Networking for Job Searches
If you are a sales and marketing professional thinking about initiating a new job search, make sure that you focus on the power of networking. If you work in sales and marketing, you already understand how important the network effect is for getting new business, or finding new prospects. So as you start your job search, use that knowledge to your advantage by developing a very strong networking plan that will multiply the number of opportunities for new positions that come towards you. In the world of networking there are people who know how to do it right and people who do it wrong. Here, we’ll be exploring a lot of the do’s and don’ts. But I’m going to start with the most important “DO” and that is as follows: Make sure to remember that networking is about building relationships, and relationships require a balanced give/get. If you are a taker and not a giver, you won’t get very very far, particularly when it comes to networking. The best way to get referrals from people is to give them. So if you’re looking for a job, always remember the following in the relationship-building process: First, every contact becomes a relationship that you want to retain over the long term. If you’re seriously interested in building a network through your job search, why wouldn’t you want to retain it once you found a new position? Maintaining your network after you’ve completed your job search is a very powerful tool for continuing to enhance your career profile. Keeping these relationships can help you throughout the duration of your career. Lots of job seekers engage in networking only as long as it takes for them to find a job and then quickly lose touch with all of the people they met along the way. What if you could harness the power of those relationships and bring them along with you into your career? That’s the real power of networking. Second, remember that when you’re out there networking with people, you’re asking people to share their time, their contacts, their ideas and suggestions. You’re asking for their help. If you want to ask a stranger for help, what would be the number one thing that you could do in order to make sure that stranger is willing to help you? Well naturally the answer is to offer to help them. So make sure that every time that you complete a networking discussion with an individual that has just given you help, or perhaps given you a lead for a new job opportunity, make sure to ask them “what can I do to help you?” In addition, when you’ve landed in a new job, make sure to follow up with everybody who’s helped you along the way and thank them for their assistance in your job search. Make sure to send them your new contact information and let them know where you’ve landed. I have numerous candidates that come through my office, asking for contacts and referrals and after they’ve taken from me I never hear from them again. I find those kind of people to be the ones that I really don’t want to help. They are takers and not givers. If you really want people’s help, think about what it is that you’re going to do for them, and proactively ask them: “how can I help you?” These are some of the basic give-get rules of networking, which if applied properly to your job search will help you to get better leads, better referrals and better job opportunities in your chosen field. Cube Management helps companies accelerate their sales, by providing the Sales & Marketing talent they need to grow their business. Cube is a leading recruiting and consulting partner to mid-market and emerging growth companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. We work across the spectrum of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, providing holistic solutions that drive revenue and profit success. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process and People, to produce great results. Download the Cube Management Recruiting Guide and the Cube Management Inside Sales Guide. |
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