Category Archives: Networking

How to get a friend a job

Posted on June 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

A friend is someone who will help you move.  A real friend is someone who will help you move a body. (unkn)

How to get a friend a job

This programmer didn’t have any experience using the language and tools the company software was developed in.  He hadn’t programmed in 2 years.  He was, however, one of the best programmers I have ever met. He got himself hired without an interview.

First he put together a great resume showing his experience and accomplishments. He had a friend working at the small company.  His friend took the resume into the company owner and put it on his desk.  He said, “This guy is better than me.  You should hire him.  You should also pay him more than me. He’s really good.”  The boss called the programmer up and said, “Come in at noon tomorrow and walk around the place.  If you like it, you can start work at 12:03.   We’ll give you a week to prove you know what you are doing and then adjust your pay accordingly.”

Just so you know, for backup he had a glowing letter of recommendation from his former employer.  He never got to use it.

If you absolutely believe in your friend that is how to get him a job where you work. Only do it this way if you absolutely believe the guy is the best person available, that he is extraordinary.  Your boss will appreciate the help.

Something To Do Today

If you want to be the guy getting the job, you have to be way above average and have a dynamite resume.  Work on both.  Just for luck, also get that glowing letter of recommendation.

————————–

Tomorrow:     A fair non-compete

Later:              Sand in the gears

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Networking, Resumes

Tagged , ,

5 Ways to get famous and get a job – and a networking idea at the end

Posted on May 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous. (Robert Benchley)

In Winning Through Intimidation, Robert Ringer describes his Realtor’s business card. It is a hardcover book with a picture of the earth on it.  He sends a copy of his book to the biggest real estate investors in the United States before he calls them.  It intimidates them into accepting him as an expert.

A candidate here in Harrisburg, PA started an internet radio station. Financially, it could barely pay for the rent and electricity.  Mentally it took over the city.  Computer geeks and their managers were intimidated by his technical strength and business abilities.

You can buy your own ½ hour radio show every week on our area’s biggest talk radio station.  For $300 you become a Saturday morning guru.  Lesser stations will let you talk for a fraction of that amount or even for free because they need to fill the air time.

I write a blog and a daily email newsletter about finding a job.  Potential customers now accept my credentials much more readily. They know it is impossible for me to hide my morals and methods after 500 newsletters.

Danny Sarch is the master of working newspaper reporters on Wall Street.  He spends one day every week trying to figure out what news tips, quotes from his own lips, and stories he can help reporters with. He helps reporters and they gladly put his name down as a source.  Every big shot and aspiring talent on Wall Street takes Danny’s calls.

Volunteering to be the “big business hit man” for a major local charity will get you in front of CEO’s.  They want to help their community.  If you do a good job for your charity, you’ll also be networking yourself into a high level job.

Stop and think about the experts in your field of work.  Figure out what makes you think they are experts.  If you go and do the same things they do, you may become famous much more quickly than you think.  It will absolutely help you get a great job.

Easy networking call. Call CEO’s, VP’s, and managers and ask them who the leaders in their field are. Then investigate those famous people.  You may find a way you can become famous too. Just asking the question may find you a job.

Something To Do Today                                        

In your job journal write down all the things that experts you respect have done to get famous.  Think about it.  Can you do the same things?

————————–

Tomorrow:     Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Later:              Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you

A surprisingly great trumpet appeared

Brass knuckles and the law

I only allow reality on my desk

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

Tagged , , , ,

How high up the food chain do you call for a job?

Posted on May 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

I believe the purpose of life is to live as high on the food chain as possible. I refuse to eat vegetarians, and prefer to live on creatures that prey on sentient beings.  (Magic the Gathering)

How high up the food chain do you call for a job?

