Category Archives: Networking

New Networking Techniques

Posted on October 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

It’s not who you know, it’s who will help you that counts.

I tripled the effectiveness of my networking.  At times I have gotten more referrals than I have been able to process.  Here are the basics:

Yesterday I blogged about Nebraskan networking.  Key points are:

1. Ask the right question

Always ask:  Who do you know that can get me closer to the individual I need to talk to?

People want to help.  This is a non-threatening way to give help without being 100% correct. You will be surprised how this gets people to relax and help you.

2. You get more help from higher income people

Ask for help from people above the level you are working at.  Managers, experts, directors and CEO’s use networking every day.  They know the importance of sharing help. Often they will do much more for you than you ever expected.

3. A driving purpose or important result is necessary

In the Milgram study an extremely impressive document was being sent.  The perceived importance made people want to help.  Carefully script your request.  Make sure your need is important for others to help with and non-threatening.  Make sure they know that the next person in their network chain will feel honored to help.

4. Give people a way to report back

Make sure the person you ask for help has a way to tell you how they helped.  Send them an email with your thanks after you make the request.

Here=s an example of an email I have sent that got me more help than I have been able to keep up with:

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Subject: I need your help …

I need your assistance.  I know you’re not geographically placed right for all these, but you know people.

If you don’t know of someone you can refer to me, would you pass this on to a friend, colleague or associate whom you consider to be closer to this person? Then they can open the door of opportunity for the right person.

Two of my top clients are looking to expand their sales channel by hiring three people:

a long term care software and services salesperson out of Harrisburg, PA;

a hospital CE salesperson in the western PA/Ohio/western NY area;

and a computer services salesperson in Philadelphia.

Sales opportunities are “teed up” for these salespeople by a great reputation and a strong list of well known clients. These salespeople can expect to be earning over $100,000 a year by the end of the second year.  Base salary, benefits, etc. are what you would expect.

Can you get this request closer to the right person?

I sure appreciate your help.

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That is a simple letter and has been extremely effective.  You can create one as effective for your urgent need.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

Nebraskan Networking

Posted on October 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

It’s not who you know, it’s who will help you that counts.

196 people in Nebraska were sent a package and asked to forward it to anyone who might be able get it closer to a named stockbroker living near Boston. All they had was a name, an occupation, and a very general location. Milgram, a researcher, assumed: 1. Nebraskans know no one in Boston, 2. they would never complete the task.  Amazingly, those Nebraskans eventually got the packages to the stockbroker.

It took an average of 5 mailings to get each package to the right place.  Each mailing was to someone they thought might be closer to the final intended recipient.  That step is called a degree of separation.  This experiment is the basis that people use to claim you can get to anyone in the world in 6 steps.

Here is some more information that makes this study usable in a job search, sales or your career.

Milgram stacked the deck in his studies.  In previous experiments, lower income people often ended sending chains. Milgram recruited higher income people to start these chains. He made the package as impressive as possible by using a fancy Harvard document richly signed.  He asked each person in each step to send a reply card to him to track progress.  This was an experiment in getting strangers to help.

Tomorrow I will show you how I have been using these facts and results to expand my network dramatically.

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Something To Do Today

Go over your network list.  Who do you know.  How many people do you know.   Tomorrow I will show you how to dramatically increase your network effectiveness.

You might have fun reading  about Milgram’s studies. This article is the closest to the original documents that I can find. I got a free copy by googling milgram study original documentation. For some reason I can’t reproduce the link.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

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The Phantom Girl Scout Networking Mistake

Posted on September 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Last night my wife Laura got a call.  A woman called Laura’s cell phone, and Laura’s number is rarely given out.  The caller said, “I’m a Girl Scout raising money for a trip.” Laura heard something about cookies and knew that Girl Scouts don’t sell cookies in September.  The Caller-ID was blocked. The woman never identified herself. Hmm.  It sounded like a crank call or a con job.  So Laura firmly told the caller,  “Girl Scouts don’t sell cookies this time of year, I’m not interested.” Laura hung up.

A minute later Laura’s cell phone rang again with the same blocked ID.  Laura let it ring.  No reason to encourage crank calls.  When she got a voice message she listened.  An upset mother, who never identified herself, told Laura that she had no excuse to be so rude to her daughter.

