Category Archives: Networking

Ask the CEO to lunch? Easy for you to say!

Posted on March 31, 2014 | Leave a comment

Is this what networking feels like to you?

Okay girl, you see that guy over there?  Go introduce yourself and ask him to marry you.  Okay? 

That is NOT networking.

Let’s talk about networking, not speed dating.  Don’t ask anyone to be your mentor before you have met.  Don’t ask for a job.  Don’t offer to wash their car.  Just ask them to lunch to discuss some things you think they can help you with.

How can you get a leader of industry to have lunch with you? Ask for their help. Leaders are usually compulsive helpers, organizers and/or control freaks.  When you first call them up have a list of at least 5 things you can ask them or talk to them about.  Have it beforehand because they may start talking to you on the phone or invite you right to their office. 

First, what not to ask:                                 

  • Please be my mentor.  That’s like asking to be married.  A real mentor has to feel comfortable with you.  They’ll take over the role as you go to them for advice.
  • Make me a vice president, please.  This is networking, not a final job interview. 
  • I will do anything to be your personal assistant.  This question isn’t networking.  It is only appropriate if you are willing to make a 100% commitment, push and push for a yes, and are willing to work for free.  It is not a way to start a network.  You will probably be turned down even after pushing hard for 20 minutes, but it may be worth a try.  Be willing to accept a total win or becoming a leper.

Good questions to ask:

  • I want to earn a job like yours, what did you do to break out from my level?
  • You’ve seen a hundred guys like me, what do they really do to stand out and succeed?
  • You have a panoramic perspective compared to me, what would you focus on in your career if you were me?
  • You’ve seen people get education and succeed and others get education and fail.  What kind of education will best serve me?
  • You are the best technician I’ve heard of, what can I do differently from the average guy to get the reputation you have?
  • I don’t want to manage, I just want to have my work respected like yours.  How did you break out from the pack and what can I do out of the ordinary to start moving to your level?
  • You know this business.  I want to succeed at it, but I sometimes worry that I’m attacking it wrong.  What would you do if you were me?

Do you get the idea?  Compliment them by telling them what they have done better than you, then, ask them to tell you how to do the same starting at your level.

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Something To Do Today

Call 3 people you want to network with and say, “I’d like to take you to lunch.  Are you free one day next week?”  If they ask, “Why?” then tell them, “I need some advice from someone I respect.”  And be prepared to go talk with them immediately.

Tomorrow:  Forget lunch. Other ways to network.

Later:          Other things to say to draw them in.

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The easiest way to network with bigshots

Posted on March 28, 2014 | Leave a comment

So why did I talk about lunch and leadership previously?  Because they are closely related.

I was talking with a sales candidate.  He said, “I’ve had lunch with every important banking executive in Manhattan.  Not the presidents, but the guys who can get me in to see the president, CIO, CFO, Chairman or whoever I need to see.  They all remember me and will help me.”  That is the ultimate example of power networking.

Why lunch?  At the upper levels it is not a time to eat, it is a time to meet people.  Many big law firms and accounting companies all but require senior partners to have power lunches.  Stop having networking lunches and you will stop progressing in their world.

Here’s what you do.  Starting small or big doesn’t matter.  Invite someone to lunch.  You pay.  Take them someplace you can afford.  Tell them where you are going, don’t ask them.  Taco Bell will do. 

What if they say, “No?”  They probably will.  But they will see that you want to get to know them.  Ask 3 people and one will say yes.  The other two will make vague promises about lunching together some other time.  All 3 will notice you and mark you as a person they need to get to know.

Beware! One or two may invite you to come and meet with them in their office for a few minutes.  This is their way of telling you, “Let’s network, I don’t have time for a full lunch right now.”  That’s good.  Just remember what to talk about and what to avoid.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you what to do and not do at a lunch or one of these office meetings.

90% of opportunity is seized, and 10% is granted, but I could get fired!!!  And a meteorite could hit you and kill you too.  Carpe diem!

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Something To Do Today

Make a list of 10 people you should network with.  Tomorrow you’ll invite 3 to lunch.

For a few days:      

How to network at the top.

Creating networks

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The first step towards networking – leadership

Posted on March 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

Networking?  It is leadership.  Some of the best connected network creators I know have never been managers, but they all have been leaders. Here is how I learned the most critical lesson in leadership.

I was 19 years old and clueless.  I was sitting in a chair and told my roommate, “We’ve got to get going.” 