We had a guy we placed in a very difficult job a few years ago.  There were a bunch of reasons it was tough. One contributing factor was that his boss’s boss, Mr. Big, really might hire the guy over the objections of the candidates direct boss, Mr. Manager.  That could put some strain on the relationship with Mr. Manager from the start. Can I make it more complicated?  Mr. Manager also hated the Human Resources (HR) person assigned to find his new lackey.  If the person came from HR, they were dead meat.  They would only survive if they come from that Mr. Manager’s direct contacts or from Mr. Big. And if they were recommended by Mr. Big, Mr. Manager had to really like them.

This kind of dynamic goes on a lot in companies.  It sounds horrible, and it is.  But there are very good jobs filled this way.  So, you need to be in contact with people outside of the HR department.

Here are some guidelines about who to call in a company to get a job:

  1. If you are NOT able or qualified, don’t try to get yourself forced into a job.  You will fail.  You know better.
  2. A recommendation by Mr. Big is good news if you really can do that job well.  No doubt you have been told to get a mentor, someone who can help guide you up the career ladder.  Mr. Big is perfect, even if you are not in the company yet.  Someone even higher is great.  Your mentor is someone who can show YOU how to open doors and help guide you into high visibility projects.  Mentors can give you a big boost.
  3. Sometimes, luckily rarely, your boss hates his boss or even the HR department.  No matter how you are hired, you have to prove yourself. It is rare that someone tries to sabotage a new hire. It does happen.  Don’t worry about it. There is nothing you can do. Go in at whatever level you can get in.

Here are some thoughts on whom you won’t offend:

  1. You will never offend the Human Resources (HR) department by calling about a job.  Their job is to stay in contact with you.
  2. If you know someone personally, talk to them.  The higher the better.  The higher they are, the more likely they like to help people.
  3. If a friend or acquaintance gives someone your resume, call the person they give it to.  Consider it a personal introduction.
  4. If you are in the same club, church, kid’s soccer team or booster club with someone at the company, call them.  Mention at a soccer practice that you are going to call, then call them at work.
  5. If someone says, “Tell Mr. Big I said to call”, then call Mr. Big and use that name no matter how high up or low they are. The person who told you to call may get a bonus if you call and use their name.
  6. If Mr. Big is looking for help, you won’t offend him by calling.  He may tell you to talk to someone else.  No problem.  Tell that person Mr. Big said to call.
  7. If Mr. Big is NOT looking for help, he’ll probably tell you to call HR and forget you.  There is little chance you will offend him.  Call again in 3 months.
  8. Mr. Big’s secretary won’t mind being called as long as you tell her the truth.  Often she knows more about what is going on than Mr. Big.  Get her to help you.

That is a big list of people you will not offend when you call into a company.  Do it. Call in.  Call Mr. Big. It can get you one of those jobs that is not yet advertised.

Something To Do Today

Take the list of companies you want into, and see who you can contact in those companies.  Use the list above as a starter.  Who do you know?

————————–

Tomorrow:           Get famous, get a job

Later:                    Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you

A surprisingly great trumpet appeared

Brass knuckles and the law

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

Tagged , ,

Calls to companies – what to say

Posted on April 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

…fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day…and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.  (Esther)

Calls to companies – what to say

Calling a company when there is no job advertised is the scarier than visiting an undertaker to get measured for your coffin.  Get over it.

If you really really want to work for that company, you need to call.  You also need to be qualified.  Now, be positive, and be honest: Would you hire yourself for the job you want? Really?  Okay, then.  They might really hire you.

First write down the jobs you really want in that company.  Who would be your boss’s boss?  Not your direct supervisor, who is HIS boss.  Write it down. His title is sufficient. He’s the key to success.

Who do you know who knows that person, that Mr. Big?  Do you know anyone in the company?  Start by asking for their help to contact Mr. Big.  If someone you know can recommend you or get your resume directly to Mr. Big, you’ve got it made.  Give them your resume. Then call after Mr. Big should have it, and introduce yourself. There is a script for that call below.

