refer to networking it is only your direct network that can support you in tapping into the hidden job market.
When thinking about making contact with your professional network it is important to realise that the people in your direct network may not know of potential job opportunities, however the people in their direct professional network may. So when making contact with them, it is important that you continue building your potential list of contacts by tapping into your contacts’ wider network.
For instance, you may know ‘Joe’ who is in your direct network, however Joe does not know of any potential job opportunities. Joe however knows ‘Peter’ who works within the HR department for a very large organisation in the industry that you are trying to tap into. So in your discussions with Joe, it is important that you are able to get Peter’s contact details so that you can connect with him. Peter would be considered part of your ‘extended’ network. When making contact with Peter, it is important that while introducing yourself, you mention ‘Joe’ and that he recommended you get in contact with Peter.
Here are a few more strategies to support you in leveraging your professional network, so that you too, can tap into the hidden job market.
Preparation:
Before you make contact with any person within your network it is important to:
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Understand exactly what type of information you are seeking, as being too vague could confuse and irritate your contact;
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Be able to state what it is you do professionally and in one or two very brief sentences;
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Have a clear plan to follow from opening introductions (to establish rapport), and during your meeting (so as not to forget which crucial pieces of information you are seeking).
Some Do Nots:
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Overstay your welcome. Aim for your meeting to last no longer than 15-20 minutes. If the meeting is progressing well and is approaching that time, and you still have one or two more questions, seek permission to continue for a little while longer, otherwise maintain the original timeframe.
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Unashamedly sell and market yourself. While you want to portray confidence in your expertise and what you have to offer, your main goal is make a favourable impression on your contact and gather information that you can use during your job search. If you come across as brazen and arrogant, do you think they will pass on any names or details to you?
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Dominate the conversation. You are gathering information so should be listening intently on what your contact is telling you. Other than a short introduction and brief outline of your career objective, the rest of the conversation should be coming from your contact, who should (hopefully) be supplying you with information, further advice, and names of people who could possibly assist you in your campaign.
Some Dos:
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Establish and maintain rapport during your meeting in order to gain as much information from your contact as possible, AND leave a favourable impression long after you are gone. (You never know who that person may meet in the coming days/weeks and they may pass on your details.)
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Request further advice or referral names (see steps outlined below for example). Ask permission to use their name when introducing yourself to the prospective contact.
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Leave either a copy of your résumé and/or a personal business card with your contact details, and invite the person to contact you if they have any additional information/advice.
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Thank them
for their time and follow up with a
thank you note.
When contacting people, be prepared for knock-backs, as not everyone will be willing to talk to you. Do not take it personally, rather move on to the next contact.
Step 1:
Organise a meeting (in person, or if more convenient via the telephone). Obviously a vital component is that your contact would be willing to talk to you. This should be an informal meeting; you don’t want to put undue pressure on your contact. Your goal is to see if they are aware of suitable organisations or people who you can speak to, or any other information that you may find useful. Another benefit is to make them aware that you are currently looking for another job opportunity and for them to keep their eyes and ears open.
No matter who you meet, whether a relative, associate or person from down the street, be as professional and as courteous as possible. They are giving up their time to meet you so be respectful.
Step 2:
After explaining your situation to them and what you are targeting, be prepared to listen to what your contact has to say. Don’t discredit information they share as this could make them defensive and unwilling to assist you. Try to keep the subject centred on your target, however listen to what your contact has to say as the information may be a goldmine, or lead to a potential goldmine.
Step 3:
Aim to get a minimum of between one and two names of people you can contact; these referrals are essential to your job search. Perhaps ask your contact:
It’s easy to ask the first questions and if the response is ‘no’, it’s also easy to become disillusioned and therefore not bother to ask the other questions. Don’t become disillusioned – just ask!! If the answer is still no, don’t let this dishearten you. If the answer is yes, ensure you get the correct spelling of the lead’s name and contact numbers.
Step 4:
When you make contact with these people, ensure you mention who it was who referred you. For example, “Good morning, my name is [Name]; I’m a friend of [your friend’s name]. [He/She] suggested that I give you a call as [he/she] believes that you may be able to help me. I’m currently looking for a position as [role] and [name of friend] believes you may be able to provide me with some ideas …”
Then let the person contribute and go with the flow of the conversation. If they aren’t in a position to help you, you may ask them if they know of someone who might be … and your network grows with these four strategies, allowing you to tap into the hidden job market.
Step 5:
Send a thank you card to everyone who has provided you with information or helped you out in any way. This will also ensure that they have your details should they discover information that may be helpful to you. Even people who were not able to provide you with any further information should be sent a thank you for their time (with your contact details), and state your appreciation that should they discover any information that may be beneficial to you, to send it on.
Continued success! Till next fortnight!
If you feel you could benefit from additional coaching so that you can continue to leverage your professional network please feel free to contact me at: annemarie@annemariecross.com
To your success!
Annemarie
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number of different areas.