He just sat in his chair and looked at me.

“Come on, get up.  We’ve got to get that done now,” I said from my chair.

He stared at me a little more wide eyed and offended.

“Look.  You have to get up.  We agreed I’d lead this project.”

“Bryan,” he finally said, “there is no way I am getting up out of my seat before you do.  If you are going to be the leader, you’ve got to get up first and start acting like you really mean what you say.”

That was one of the best lessons in leadership I ever had.

Leaders show by what they do that they mean what they say.  They invest themselves in a decision before they expect others to follow. 

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Something To Do Today

Take the lead or watch a leader take charge of a group.

Starting tomorrow I will be giving at least one suggestion each day for networking.

For a few days:         How to network at the top.

Creating networks

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Posted in management, Networking

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I Really Saw A Crab Do What People Do

Posted on March 24, 2014 | Leave a comment

Our family had stopped for lunch on a pretty little beach in Hawaii.  A family was there fishing.  The father was throwing a net and had some crab pots out.  The kids were fishing with a stick and a hook.  They invited us to join them.

Eventually the crab pots were brought in.  There were 3 crabs in the pots.  The dad grabbed the crabs with his bare hands and plopped them in a bucket.  I was 9 years old at the time and I remember telling all the adults that those crabs were going to get out.  I was scared.  They showed me how a crab can grab a stick with those claws.

One crab did get part way out once.  An adult came over and knocked it back in.  Other than that once, it was never a problem. You see crabs won’t let another crab get above them.  They pull them back down into the bucket. 

As a recruiter I’ve interviewed a lot of people who are like those crabs.  They complain about how unfair things are.  I can get lists of offenses they have suffered at work.  I can also get ingenious methods of retaliation they used.  They concentrate more on what they want than how to help the business make a bigger profit.  They expect someone to appoint them to lead and for everyone to meekly do as they say. 

Frank Fox told me, “Leadership is 90% seized and 10% granted.”    I’d say opportunity is also 90% seized and 10% granted.  Networks?  90% seized and 10% granted.

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Something To Do Today

Look at your work group, church, friends, etc.  Who always decides where the group is going for lunch?  Who picks what you are going to do?

Who decides where you will meet?  How do they seize that control?  Write down some thoughts in your job journal.

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For a few days:      How to network at the top.

Creating networks

Seizing opportunities

How natural leaders do it even if they have no titles.

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Posted in Attitude, Focus, Networking

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Who should you ask to help you in your job search?

Posted on March 21, 2014 | Leave a comment

I learned a lot about who are the most helpful and nicest people when I was a missionary.  The lesson applies directly to your job search.  Who should you ask for help?

Newly arrived as a missionary in Murcia, Spain I got to start teaching some of the richest people in the region.  It was not due to me.  My partner had been there for months and had started teaching one company president.  He introduced us to other hard charging business leaders.  Every single one of them was very nice to us.  They listened politely and either sent us off with a referral or heartfelt thanks for talking with them.

That was my first experience dealing with truly rich and powerful people.  I found out that the people who can do the most for you are generally the nicest too.  They help you even when they get nothing out of it.  In this case they thought we were wrong but appreciated our enthusiasm, so they gave us what assistance they could.  I liked it so much I looked for ways to call on business leaders in other cities.

In Seville, Spain there is a small group of condominiums that are pretty nice.  Many of them have a maid or a butler in a uniform straight out of the movies.  They have some money, but are not rich. They appear well to do.  They don’t lead or own companies.  They are the ones who think appearances and posturing will get them promotions.  Help someone lower than them?  What a laughable thought!  What’s in it for them?

The people living there are the rudest people I met in Spain. And you know what?  They aren’t going anywhere.  The only place you get to the top by being cut-throat, mean, rude and despicable is in the movies.  They got to where they were because many people helped them, but they had forgotten to help others.  They were stuck, living lives of ostentatious desperation.

That small enclave was the only place I met people like that in Spain.  My conclusion may well have been off base about those particular people.  However, I have noticed that the most helpful people rise to the top.  So guess where I start my networking? Where do I go for help? To the top.  That’s where the nicest people are.

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Something To Do Today

Are you afraid to network with the people who can and will help you the most?

Tomorrow:  I really saw a crab do this!

Later: How to network at the top.

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Posted in Networking

Are You Networking With Minnows?

