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Career Search Networking: Putting The Plan Into Action

Monday, 14 March 2005 16:00

Last month we talked about how to write a good resume and the month before that we discussed how to find the companies you want to communicate with in your career search. How let’s talk about how to get the production wheels going and put your career search plan into action.

First of all, let’s discuss your competition, all 23,000,000 of them. That’s approximately the number of people who are currently searching for new careers using the web. To successfully complete a search and secure the opportunity you are seeking, you must set yourself apart from the masses. Always remember, people hire people, not resumes.

Your resume, as we have previously discussed, should be your marketing tool and not a document chronologically listing your past jobs and responsibilities. Use your best “marketing tool” to get you in the door of the hiring authorities you have chosen. Did you see the musical comedy Chicago and if so do you remember the skit called Razzel-Dazzel? Richard Gere, the attorney renowned for always winning in court, was successful not because of the strength of his case but rather because of the presentation of the case. No matter how poor the odds, his presentation always carried him through.

Don’t get me wrong, credentials and talent are important and most certainly critical to your success in any position. However, unless you present yourself properly and uniquely, all the talent in the world will not help you land a new career. It is imperative you separate yourself form the masses and attract the attention of your targeted hiring authority. You must be perceived as someone who is unique and of great potential value to her team. Remember, every person hiring another person is hoping to make a great hiring decision and find that perfect person who is absolutely right for the position. Perfect for the task at hand and perfectly able and capable of accomplishing the goals set out by the boss’s boss.

The hiring authority, fearful of making a wrong decision, typically determines who to hire by screening resumes. The resume screening process is so totally subjective that there is absolutely no way to determine how to properly present your resume for consideration. Each person has their own perception of the ideal resume and the screener is looking for specific things. Notice I said “ideal resume” and not ideal person. Further, I used the word, “things” and not something more concrete. When someone is screening resumes, they are not looking for the ideal YOU. Resumes are typically used to screen people out and not into the hiring process.

The phrase, “People hire people, not resumes”, in itself suggests that the entire hiring process is also subjective. And bank on it, IT IS. People hire people they are attracted to in some way, impressed with and people hire people they are comfortable with. When they look at your resume alone, they are hard pressed to find comfort they seek from your personality. The written word, strong as it may be, can never overtake the advantage of the personally delivered word.

So, let’s get down to the brass tacks of the job search and down to making the dreaded phone calls to total strangers. The best of the best in marketing organizations dislike cold calls as much as anyone but they do them because they know that cold calls lead to the path of success. However, they have something you don’t have, a script that makes the cold call more of a professional networking call.

A script, (writing down in advance what you intend to say), gives you several advantages over the individual not using one. First of all, you don’t fumble and forget what you are trying to say. You don’t end up, after the call, saying to yourself that you wished you had said this or that or wonder why in the world you made the call in the first place. Second, when you preplan and write down what you are about to say, your mind remains in listening mode so you can properly interpret the nuances of the responses you hear. And I’m sure we can all agree that listening is the key to communications.

Writing a script is not as difficult as you may think. But please let me say from vast personal experience in networking, there is never a “silver bullet” script that is the end all script of scripts. You may have a different script for each day, or for each mood or for each call. Whatever you decide is adequate, simply write what feels natural to you and stick to it when you make the call.

Your script should be of no more than 18-22 seconds. 90% of all people evaluate strangers within the first 15 seconds of the conversation. Past that, they are ready to move onto something else. Unless you hit your target quickly you are wasting your time and in many cases ruining a potentially good contact or opportunity. Your script should have a quick and polite introduction, a clear purpose and a call for action with a polite ending.

“Hello, my name is Don Smedley, I’m a XXX consultant and I’m calling to introduce myself to you. Do you have a moment?“ Answer: “Sure, how can I help you.”

Consultant? Where did that come from you say? Well, let’s see here. You’re out of work right? Looking for an income? Ok… Would you take a temporary job at say $60-$100 an hour until the right thing comes along? I would. And it certainly is easier talking to someone as a consultant than it is as an unemployed person. (Note: Today’s national average tenure is 30-36 months. Isn’t such a short period of time more of a consulting opportunity than a career opportunity?) So, now you’re a consultant looking to make contact with someone who can use you on a temporary or long term basis. Go out and get business cards with your name on them and the title CM Consultant below your name. Use your home address and your cell phone.

“I appreciate your time and I’ll be brief. I am a consultant specializing in (five to seven words), and I was hoping I could drop by, hand you my card and chat for a few minutes. I would like to tell you about what I do and see if you know of anyone who might need my talents. (If asked more about what you do, state accomplishments only, not job descriptions. Mention you are looking for short term as well as long term opportunities.) ”

There’s an old saying amongst networking people. “Some will, some won’t, so what, next.” Some of the people you talk to will agree to see you. Some of them won’t and will shut you out completely. So what – oh well… Next, it’s simply time to move onto the next networking contact. Take advantage of those contacts who will meet with you and if you find they have nothing for you ask them if they know of someone who might. Those that shut you out are simply saying no at the present time and may be of value to you later. Communicate with them again at a later date if necessary.

The bottom for you is that you must set yourself apart from the 23,000,000 other candidates who are all looking for the same thing you are, a new career. You can only do that with direct communications with the people who are in a position to hire you. That is not the HR manager or the secretary or necessarily the person you know who knows someone in the company. Though the others are important, you have to get directly in touch with the “hiring authority” and you have to make an impact with 18-22 seconds of first contact. Be Prepared!

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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