Aggressive Networking 2 of 4 - Finding targets Through Family and Friends

One of the most difficult tasks that I have as a career coach is getting the mature worker in the right frame of mind to do a professional and productive career plan based job search. Of course the first obstacle is the way the person feels and the way they feel is often hidden and not disclosed easily, but I get my clues by the way they conduct their job search.

I am not a counselor, I am a coach, so I give them healthy exercises to do that gets the job seeker focused on the future. I get the new job seeker to focus on their top achievements from throughout their life. It helps the job seeker to remember the many accomplishments that they have forgotten. This helps them prepare a good resume that focuses on achievements, and gets them ready to talk about themselves.

Every career coach that I know advises job seekers adhere to the concept of building a job network as a very effective method of conducting a job search. Less effective methods for job searching are looking for job postings on line or relying on recruiters to do a job search. Looking for the ideal job posting is a little like chasing ghosts, because the job is often filled by the time it is found.

Working with recruiters as a primary job search method can be very frustrating because they get paid by the hiring firm, not the job seeker, so loyalty is not to the job seeker. Yet I find most mature job seekers tend to spend most of their time on-line seeking jobs posted on job boards or depending on recruiters to line up interviews for them.

Both on-line job searching and dependence on recruiters are very passive methods of searching and are forms of hiding; more like fishing than problem solving or getting someone else to do the heavy lifting similar to a real estate agent finding a home for you.

Job Network, Job Network, Job Network
 

Networking has differing levels of effectiveness which cannot be ignored. It may be safe for you talk about your job search efforts with family and friends, but these people may not be all that helpful. If family and friends don’t have any experience with your job specialty or industry it is hard for them to help. Yet one of my clients was hired by his daughter’s soccer coach after the daughter overheard the coach complaining about not being able to find an accountant familiar with his industry.

Job networking with colleagues is a more effective method of networking. After all, they know your work skills and the industry. One of the drawbacks of networking with colleagues is that your colleagues know what you know. They see the job openings that you see. Yet networking with colleagues is more effective because these people can alert you to qualified jobs you might have missed. The whole idea with networking is to get people to agree to help you find a new position by letting them know that you are available. Colleagues are going to be less helpful if you are changing careers or your industry is retrenching and no jobs are available.

Learning how to job network with people you don’t know
 

Family, friends and colleagues are easy people to talk with but they may not be all that helpful in finding your new job position. An effective way to use your old network is to use it to brainstorm new job positions and organizations where you might possibly find work. Share your thoughts about what you might possibly do with this network and get their help identifying potential target organization. It gives your old network a way of helping you, even when they do not know of actual job openings. If they suggest a company to target, ask them if they know a person at that organization and get their agreement to introduce you either in person or by email.

In part 3 of this blog article topic I will delve into the processes of contacting people you hardly know that work in organizations where you might find your next position.

This article is part 2 (Finding Targets Through Family and Friends) of a 4 part blog titled: Aggressive Job Network Tactics with Target Organizations

Categories: Networking, Job Search Help, Job Search Coaching