Posted on March 20, 2014 | Leave a comment

You can learn a lot about networking by watching fish

Did you ever watch minnows?  They can be in a five gallon bucket or a 500 acre lake and they still have a 3 gallon comfort zone.  Sometimes they will be in a group with other minnows and explore a few more cubic feet of water.  The only thing that really gets them out of their comfort zone is a big hungry fish.  As soon as that big fish is gone, they go right back to their comfort zone.

Medium sized fish are no better.   Only one out of a hundred minnows grows up to be a middling sized fish.  They live in an area about 20 feet by 20 feet in size.  He defends that territory and refuses to leave unless a bigger fish chases him out.  It doesn’t matter if he is in a backyard pond or Lake Superior.  He lives in a 20’x 20’ area.

Forget the size of your personal pond.  How big of an area do you live in?  Is your influence limited by the size of the pond you are in….or by your comfort zone?

Now look at your job search.  Do the big fish scare you?  Do you stay away from them because you don’t think YOU are worth their time?

Big fish won’t eat you.  If you talk to someone too important, they won’t take your car from you.  If you ask a really important person for help they never send for an armed guard to drag you to the dungeon and beat you.

So why do you stay in your 3 gallons of water?  …or your 20’ x 20’ kingdom?

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Something To Do Today

In your job journal write down the limits of your pond.  How big is the company where you work or last worked?  How many companies use people with your skills?  How many countries use people with your skills?  The size of your pond is limited by the number of places you would work and your skills, not the size of the department you are in.

Later:  The rudest people I met as a missionary.

and:   I really saw a crab do this!

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What if there are 6 ads and you really want the job?

Posted on March 14, 2014 | Leave a comment

You see 6 ads for one job you really want.  It is so good you would quit you’re your current job just to apply.  What do you do?

High Priority Jobs

Getting your resume into the hiring manager’s hands is your quest.

First gather information. 

Is there anything that makes you think the writer of one of the ads knows the hiring manager personally?

Check the date on all those ads.  When were they posted?  What day did they appear?  List when the company and each agency first advertised.  Did an agency advertise before the company itself?  They may have a close tie to the hiring manager.  Have the ads been going on for months?  The company is either getting a little desperate, has decided not to fill the job, or the job is full but recruiters haven’t bothered to pull the ads yet because they are still getting lots of calls.

How are the ads different?   Does one include a lot more in-depth information?  Is another extremely short?  Look closely.  Do any of them make you feel like the writer talked to the manager?  You want to talk to someone who has the hiring manager’s ear.

Second work your network.

Call the people you know at the company, or invite them out to lunch.  Call up recent employees. Connect on LinkedIn to everyone at the company you can.

What can you find out about the job?  Is there someone who can personally take your resume to the hiring manager?  How about to the hiring manager’s boss?  This is still the research phase.  Don’t give anyone your resume yet.  You only get to submit it once.

Is there a recruiter you trust?  Find out what information they have.  If they can bypass HR (Human Resources) or have other great connections then work with them.  For instance, there is one company I work with that requires all recruiters to submit resumes through their online system.  But I call the HR manager and tell her when my candidates go in so she can immediately extract them.  She is afraid of missing a truly hot candidate.  Other people who submit themselves are first sorted through by the receptionist.

You really do have to quiz recruiters about their connections.  If you answer a particular ad when there are 6 ads out there, you have a right to ask why you should send a resume in through them.

Third decide how to apply.

If the job is not exciting, it doesn’t matter how you submit your resume.  Just do some quick cosmetic changes and submit it through an agency or the HR department.

For the job that really turns you on, figure out who should submit your resume.  For any company it could be you, a friend, a recruiter or an acquaintance.  Choose in this order:

  1. Someone who can hand your resume to the hiring manager and personally recommend you.  It doesn’t get any better.
  2. Whoever can get your resume past HR and talk to the manager.
  3. The person that can talk to the HR manager or screener and get you past the first cut.
  4. At this point all submissions really are equal. Do it yourself, have an employee there submit you to HR or let a recruiter you trust and who gets back with you do it.

Fourth get your resume perfect

Put the bullets on your resume in order of importance.  Put a few key words in bold to make sure the screener and manager sees them.  Get rid of bullets, lines and sentences that do not apply to the job!!  A two page resume is fine for most jobs, but the second page may never get read.