So now we are trying to figure out who we offended. At this point we are not even sure cookies were mentioned.  Maybe Laura just assumed she said “cookies”.

The Job Search Application

You are a potential crank caller or con job when you call a hiring manager you don’t know.

That Girl Scout made a few critical mistakes:

  1. She didn’t identify herself
  2. She didn’t identify the person who sent her
  3. Her starting point was ambiguous
  4. She was calling at the wrong time of year
  5. She was “not human”

Number 5 is the real problem.  By having a problem with the first 4, she guaranteed that Laura did not see her as a human, but as a threat, crank call, or con artist.

When you are calling to network, be very clear who you are and who sent you.  Let the person know exactly why you are making this particular call.  Realize that they probably do not have a job for you – it is the wrong time of year.

To turn yourself into a human.  First say in 10 seconds or less you are job hunting.  Less is better. They will tell you if they have a job opening. Then give them something they can easily help you with.  Ask them to recommend a business association, certification, trade publication, online community, or to link to you in LinkedIn. Get their email so you can send them contact information in case they think of something else.

Thank them for their time and hang up.

Send them a thank you email.  Now put them on your list.  Make a few notes so that they are human to you too.  Figure out what would interest them that you can do for them every 2 to 3 weeks.  Every time they see an email or hear from you, you become more human.  Every time you help them, they want to help back.

Don’t be a Phantom Girl Scout.  Be a human.  Get them to like you and want to help you.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

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2 Ways To Turn Certifications Into Jobs – one is tricky

Posted on September 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.  (Bohr)

Certifications can definitely get you a job interview.  They can also get you laughed at.  BS, MBA and PhD are all certifications.  So are CPA, CISSP, MCSE, MCAD, MCST, CNE and CPC.

The most amazing certification chameleon has been MCSE-Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.  At first it was a sure key to a quick job and pay raises.  Then schools popped up all over and it became a joke. People with no aptitude nor experience in computers applied for a job as an MCSE.  Now, MCSE is regaining a little luster if you have a good solid background.

You should find out which certifications will help you get a raise, a new job, or a promotion.  The best way is to ask.

WAIT! Don’t just ask, network.  This is a great excuse to network. Ask to talk with your boss and his boss about it.  If there is a company you would like to work for, find managers there and ask them to lunch.  Make appointments to talk with experts for 10 minutes of career help.  Find out what certifications they prize.  Call up recruiters and ask them.

So,  those 2 ways are….

  1. Put the certification on your resume.
  2. Network by asking which certifications would help you the most.

Even if you think you know the answer, call one person a day to ask which certifications would be most useful for you.  It is a GREAT question that hiring managers will want to answer for you.

Once you find the certifications that will do you the most good, get one.  Then call everyone back you asked about certifications and let them know what you have done.

The right certification will turn those networking leads into gold.

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Something To Do Today

Networking time.  Call some managers, recruiters and people you respect.  Ask them what certifications would be best in your field.  Ask them which certifications will get you the NEXT job you want. Track every single person you talk to so you can get back to them later.  Now go find out how you can get those certifications.

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Posted in Accomplishments, Networking

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Referrals vs Monster

Posted on August 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Even a fox can get a job guarding a henhouse if he has good enough references.

 Internet job boards fill 13% of jobs, recruiters fill 4%, and referrals fill 26% of jobs according to one survey.     So where do you want to concentrate your job hunting time?

But there are so many jobs on Monster, Dice and Career Builder, shouldn’t I try to get those jobs? 

Absolutely!  But that doesn’t mean you should automatically send a resume through those services. 

22% of jobs are found on a company’s own website.  Gotta like that.  Still, don’t even apply at the company’s own website until after you have tried to take advantage of this country”s main job finding system: Networking into referrals.

Print out the jobs you want that you find on the internet.  Make a list of the companies.  Next to each company, make a list of people you know who work there.  Include people who know someone who works there.  Add a list of recruiters who can get your resume past HR (Human Resources) and directly to the hiring manager.  Get into www.linkedin.com and see if you can find someone working at that company.  (Link to bryan@dilts.us to expand your network.) Add the people at companies your are targeting to a list.

Your objective is to find someone who can drop your information on the hiring manager’s desk.  Look at your whole list before you make a move.  Who has the best chance of helping you?  Who is the best connected?  Is it a professional networker–a recruiter?  Is it your friend’s wife?  Get your resume in there and follow up.  If you don’t get a call within a week, try again through another person.