If you don’t know anyone in the company, call the receptionist and get Mr. Big’s name and extension, or at least the department secretary.  Call Mr. Big AFTER you have written down some notes about how:

  1. You have saved a lot of money.
  2. You speeded up processes to save time.
  3. You saved customers or brought in new ones.

Not notes about your responsibilities, but notes about what you actually accomplished.  What got done because of your unique push.  What did YOU excel at?

Here is the easiest set of scripts.

When you give Mr. Big a call, you have a 1 in 10 chance of talking to him.  If you get voice mail, the first time leave a message asking him to call you. Don’t say what it is about.  Just say, “Please call me.”

Two days later leave a voice mail telling him briefly about 1, 2 and 3 above, ask for his help in getting a job, and leave your phone number.

Do the same thing 3 days after that.  If you still have no response, then call the person who would be your direct boss, Mr. Manager, in the same 3 day attempt.

Finally, after this 2 week attempt, call HR (Human Resources).

If you are asked to call someone else, do so.  Tell them Mr. Big told you to call.  But, before Mr. Big hangs up ask him, “What are your plans for the next few months for hiring a (my job)?”  Also send a resume to Mr. Big and the person he told you to call.  Mail or email works.  Ask the company receptionist for his address.

Now, put a reminder on your calendar and call Mr. Big, other person, and HR again in 3 months.  Leave one message reminding them you talked before.  Tell them you talked to the other person like they suggested and are just calling to follow up and see if their strategic plans have changed and they will need your help in the next few months.  Then send a note thanking them for their time.  The follow up note is as important as the call.  It gives them something to file away to contact you later.  Make this single call to each of the 3 people you contacted at the company every 3 months. You are establishing yourself as a candidate who needs to be called.

Scary?  For many people it is. If you really want to work for a company at a particular job, it is the best way to be considered for that job that I know of.

Something To Do Today

If you really are qualified for a job at those companies, write down your accomplishments so that you have crib notes.  Now introduce yourself to the big boss who can give you a job.

————————–

Tomorrow:           Intelligent use of recruiters

Later:                    Get famous, get a job

Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you

A surprisingly great trumpet appeared

Brass knuckles and the law

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Job Boards, Networking

Tagged , , ,

Do you dare call managers and CEO’s in a company?

Posted on April 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

…fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day…and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.  (Esther)

Do you dare call managers and CEO’s in a company?

No ad is in the papers or on the internet. You want a job there.  So you look up their website and just send a resume.  Right?  Err, okay, but there is a better way.

Calling into the company can get you an interview and a job much more quickly.

Here is what often happens if you just send in your resume without calling:

HR gets the resume and automatically enters it in the database.  No job is available.  Two months later the job opens up.  They do a quick database search.  You might be able to do the job, but it has been 2 months and they have 187 fresh resumes to process.  They know they can just send those resumes to the manager without having to make any calls.  It is so much easier not to call you, why bother?

You see the opening and send your resume again.  The data entry clerk sees it is already in the database.  A flag is already set on your database entry saying you were checked out in this job search.  There is no significant change in your resume.  You are not considered for the job.

Think about it from the manager’s perspective. The ugly normal way is that he knows an opening is coming up.  He’s going to fire or promote someone.  Maybe they have a new project coming up and he’s budgeted for 3 more employees in 2 months. As soon as he tells the Human Resources (HR) department, they will ask him to write job descriptions (2 hours of work).  Then HR will advertise the positions and send him 187 resumes.  He will have his secretary wade through them.  He will then ask HR to call the 7 people he is most interested in.  HR will tell him only 5 can interview with him.  It is only going to get more time consuming from here on out. He hates the process.

One alternative.  He keeps in touch with likely candidates.  He offers those candidates a job and tells HR about his choice.  Which do you think he would rather do?

You need to be that likely candidate.  There is very little competition before a job opening is announced. The time to contact the hiring manager, CFO, controller, COO, or other person involved is BEFORE they need you.

