So, you’ve gotten totally clear on your career goals, prepared your complete “executive portfolio” of self-marketing documents, and developed a detailed strategy for your search.
Now it’s time for “your feet to meet the street” – and that means NETWORKING! You’ll be spending most of your job search time networking with people who can help you reach the hiring managers inside the companies you’ve targeted. You can network over the phone, in person, via e-mail, or even over a cup of coffee or lunch.
The main thing to remember is that, in general, people want to help others. It makes them feel good to connect people with opportunities and information. And, of course, these people really are quite important to your career success! (Just as you may have been very important to the career success of others in the past – and certainly will be again in the future!)
Ninety percent of my clients land great jobs through their networks. It’s not worth risking those odds to NOT be continually networking! It should be the primary focus of everything you do. The quantity and quality of your networking time is directly related to the personal, professional, and financial satisfaction you’ll have in your next job – and your entire career.
Many clients have told me that networking intimidates them. They can’t understand why anyone would actually want to network with them, and they feel like they’re imposing on people – most of whom they don’t even know. Let’s review some of the reasons why someone would actually WANT to talk with you:
- They might (secretly) be looking for a job soon themselves, and they can learn from your approach.
- They might gain new information about their industry or their competition – plus other knowledge or perspective that you bring.
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