Zap That Fear Of Networking!
by David G. Jensen, Search Masters International
In the biggest selling career book of all time, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" , author Richard N. Bolles goes into a great deal of discussion about the typical job search and how the resumé mailing game can put an otherwise sensible job seeker into a lull. It feels like you are making progress in your search by mailing out resumes, but it can keep you from pursuing other -- more reliable -- methods of finding a new position.
Bolles refers to the process as a "numbers game," and advises: "This job hunting system slowly and systematically strips men and women of their self-esteem, and leaves them feeling devalued and discarded by our society." And to someone who has learned the hard way from personal experience, I can agree. Sending hundreds of pieces of yourself away to companies that never respond is not a great way to begin a job search. I cringe whenever I look at the pile of unanswered mail in my office, because I know that we too are leaving this impression behind on job-seekers.
"The greater number of auxiliary avenues used by the job-hunter, the greater the job-finding success. It makes sense, therefore, to know all the avenues that are open to you, how they work and what their limitations are, so that you can choose which avenue or avenues you want to use. You will then be in the driver's seat about these matters, as you should be," continues Bolles.
One of the best known of those other avenues of finding a job is the process of maximizing your leads through your own personal contacts, otherwise known as "networking."
Here's how the outplacement firm of Drake Beam Morin Inc. stacked up the results for their candidates:
- 8% found their job by doing a mass mailing of their resume and a cover letter
- 9% by answering an ad
- 15% through a search firm's activities, and
- 68% found their new job by networking through personal contacts
Your Questions and Concerns About Networking
Q. One of my "fears" of job seeking is the networking process. Calling up people I know and asking them for a job is about as appealing to me as going for a root canal. What is the best way to avoid this unpleasantness and yet still have new job opportunities arise?
A. Why would you want to avoid a process which is the single best way to get yourself in front of hiring managers? Networking is consistently proven to be the job-seeker's best method of generating leads. It isn't answering ads, it isn't recruiters. It's good, old-fashioned cold-calling.
Don't feel alone, however. More people express concern over this part of a job change than even the interview itself. This might be because in the process of networking you are actually pushing yourself into uninvited territory, while the interview has some familiarity and comfort due to the fact that both parties know the routine. You were asked to show up. [On the other hand, when you call on old acquaintance Dr. Smith -- whom you only knew for ten minutes at an industry cocktail party -- both of you can feel quite uncomfortable if the only message you impart is "I'm looking for a job."]
The best kind of networking is rooted in the information gathering process. Instead of calling Dr. Smith and asking if he or his department is hiring, consider the fact that most anyone will want to help if the caller is respectful of the person's position and time. In other words, call that person and ask a brief question or two about something that they know well, and one that they can answer briefly. For example:
"I'd like to write a personal letter to your department head for the BioAnalytical Chemistry department. Can you take a moment to tell me who is responsible for the team that develops bioassays at ABC Technologies?"
or,
"I've been affected by a layoff, Jim, and was hoping you could take a moment to help me dig up the name of your VP of Development. My guess is that although you aren't hiring at the moment, that person would at least like to see my credentials." Basically, since 90% of the contacts you network with will answer that they aren't hiring at the moment, it takes a bit of strain off the caller to acknowledge this in advance.
Q. Do you think it is worthwhile to pursue networking down to the level of the college professors and mentors from the early days of one's career?
A. Not only is it worthwhile, but there may be some real gold that you can dig out of that old rolodex. Let me explain why you will most likely want to include not only your advisor, but also a number of other well-known names in your area of expertise -- both from your past as well as those who you may not know personally.
I'm sure that you realize there is a core group of individuals from both academia and industry who make up the "center of influence" for your particular niche. Who is it in your field who would be responsible for a national congress of specialists in your science, for example? Are there "name" Professors or industry managers who come up whenever the discussion turns to your field? You know that your own advisor is worth talking to about your desired new position, but so is a short list of others who are considered to be in the major league. Networking with these few doesn't mean getting on the phone with them. In this case, most of the time a well-written letter describing your interests and experience is all that is required.
Here's the key point: When hiring managers start the word of mouth process to find out who is available for an opening in their department, they always contact those professionals who are most "in the know" about a particular niche. In a sense, they do "reverse networking." The same holds true for recruiters. In a ten minute conversation that I had recently with a department chair at Harvard, he referred several people who he had heard from recently who are in the job market. The difference is that he referred them as opposed to recommending them.
When you contact these "centers of influence" for your field, you will not earn a recommendation like the one that this same fellow gave his star post-doc. But, your letter might end up in a file folder that gets pulled out at just the right time -- and being successful in the job market seems to be more and more about being in the right place at the right time.
Q. I'm not a very outgoing person, and have always felt that this networking process is one that works best for the "sales type" personality. Is there anything you can suggest that will help me in the process in light of the fact that I have a hard time selling myself?
A. There is a subtle but important difference between selling yourself and making your strengths known to others. In order to make an impact on someone in an interview or in a networking call, you must know how to express your qualifications in a positive light. This isn't hard-core selling, it is simply a necessary part of self-promotion. So, you'd better start getting comfortable with that process soon!
Think of the networking process as an information-gathering step, much like setting up an important experiment. Gather all the names and details that you can. It will be amazing how fast your list of contacts will grow. As you start to prioritize these, you'll soon notice that some of the contacts will fall into the category of "job leads" while others will be "networking contacts."
Whenever a job lead turns up, you'll want to pursue it immediately, and with vigor. Part of that "vigor" will be expressing a fair amount of genuine enthusiasm, both for the opportunity as well as for your ability to bring something to the table. If you'd like more information on learning skills to "sell" yourself, check out some of the other titles on our web site. Personally, I consider the fear of self-promotion to be a major hurdle for many in science careers.
In Conclusion
It's obvious from the questions and comments that we get about networking that this is one of the most difficult and uncomfortable parts of the job-seeking process. It doesn't come easy to anyone. And yet, we all do it. From CEO's down to lab technicians, the process of finding a new job through networking has become ingrained into the job hunting system in this country.
Networking is a lot like going swimming in an ice cold pool. Many would prefer to dip their toes in, and wade around a bit before going further. I've always found that the really successful job-seekers have somehow crossed this discomfort zone and are seeing the results of their efforts. In fact -- right now -- someone with a similar background and qualifications as you is out there making his or her way through a long list of networking contacts.
Why don't you take the plunge as well?
Author:
Dave Jensen
500 Foothills South, Suite 2
Sedona, AZ 86336
To reach Search Masters International, contact
career@searchmastersinternational.com
(630) 663-9140
Contact the author for reprint permission:
david_g_jensen@yahoo.com
Reference:
1. "What Color Is Your Parachute?", page 12, Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1970