Next week I’ll tell you two things you can do to be a candidate before the ad runs.

Something To Do Today

Write down the names of 3 companies you would really really like to work for.  Read this blog next week for what to do next.

————————–

Next week:     What to say to companies

Intelligent use of recruiters

Get famous, get a job

Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you

A surprisingly great trumpet appeared

Brass knuckles and the law

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Job Boards, Networking, Resumes

Tagged , , , , , , ,

A new way to find a job: Spaghetti networking

Posted on April 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

We’ve heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare, now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true.  (Robert Wilensky)  Sending a million random emails is not networking either.

A new way to find a job: Spaghetti networking

Take the box of spaghetti in your kitchen.  The spaghetti is hard, aligned in rows, carefully packed, ready for a mission.  Now throw it in a big pot of boiling water.  Stir it up.  Keep it stirred. In ten minutes you have noodles ready to eat.  Now put it all back in the box.  It doesn’t work, does it?   Try to get all those noodles aligned again. What a mess. If you add some more uncooked spaghetti and cook the two together you get a mess with some pasta that is ready to fall apart and the rest ready to eat.  So start a new pot instead.

How is this mess like networking?

  1. Plan your networking.  Write a plan. Figure out who should be contacted.  Practice what you will say.
  2. Now start networking. Like cooking spaghetti, every lead will do something different.  Each one will take its own path and change over time.
  3. Give your network 10 days to work.  Check it and stir it up with phone calls halfway through.  Make more phone calls, and where it makes sense, personal visits after 10 days.
  4. Figure out what happened.  Where did the leads go?  Some got you closer, some didn’t.  Investigate the noodles or network contacts.  Why are the starts and ends different?  Are there patterns you can exploit? This really is like investigating cooked spaghetti noodles.  It seems useless, but in this case an evaluation can give great insights.
  5. Follow through with all leads that are working.  Eat the pasta.  Keep working with the networks you have started that are going somewhere. Set a plan when to follow up.  Don’t let that network turn into a congealed mass of pasta left out in the bottom of a strainer with no water.
  6. Take what you learned.  Plan a new network.  Avoid the temptation to wing it.  Write a plan.  Get a fresh pot of water boiling.  Write down what you will do different.  Who is on the new list?  Practice being different. Learn. Do better.
  7. Do it all again.

Networking is not easy.  It always starts out neat and planned.  It always ends up going all over the place, where you least expect it to.  Don’t try to randomly network.  Sure it may work, but it will take a lot longer than it needs to and you will drop a lot of promising leads. The trick is to learn, continue to plan, and make it work.

Something To Do Today

Make a networking plan.  If you need more networking hints, look up “networking” at

http://www.howtoreallygetagreatjob.com/blog/archives.aspx .

————————–

Tomorrow:     Calls to companies

Later:              Intelligent use of recruiters

Get famous, get a job

Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you

A surprisingly great trumpet appeared

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Focus, Networking, Time management

Tagged , ,

Job search networking and Christmas tree lights

Posted on April 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. (Jane Howard)

I plug in a string of Christmas tree lights and they shine.   The next set of lights plugs into that string, and they shine.  String by string I build the decorations for a tree, the outside of my home or a wedding reception.  If one string isn’t working, I replace it with another.  I won’t hurt the feelings of the string of lights that is not working.

Three things are relevant to your job search:

  1. You plug in strings of lights until you get the coverage you need.
  2. Just because the lights worked last year doesn’t mean they work this year.
  3. Replace the strings that aren’t working.

Your network needs to be big enough to get you a job.  Your network starts with your friends.  Ask each one, individually, for help. Next come your acquaintances.  Next are the people you work with or have worked with.  Finally come all the people you meet while job hunting.  For each one figure out exactly who they know at companies that might give you jobs.