Do the 10 second test with several people.  Hand your resume to a few friends and ask them to read it for 10 seconds.  Time them.  Take it away in 10 seconds.  Ask what they remember.  Do they mention your most important qualifications and accomplishments? If they do, it’s a winner.  If not, change it.

The 10 second test is critical because most screeners and managers give all the resumes a 10 second review to try to find the best ones first.  They will probably throw out your resume without further reading if they can’t see what they want in that first 10 seconds.

Fifth submit and follow up

Submit your resume.  Call up and find out what happened two days later.  Did your resume arrive there?  Did the manager see it yet?  When will he decide?

You really want that job? After your two day follow up call send a thank you note. Give them a nudge, short and friendly.  It is amazing how a thank you note can get someone to personally try one more time for you.

Keep calling back at least weekly.  Sometimes it does take a couple of months to fill a job.  Keep your candidacy alive until it is pronounced dead by someone who knows.

Take Your Best Shot

If you really want a job.  Go all out.  There may be 100 applicants.  In some cases there may be 1000.  Use personal contacts to set yourself apart from the herd.  Make sure your resume instantly says, “I’m qualified.”  And follow up in case you somehow get missed.

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Something To Do Today

Start prioritizing all the jobs you can apply for.  On your written list make sure the jobs you crave stand out.  Treat them differently.  It is worth the extra effort.

Next week:  Recruiters and the hair on the back of your neck.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Focus, Followup, Job Boards, Networking, Perseverance, Recruiters, Resumes, Time management

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Are You Applying For A Job That Isn’t?

Posted on March 10, 2014 | Leave a comment

To get a job through internet job boards you have to overcome some huge obstacles.  One problem is that you apply for a job that isn’t.  The job doesn’t exist for you.  The job was posted because Human Resources (HR) said they had to post it.  They have an internal candidate.  You haven’t got a prayer, but you don’t know it.

The job isn’t?  You’ll never know.  Your only chance is to get someone to personally submit you to the hiring manager.  Then he may actually consider you for a job he has decided to fill internally.  You’ll have a chance.

Before you apply for any job ask yourself, “Do I know anyone who works there?” Then ask, “Do I know anyone who knows someone who works there?”  The best way to past all the screeners is to have someone personally drop your resume on the manager’s desk.

If you are really a fit for the job your friend, acquaintance or contact will be very happy to hand in your resume.  They get brownie points and sometimes bonuses for it.

How about recruiters that didn’t place the ad?  If they really know the hiring manager and can get you past HR, use them.  But be careful.  Ask them who they will be submitting you to.  Follow up with them.  Make sure they really submit you.  A well connected recruiter can make all the difference in the world.  A recruiter who knows nothing about the company can actually hurt you.  I’m a recruiter.  I’ve seen it work both ways.  Ask your recruiter what they will do in addition to submitting you to HR.

So the first thing to do is to figure out who can help you bypass HR and all the screeners.  Then ask them for their help.

Tomorrow:  how to get past the screeners.

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Something To Do Today

When you decide to apply for a job, make a list of the people you know who already work there and a list of people who know someone who works there.  Ask for their help.

Tomorrow:  Job Boards:  how to get past the screeners.

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Posted in Finding jobs, Networking, Recruiters

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The Phantom Girl Scout Networking Mistake

Posted on February 18, 2014 | Leave a comment

One of the biggest networking mistakes you can make is to not be real. It makes you seem like a threat, a crank call, or a con artist. Let me demonstrate. 

One September 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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Is an SND keeping you from getting a job?

Posted on February 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

They certainly give very strange names to diseases.  (Plato)

Social Network Diseases

I’m watching you.  I’m not trying to, but I am.

Are you having trouble getting taken seriously?  You may have a social network disease (SND).  One salesman with an SND can ruin sales by the whole team.  A couple of years ago you may have put some entries in Facebook that you shouldn’t have. Then you forgot about the account.

I can find most social networks you belong to.  When I put your name and email address into my new database, it magically looks you up.  It downloads the information from a few social networks, and gives me links to the rest.

I didn’t even remember some of the networks I found out I belong to.

Everybody has access to the same tool.  It may not be tightly integrated into their CRM like mine is, but it is there. 

Worried?  You should be.  This information hangs around for a long time in databases like mine.  If I don’t touch your record for a year, that year old information is still in my database.  It could be very embarrassing.

Now it is time to do something about it.  Clean up the ones you know about.

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Posted in Networking, References

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