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You have heard over and over again that the key to a successful job search and long-term career advancement is networking. Almost every article touches on this fact. Emphasis is placed on the following fundamentals:
- develop a target list of companies and make contact with employees and, ultimately, hiring managers
- clearly articulate what you would like to do in a job (positioning statement)
- clearly explain why you are looking for your next job (exit statement)
- ask for additional networking names
This is a sound approach but it does not address the secret to networking. But before the secret is revealed, let’s examine the troubles with traditional job search-related networking.
Traditional networking
The standard and usually unsuccessful approach to networking focuses on you, the job seeker. After you have been laid off or even if you sense instability in your job and you want to get the word out that you are looking for a new job, you likely will polish off your resume (by the way, a resume is a poor networking tool; instead consider using a one-page biography) and send it out to your contact list. You will say to them that you need help, that you are looking for a job and want to meet with them.
Only your closest connections will agree to meet with you. Many second or third tier connections will not respond to your inquiry. Why? Because you have unknowingly demonstrated a very selfish and egocentric approach and have offered nothing of value. This is an approach that busy power connectors have no time for at all.
Power connectors are defined as highly visible, influential people in your industry community. They write articles, speak at large groups and serve in leadership positions in professional organizations. By nature, they know a lot of people and believe in the power of mutually beneficial relationships. These are the people you must meet.
Meeting new people may be hard for you. Your self-esteem may be low and you feel like you have little to offer. You don’t even know where to start.
Here is here how you begin to network to find your next position. You must create value for the other person through the secret to networking: giving. As counterintuitive as it sounds, when you need the most help, you should concentrate on helping others rather than yourself. Let’s explore this concept in more detail.
The secret to networking, giving
In the book, The Go-Giver, the authors, Bob Burg and John David Mann, outline The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. It is worthwhile to explore these laws in relationship to networking.
The five laws of stratospheric success
The Law of Value – Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than what you take in payment.
The Law of Compensation – Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
The Law of Influence – Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
The Law of Authenticity – The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
The Law of Receptivity – The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
If you choose to apply these laws to career management -related networking, the process can and should be fun and rewarding! You are no longer measuring your success strictly by how many interviews and job offers come your way (though they are important), but by how much value you are creating.
Start networking meetings not by talking about yourself and your situation, but rather by asking questions. Listen more. Create an upbeat aura about your transition – the exploration of your future career path and the great people who you meet along this journey. Ask how you can help.
Focus on helping the other person. This can take many different forms. For example:
- Send them an interesting, pertinent article
- Provide a book recommendation
- Supply networking connections for them
- Supply referrals if they are recruiting for other positions
- Offer to help someone else in their network
- Offer support for personal issues that surface during your conversation
The number of ways that you can give is boundless. You will surely stand out in a crowded market by being a shining example of a mutually beneficial networker.
Of course, ultimately, you are networking to help yourself, too. That is where the fifth law of stratospheric success comes into play. As you focus on giving, you must be open to receiving. After all the giving you are doing, your network will be bending over backwards to help you because it is human nature to help others who have helped you. Be open to receiving help and be clear about the help you are looking for. Ask for help and you will receive it, but only after you have given help. The secret to networking: create value for your network by giving to others.
Please leave a comment below and/or send me an email .
Matt
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About the Author
Matthew Levy is a well-rounded HR professional and career coach with fifteen years of broad experience in both specialist (e.g., recruiting) and generalist (e.g., HR business partner) roles at blue-chip companies, including Merck, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson.
Matt works full time as a Senior HR Generalist for Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development. Prior to J&J, Matt relocated his family to Southern California to take a position with Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company, where he led the talent acquisition function for Amgen’s commercial operations and corporate staff groups. Before Amgen, Matt spent several years at Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. There, Matt held a variety of positions in both recruiting and generalist capacities.
In addition to his full time work, Matt founded a career coaching practice, Corner Office Career Coaching. Matt works one-on-one with professionals and executives providing them with customized solutions to their career challenges. As a 20-year corporate HR professional with a large network who has also successfully conducted his own effective, cutting-edge job search, he is well qualified to help others reach their career goals.
Matt graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Business Management from Ithaca College. He is an actively engaged member of several professional organizations including the Philadelphia HR Planning Society where he is on the Board of Directors and the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executives Group. He also regularly gives presentations focused on job search and career management.
Matt lives in Doylestown, PA with his wife, daughter and son. He jogs through the Bucks County countryside to stay fit.
I disagree. Not with the stated problem, and not in principle on the solution, but in the timing. You don’t start networking, or try to restart networking, when you start looking for work. Networking is a state of mind. Offer benefits to people within your network while you’re not on a job search, and when the time comes for you to need their assistance, you will have many more “closest connections” to pull from.
I am always looking to help others, and consequently when I need assistance, my network pulls through for me. I learned this the hard way several years ago when I was basically on my own for a search. It took nearly a year. I made a bit of noise about needing to kick some tires two weeks ago, and I have interviews lined up already. Listen, I’m a good employee and will work hard, but I’m not a legend who gets to decide where he’s going to work, so these interviews wouldn’t be coming without my networking over the past three years. I don’t want an attempt at a pertinent article from someone who is a user as an inducement to help.
If you haven’t been building up a network over the years and you’re currently looking for work, I suggest another tactic. Don’t try to make yourself relevant now, but apologize for not being “useful” in the past, promise to improve, and essentially show some humility. You can only work with who responds, and humility is more likely to get a response, in my opinion, then an article or a book recommendation. Then, stick to your new found desire to network, it will pay off. The other items on the list are good ways to do just this, but you need the response first to make sure you’re relevant, and not just spamming.
Jason, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. This is exactly the purpose of this site – to spur dialog and debate along with tips, tricks and techniques for folks in job search mode and those who need to learn more about actively managing their careers.
I definitely support your point that if you have dropped off the networking scene and need to jump back into it, it is best to admit you dropped out and realize it is was a mistake.
Hopefully, readers will take note of the importance of always networking and managing their career proactively! Matt
Matt: I think your point is well taken, networking should be viewed as a long-term process, not a quick-fix approach to getting a job. Making a concerted effort to help someone or volunteer somewhere goes a long way to establishing relationships that can pay off for all in the end.
Frank, Thanks for stopping by with a comment. So true, it is a better approach to be continually networking than to wait until you are in a time of need. Matt
Matt, this is a compelling argument centered around the concept of being human and being altruistic. I agree with you and applaud you for insights that most career coaches tend to overlook. We need to be more humanistic in our approach to networking as opposed to treating it as a part of doing of business and at times feeling more like work. Keep up the great work.
Matt, another great blog! While I understand Jason’s point (and he is correct), the reality is that many people tunnel into their jobs and neglect networking until they’re out of a job. So many of us have been there (myself on four occasions), and we understand what happens once you’re back in the saddle. People from your past, old friends and colleagues, new friends you haven’t met understand and are typically very forgiving. There’s no time like the present to begin good habits. However, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve let your network slide. Get back on the horse, apologize, and start giving back. Thank you, Matt, for a terrific post!
Vicki, I love it – “don’t beat yourself up…get back on the horse, apologize…” That is great advice. Thanks for sharing it with all of us! Matt
Matt
Thanks for the great advice. It is good to know more about networking especially for a person who is not used to American ways of job searching.
Regards