A friend of mine is a corporate recruiter, and he often
speaks with my students at the college and job seekers in my agency’s job
clubs. He provides a lot of excellent
advice but says one thing in every presentation that really resonates. He says, “How is anyone supposed to know that
you are looking for a job if you don’t tell anybody?” The truth is that all of us have network
contacts that are willing to help and who are in a position to provide leads,
but we rarely speak up and ask for help.
In the words of Eminem, “Times are tough and they’re getting even
harder.” It’s time to park the pride and
start utilizing your existing network contacts to generate job leads, referrals
and employment information. Many people
will assume that they do not have a network or an opportunity to network, but
the reality is that most people are networking everyday…they just don’t realize
it. Here are some simple, practical tips
for utilizing your existing network in an effort to improve your job search
results.
Personal Contacts
Personal contacts are the most likely people to provide job
leads. They just need to know you are
looking. And, you need to speak up to let them know. Start off by simply thinking about all of
your social activities. Then make a list of all of the people you interact with
during this time. These activities may
include a bowling league, parent-teacher association, youth sports team, church
group or book club. Pull out your laptop
or a sheet of paper. Use each of your social activities as a heading; list all
of the names of your connections under each heading. Once you have done this, create a general
category titled, “Personal Contacts.”
Under this heading, list the names of friends, relatives, neighbors,
etc. Once you have all of the names listed, gather contact information. Add email addresses and phone numbers to each
of the people you have included in your lists.
Start to reach out.
Offer a cup of coffee or lunch to your closest friends and
relatives. Perhaps other acquaintances
get an email letting them know you are in the market for a new job. You will be surprised. Once you put out the
word that you are looking, information will naturally begin to flow your
way. Even if you do not talk with these
folks on a regular basis, if they learn about a job that is a good fit for you,
you will immediately come to mind.
That’s when the calls, leads and referrals will begin falling into your
lap.
Educational Contacts
Every job seeker should look for and join their college or
high school alumni association. Most
have online groups at either LinkedIn or Facebook. College Alumni Associations tend to be more
active than most high school alumni associations because typically a college or
university has events that attract alum such as basketball or football games. It is easier, in most cases, for a college
alumni association to participate in or host events in conjunction with what is
already happening at the college. In
either case, the online groups that these associations create and manage are
usually very active. More importantly, they are typically filled with people
who are either job searching or looking to hire! A LinkedIn introduction to your college
alumni association will certainly generate interest and leads. Looking back over the last ten years of
running my own business, almost every contract or job I have landed has evolved
from a relationship with a fellow Duquesne University Alum (short plug for my
alma mater.)
Beyond the associations, job seekers should return to the
‘list’ method mentioned above. Think
about previous professors, classmates, etc.
Reach out to learn what your teachers and classmates are up to these
days. You do not even have to reach out
for a job. Just get into contact with
the people by letting them know you are curious about what THEY are doing these
days. People love to talk about
themselves. And, honestly, most people
love to help. Let the conversations
progress naturally, and it will almost always meet your needs.
Also, contact your school’s career services department. I do not care if you graduated 20 years ago;
you paid for this service. Most of us
are still paying for it! Give career services a call, and see what type of help
they can provide to alumni.
People You Do
Business With
I know. You are unemployed…you’re not doing business with
anyone, right? Well, let me ask you
this. Is there a regular place at which
you get your hair done? Is there a local
auto shop to which you take your car for maintenance? Do you rent an apartment? Trust me.
Your landlord is more interested in you working than any other person in
America! The point is, working or not working,
we all do business everyday with people whose own livelihoods rely on our
business. Now, I’m not talking about
Walmart or Target; they’re getting a little bit of everybody’s money. I am talking about the small Mom & Pop
Shops that rely on your dollar. Make another list of all of the people with
whom you do business. Then, start
planting your message.
The next time you are in the barber’s chair, mention to your
barber how much you like coming in once a month for a trim and a shave. Then, let him or her know that you are going
to have to cut back (no pun intended) to every other month. I guarantee you that the next time you see
your barber he or she says something to this effect: “Hey, you still looking
for a job? I just heard about…” You can
choose to be subtle or direct in this approach.
It all depends on your comfort level.
The point is, make sure you mention that you are looking. Chances are the person you are talking with
has been in the same situation themselves.
And, they really do not want to lose your business. This will help you to put some extra sets of
eyes and ears out there on the streets looking for job leads.
People You Have
Helped
Once upon a time, you helped out somebody else. You either provided someone a good job lead
or gave your buddy a ride to the grocery store.
Do not let these people hide out during your time of need. Apollo Creed cashed in his favor to
Rocky. You should cash in your favors,
too. Get back to your lists, and make
another category titled, “People I Have Helped.” List all of the people you have helped in
some way or another. These should
include people to whom you have given sales leads, those you have supported in
some way, and definitely those to whom you have given viable job leads. It may sound like a joke, but all of these
people are going to be happy to return the favor. But they will not know that you need help
unless you tell them.
In Conclusion
I have said it before and I will say it again: A closed
mouth doesn’t get fed. The moment you
fall behind on your bills due to a lack of work is not the moment to be shy
about asking for help. We are all
currently living through the strangest economic times that any of us may ever
face. Malcolm X, in his famous Ballot or
the Bullet speech, is quoted as saying, “We’re all in the same bag…all in the
same boat.” Everybody is trying to earn
a living. Job seekers, speak up. When you get back on your feet, you will have
the opportunity to pay it forward to somebody else. Just like Rocky returned the favor to Apollo.
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