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What to Say When you First Meet People and How to Follow up.

Tuesday, 19 April 2005 16:00

Career Search Networking: What to say when you first meet people and how to follow up.

So far, we’ve talked about how to write a good resume, how to find the companies you want to communicate with in your career search and putting your plan into action. Now let’s talk about what to say to people you meet and how to follow up with them.

Again, let’s remember your competition, all 23,000,000 of them. How you are remembered determines how long it takes you to find a new career. You must separate yourself from the masses and be seen as unique.

Become a Consultant

If you are out of work, make yourself a consultant. A consultant is someone who takes on short term and long term assignments for a fee. Now isn’t that what most people do at work, at your job? Because today’s average tenure nationwide is down to 24-36 months, there really is not much difference between a consultant and an employee. That is, as long as you remember the great secret which is, “all things are negotiable.”

First, go out and get yourself some well-done, not cheap, business cards with a “good” email address. Avoid using the free emails like yahoo and hotmail, you’ll look unprofessional. Put your name, title – “consultant,” address, phone, cell, email address, and company name (“Your name & Associates”) on your business card.

Before we begin however, let’s talk about a rule to which you must adhere while presenting yourself to businesses as a consultant. Rule No. 1, “Never do a bait and switch.” By that I mean, don’t present yourself as a consultant to get in the door and then hand them your resume for employment. That’s dishonest and foolish. You can present yourself as a consultant for short or long term assignment under a “temporary to permanent” role. One in which they may hire you on as full time at a later date.

Your mission as a consultant is to find an opportunity that is either short term or long term. If your goal is long term, that’s ok but find something for the short term just in case your career search takes longer than you have planned. To determine your hourly fee, take your last year’s salary, divide by 2080 hours to determine your cost per hour. Then take that number and multiply it by 1.75 to cover tax and profit. Example: With a $75,000 salary divided by 2080 hours your cost is $36.05 X 1.75 for labor burden, you should charge $63.10 per hour. That’s $2,524 a week or $131,248 a year.

By the way, some companies for tax reasons might have a problem with hiring individuals. There is a quick and easy solution to this barrier. Form a Sub Chapter S Corp. and the barrier will be removed. You can get a kit at Office Depot and your local government will help you fill out the business license forms.

Now, let the marketing begin. Don’t worry, it’s easy and the following scripts are tried and true. From your list of contacts we talked about previously, put together a call list of 100 hundred companies. Please believe me, you DO need 100 and not all of them must be giant corporations. 80% of all opportunity is within small business. That’s 100% true. Plus, 80% of all layoffs and outsourcing terminations are from large corporations.

Next, take out your “reasons to hire” list and get comfortable. Use the following introduction script and the follow up scripts as necessary. Practice by taking to your dog first then to real people.

Introduction Script

First, sitting in front of your computer, bring up the website of the company you are about to call and review it. Call only after you know something about the company.

If the person you contact tells you they are in a meeting but tell to go ahead anyway, tell them you don’t want to bother them now and will call back.

Keep it Simple

If you get a yes, great, have at it. Get ready to go sit down and talk.

If not give him or her a very brief intro of what you do and ask if he knows of anyone that might need your services. Ask for his email address and tell him you would like to send him a BIO so he will have it in case someone comes to mind later that might need your services.

If the company that said NO is of great interest to you, and you have successfully gotten an email address from the person you talked to, send him or her monthly reminders of who you are and what you can do for them. Include a comment about something, an interest item you have recently discovered concerning their company. Also, don’t forget, the best follow up is the personal phone call. Never give up on something you really want. Keep calling monthly until you succeed.

Follow up call

Or write a script saying something along those lines. The point is, for companies you have a continued interest in, you want to make monthly follow up calls to keep yourself on their radar. They may not need you today but they might need you tomorrow. You will never know if you never call them back. And, make certain you send a follow up email for every call you make, even when you don’t speak with anyone.

This approach has worked for hundreds of people whom I have coached over the past 20 years and I know it will work for you too. Let me hear how your career search proceeds or if you need any help just send me an email at careerhelp@dmrnet.com.

Happy Hunting

Don M. Reid has been a Career Coach for over 20 years and teaches Career Search Workshops for executives, managers, project managers, programmers, accountants, pencil pushers and rocket scientists. Mr Reid is President of DMReid & Associates www.dmrnet.com, a national retained services executive search firm headquartered in Brentwood TN. www.dmrnet.com

You can reach Don by email at careerhelp@dmrnet.com

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