Career Doctor Articles

With the kind permission of the Career Doctor, jfo is able to bring you a series of articles to help you in your work situation and longer term career management

Successful Networking

Over the years I have helped quite a number of my clients find a new job by coaching them in the right way to use networking as a self-marketing tool. But it has been an uphill struggle for some, as the very concept of networking seems to be almost an obscene thought, and something us Brits just don’t do!

It seems that the bashful British would rather stay unemployed or in a job they loathe, rather than use one of the most successful ways of finding new employment. Why should we be so reticent about networking?

Perhaps its because it has an American connotation, and it is fashionable to knock all things American. Yet we eat their food, listen to their music and watch their movies. So what does it matter if an idea has a transatlantic flavour? As for me, if something works - as networking undoubtedly does - then why not use it enthusiastically, irrespective of its origin?

In this article I will show you how to network properly, and leave you to decide whether you wish to use this very effective self-marketing method.

THE SAWMILL MANAGER

I usually introduce my clients to networking by telling them that I need to brainwash them into believing that networking is a very powerful tool in the job-seeker’s kitbag. I do this by telling them a few inspirational success stories. If you believe something works you will practice it enthusiastically.

I had a client who had been made redundant from his job as a sawmill manager. In that job he had been earning about £24,000 pa. I told him how to network professionally, and he began this the very next day. He got a hot tip from a friend of a friend, followed it up with the CV that I had prepared for him, and then had a 45 minute telephone interview from the organisation’s headquarters in Seattle, USA.

This led to a flight to Seattle, an in-depth interview - for which I had previously coached him in interviewee techniques - and a flight back to England with a job offer of £50,000 pa. What was most impressive was that the whole process from starting as my client to getting that job offer took only four weeks.

THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER

A very similar story, also involving a trip to America, was about the manager of a golf course. He had come to me, bored with the golf club, and wanted my help to find a new career. I coached him in networking and interviewee techniques, gave him a completely new CV and off he went to pester the world.

Through a friend of a friend (multiplied several times) he eventually met a lady who worked in London for America’s largest supplier of bottled gas. She knew of a vacancy that my client was ideally suited to. As a direct result of this lady’s initiatives, my client was flown out to Houston, Texas, to meet the owner of the company, and flew back to England with a job offer paying a salary of £95,000 pa. I was definitely flavour-of-the-month with him!

THE ADMINISTRATOR

One last story to brainwash you, concerns a lady this time, and no flights to America for an interview either. Though that’s not entirely true, as you will soon see.

My client was employed as an £18,000 a year administrator but wanted a completely new career as her work was not challenging enough. But what could she do other than administration? We used our unique career redirection system and as a result she decided that she would like a career in Human Resources. However she had no degree, no HR qualifications, and not a shred of HR experience. A bit of a tall order you might think.

Again I prepared her new CV and coached her in networking techniques. Through a friend of a friend (becoming familiar?) her new CV was put on the desk of a local HR Manager, resulting in the offer of an interview. I coached her on how to be a successful interviewee, and she sailed through the interview with the HR Manager, coming out of that with the offer of employment as an HR officer on a £24,000 pa salary.

It gets better than that. The company then flew her to America and Canada for training and sponsored her to study for the HR qualification. And she got that job offer after just six weeks from starting as a client of my career consultancy.

I could tell you about many more success stories involving networking, but I think these three should be sufficient to encourage you to believe that networking should have a prominent place in your self-marketing kitbag.

THE WRONG WAY

Having hopefully convinced you that networking is a good way of finding new employment, let us now look at how not to network

Most people play at networking by chatting to a few friends, telling them of their problems and asking if they know of any suitable vacancies. The usual reply from the friend is something along the line “I don’t know of any vacancies at the moment, but if I hear of anything I will let you know.”

Most people would accept that, and leave it up to the friend, hoping to hear some good news at some time in the future. Not very proactive is it? And, more to the point, the amateur networker has not widened his / her network of contacts, and has in fact dead-ended with that friend.

THE RIGHT WAY

Start by identifying all the people you know and use these as a starting point for your networking campaign. List your friends, neighbours, relatives, members of your sports club, church or society. What about people you know who share your interest or hobby? You could include former work colleagues in your list, but be careful. Only confide in those who can be trusted to keep your secret and who will not tell your employer that you are trying to change career. The key thing to remember that it does not matter what job the contact does, as you want your contact to give you the names and addresses of his / her friends, relatives and neighbours, etc.

So if your neighbour is, say, a car mechanic, and you want to change career and become a journalist, you might assume that it is not worth talking to the mechanic as it is unlikely that he (or she) would know of any vacancies for a journalist. Not so. The mechanic’s brother, friend, or snooker partner might be a journalist.

It is better to meet as many of your contacts as you can, and then tell them about your career aspirations. Ask each contact for his / her help and advice as to how you could get a break into journalism. Then comes the crunch. Ask the contact if he can think of anyone he / she knows who could help you get a job as a journalist. Try to encourage the contact to give you two names and addresses of people he / she knows who might be able to help you in your mission.

Then you contact these people who will, of course, be total strangers to you. Start by saying that Brian (the car mechanic) suggested you should contact him / her and then ask that person for help, advice and two other contacts. If you started your network with 50 friends, neighbours and relatives the theory is that they should be able to give you the names and addresses of 100 people who will be new to you. These new contacts should then be able to give you a further 200 names and addresses, and so on. If you keep on networking diligently there is no doubt you will end up being interviewed for what you are seeking.

At no stage should you ask the person you are speaking to if he / she knows of any vacancies for a journalist. That is embarrassing for both you and the contact. Naturally if the contact did know about a vacancy for a journalist he / she would soon tell you! You should also offer to supply a copy of your CV if your contact would like to see it. So make sure it is a good one.

I do go further than this when I advise my clients about networking techniques, but I can’t give away all of my trade secrets for nothing!

Good luck!

The Career Doctor is Eric Hearn, Chartered MCIPD and Managing Director of Milverton Career Solutions Ltd, Ascot, Berkshire, UK.

Contact details:
Tel: 01344 624383
Email: milvertoncareers@btconnect.com
Website: www.careerdevelopment.co.uk