26% of jobs are being filled by networking.  13% are being filled by recruiters.  Shouldn’t networking and recruiters be your main job search tools?  

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Something To Do Today

Get into www.linkedin.com   Link to bryan@dilts.us

List where everyone you know works, their spouses too.  Keep adding to the list whenever you find out where someone works.  Keep track of coworkers who leave.  Start making a list of where everyone who knows you works. It may be worth more than gold to you now or in the future.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Job Boards, Networking, Recruiters

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A coward’s networking secrets

Posted on May 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

The replay is available at www.dilts.us/seminars/

The other webinars I gave yesterday are also available.

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Posted in Networking, Training

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Stop avoiding 81% of the available jobs

Posted on May 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

Tuesday at 5:30 PM I will be teaching you the coward’s method of finding jobs that are never advertised.  Right now that is over 80% of the available jobs.

 A Coward’s Networking Secrets

I will be putting up a free replay the next day.

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Posted in Networking

Where recruiters find executive candidates

Posted on May 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

A large survey done by Execunet shows that in 2010 executive recruiting companies like AGI are finding their candidates:

  • 44% Networking
  • 21% in their database
  • 14% using online research (LinkedIn, forums, company websites, etc.)
  • 9% from online job postings (Company website, Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.)
  • 9% searching resume databases (Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.)
  • 3% advertising

So if you want to find an executive job, you had better focus on more than just the ads you see.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Job Boards, Networking

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repeat of 4 secrets to getting a MUCH better job

Posted on April 19, 2010 | Leave a comment
How to get a great job is a secret only 5% of the people I talk to understand.  Nose to the grindstone, being the best, and sacrificing for the team DO NOT WORK without 4 other things.

For 17 years I have watched top performers get great jobs and get very bad jobs.  I’ve also seen mediocre and poor performers get great jobs (the poor performers were quickly fired).  

Yes, there are secrets.  Yes it takes……I’ll tell you in the webinar.

See you then.
 
Title:   4 Secrets to getting a MUCH better job
 
Date:   Tuesday, April 20, 2010
 
Time:   2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Last Tuesday I did a seminar and it didn’t get successfully recorded.  So I am going to do it again.  I will put the recording up online when I am done.  That will be at www.howtoreallygetagreatjob.com/seminars/ .

To register for the live seminar Tuesday at 2 PM go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/474220114 
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Interviews, Networking, Perseverance, talent

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Gutsy networking

Posted on March 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.  (Edison)

The most spectacular networking I have ever seen was done by an out of work international executive.  It took incredible guts and an unswerving belief in his mission.

He was a multilingual Canadian who had hired and fired a lot of people in his career.  He did something very simple, he started a job hunting club.  He also did something very difficult, he made it an elite club.

In order to get into this club you had to pass a rigorous test.  You had to be fluent in 2 languages besides English.  He would personally test your ability to converse in any of 5 languages besides English.  If you were fluent in other languages, he would find someone else to test you.  You were also required to have been a CEO, CFO or other Chief Officer of a major company.  Pay range a minimum of $150,000 per year.  And he had to like you. 

If you were admitted you had to pay $10,000 to join.  The club was not allowed to have more than 10 unemployed members at a time.  The ones who had found a job were milked to find leads for the currently unemployed group.  They had special speakers, retreats and job hunting meetings.  They occasionally invited a headhunter/recruiter to come and talk to their club.  The opportunity to speak was quickly taken up because of the caliber of executives in the club.

This only worked because of the vision, energy and hard work of the founder.  It was a part-time job all by itself.  This is the absolute hardest way to network. It is also incredibly effective.

What does this have to do with you?  Think about it.  Do you have the guts to start a club for unemployed people in your field?  Can you keep the quality of candidates high?  Can you help everyone in the club to network?  Can you turn the club into a permanent elite group of people in your field?  Will they all stay in contact AFTER they find jobs?

There are a lot of variations to this idea.  Do you have the nerve to do something like this?  It will be a great adventure if you do.

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Something To Do Today

Start a job network.  Talk to others who are looking.  Create an email list to communicate with the others in your group.  Keep in touch at least weekly.

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Posted in Networking

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