There’s a time and place for everything.  The time to ask someone who is interviewing you about other jobs is when they have told you that you are not suited for their job.  They may tell you to apply for a different job in their company, or at a friend’s company.  Build your network until you have the coverage you need.

Last time you looked for a job, it may have been someone from the synagogue or the Elks Club who helped you find it.  Definitely try that approach again.  Keep asking people about who they know.  Don’t rely solely on that single group of people this time.  Be sure and expand your network.  Use all your contacts.

Sometimes people refuse to help or can’t help.  So what?  Go on.  Find the next network starting point.  Plug in that network.  Try another and another.  Don’t let one person’s refusal stop you.  For example:  Our recruiting agency refuses to help half the people who contact us.  That just means you contacted the wrong agency.  We have a narrow focus on banking, accounting, computers and sales.  We just couldn’t help the two rocket scientists who applied for a job over the years.

You need to plug in enough networks to show a bunch of jobs to apply for.  It is hard work for most people.  It also pays great dividends.  It helps you get into that huge pool of jobs that are never advertised anywhere.

Something To Do Today

Make a list of companies you would like to work for.

————————–

Tomorrow:     Spaghetti networking

Later:              Calls to companies

Intelligent use of recruiters

Get famous, get a job

Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Leave a comment

Posted in Finding jobs, Networking

Tagged , ,

How to motivate yourself to search EFFECTIVELY

Posted on April 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

An actor asks himself, “What is my motivation?”  The rest of us laugh at him.  He’s trying to figure out which way to face on a stage.

Ice cream used to motivate me. I’d walk on hot coals to get it.  I still like ice cream, but it won’t get me to detour 100 yards to a store now.  Sometimes leaving work early is a great motivator.  Some days a chance to go for a walk will get me to work hard.  Winning is a great motivator at times.  Sometimes letting my kid just barely win is a motivator. What motivates me changes hourly, daily, weekly and monthly.

Getting a job is often not enough of a motivator in your job search.  To avoid pain, unmotivated people spend hours in front of a computer “playing” with job boards. There is no need to call people and admit you want a new job. Lack of real motivation is behind taking friends out to eat instead of creating a network by eating with more helpful strangers.

I have come to the conclusion that my subjective account of my motivation is largely mythical on almost all occasions. I don’t know why I do things. (Lloyd Dobens)

Use motivation in two ways.

  1. Figure out what motivates you to avoid a job hunting method
  2. Use motivation to get you to work harder.

Real networking is difficult for many.  Calling up a company and asking for the manager, VP, CFO or President is impossible for many people. Try to figure out why that call is difficult, while a call to HR (Human Resources) is easy.  HR knows less about jobs than the VP of Operations does.  If fear or embarrassment keeps you from making calls to real decision makers, admit it.  Talk about it with someone.  Make some commitments and work your way through it.

Making a few MORE contacts can also be difficult.  Find rewards that will get you to make a few more calls and submit more resumes.  It can be that you will only watch your TV show if you get 3 more resumes out or make 3 more calls.  Set a goal of only going golfing if you are taking a potential hiring manager from another company.  Decide you won’t turn on the computer until you have made 4 follow up calls where you have submitted your resume.

Think of what motivates you today.  Admit roadblocks and work around them.  Find little incentives you can give yourself to do just a little more in your job search.

Something To Do Today

Choose one activity you avoid.  Give yourself an incentive to do it.  Now do it.

————————–

Tomorrow:           Waiting for the “help wanted” sign

Later:                    Networking

Calls to companies

Intelligent use of recruiters

Get famous, get a job

Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me

Leave a comment

Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Job Boards, Networking, Perseverance, Time management

Tagged , , , , ,

Politics (is networking)

Posted on April 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.  (Henry Kissinger)

You have to understand office politics to understand networking.  Here is an example.

“Don’t get Joe in the IT planning office upset.  He can delay any project by 6 months.  Now that I think of it, he can kill any project.  He’s politically connected to everyone in the company.”

Everyone, including the boss, who lets Joe “get away with it” think they are doing what is best for the company.  And they really may be.  Often you don’t see the power struggles at upper levels.  When someone becomes the traffic cop and decides which projects get done and which get delayed, it is because of their networking ability. They know how important each person and project is.  They know the alliances between leaders and departments.  They know who has the “golden” projects that take precedence over all else.  They know what combinations of projects are also essential.  These political “beasts” are the ultimate networkers.

CEO’s cannot take the time to make decisions on every project.  They tell others to make decisions.  Those people, in turn, tell others to make decisions.  Inevitably resources become scarce.  The scarce resources can be clerks, programmers, salespeople, floor space or money.  The person who controls the scarce resources becomes the center of a very strong network.  They have to bow to the will of many people, but control the projects of others.  They are often the most abused figure in a company.  Occasionally they are the most abusive, for a while.

There are several things to learn from these people.

  1. Controlling scarce resources gives you power
  2. Dealing with that power can get you entrenched, promoted or fired
  3. You always control one scarce resource, your time

The first two have just been discussed.  The third point is fodder for several more days. Politics may get ugly, petty and mean.  It may also preserve the company you work for.  Instead of avoiding politics, network.  Through building a network you will find out who to worry about and who to avoid. Politics always includes networking.  Networking can help you rise above petty politics.  Networking can help you get your projects done.

Something To Do Today

If you dare, ask around.  Find out who the political masters are.  Ask them to lunch and find out why they got their reputation and power.  You may be surprised at their attitude.  They may be visionary, vindictive, or both.

————————–

Tomorrow: Your scarcest resource

Later:  Short term rewards

What motivates me

Waiting for the “help wanted” sign

Leave a comment

Posted in Focus, Networking, Promotions, References, talent

Tagged , , ,

How to motivate your friends to help you find a great job

Posted on March 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with enthusiasm.  (Winston Churchill)

Would you recommend someone for a job if you were sure they would fail miserably?

Do you want to work with someone who is unable to deal with problems?

No one else does either.

On the other hand, it is fun working with someone who is trying to learn, who goes the extra mile on the job, and who wants to do what they have studied.

If you are excited by your possibilities, your friends will be also. That’s how you motivate your friends, be excited.  For example:

We place a lot of programmers in new jobs.  The ones who are so excited that they create programs in their spare time always find jobs.  It doesn’t matter if they ever went to college.  Their enthusiasm gets them jobs. They love programming.  Employers love them. Everyone who knows them is going to bat for them.  People they don’t know call them up to see if they can help them find a job.  Their enthusiasm is contagious.

On the other hand are programmers who took courses in programming in college.  They passed their courses. Programming doesn’t excite them. It’s just a job. If their college degree can’t get them a job in programming, they’ll never look at a computer again.  For them there is nothing exciting.  Their friends and contacts hear them complaining about the jobs they supposedly turned down.  There is no way they are going to get a strong recommendation for a job.  Sure enough, the job market stinks for them.

Motivate your friends.  Find out what is exciting about the jobs you are applying for.  Do the job for free for a charity.  If you are a computer technician, go looking for broken computers and tear them apart.  Put together a network in your basement. Offer to teach at your library or a nursing home.  Salesperson? Do what my partner did, became a charity “hit woman”.  Get the job of calling on businesses for donations.  You will talk to a lot of leaders of industry.  And guess what?  If you do a good job, they’ll be impressed.  Your friends, family and acquaintances will see what you are doing.  They’ll tell other people.

Be excited.  Do your job for free because you love it. Help others and demonstrate your love of your desired job.  You will motivate your friends and mere acquaintances to help you.

Something To Do Today  

Really evaluate how you have been acting.  Are you a member of the “beef and whine club”?   Find something you enjoy doing that is related to the job you want.  Do it with enthusiasm for free.

Leave a comment

Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Networking, Perseverance, References, talent

Tagged , , ,