Networking to Find a Job

1. Networking to Finda Job Paul Smith Lou Ann Cachares Feb 21, 2009

2. Networking – What is it? • Networking refers to personal contact • Face to Face • Phone • E-mail (only as it relates to job search) • Why is it important in a job search? • Jobs found through networking 36% • Direct application to employer 30% • Want ads & Internet 14% • Employment Agencies 13%

3. How do I build a Network? • Make a list of people that you know.. • Family friends • Relatives • Neighbors • Teachers – School and Church • Church – young professionals • Church – established “successful” businessmen • Business Associates • College Alumni connections • Etc, etc

4. Classify these people • Can help directly • Own their own business and hire people • Potentially have work in their home/yard they need done but don’t have time to do • Might be able to help • Work in a business that hires • Have helped others in the past • Friendly but help would be indirect • They might know someone who could help • Source of good ideas

5. How about the internet? • Electronic networking tools can be useful.. • A recent study found that major employers are using electronic social networking tools for recruitment • Linked-in is a primary recruitment tool for over 500 corporations (professional tool) • Put your own resume “on-line” (but don’t include your phone / address). Be selective about where you post.. (Spam) • Indeed.com is much more efficient than surfing various sites for job postings • Distributing your resume electronically (in Word format) is essential. • You may want to consider making a version that is readable directly on the web.. (…html format) • The big job boards (monster.com, careerbuilder.com, hotjobs.yahoo.com) have resume upload options that do the work for you.. Specialty boards may not.. • Use your daylight hours more productively than “surfing”

6. Where should you network? • Career Fairs – talk to the people “in line” as well as the staff manning the booth • Job Clubs – usually meet weekly. LDS meets on Friday afternoons at 1pm • Church – don’t be afraid to discuss your needs with church leaders – friends • Places where you do business – barber shop, grocery store, etc.

7. Using the Phone • You need to learn to use the phone! • It’s not easy.. But if you persist, it becomes easier • Force yourself to make a set number of calls / day (like 5) • Phone is more effective than email because it is a person to person contact in “real time”.. Use email to set up a time to communicate “in real time” – either on the phone or face to face

8. How much is enough? • Finding a job is hard work • Face to face is important • Leaving a phone message “doesn’t count” • The squeaking wheel gets the grease.. • Structure your job search day • Start with physical exercise (keep fit) • Don’t spend all day doing the same thing (surfing) • Get out of the house – meet with others who are also looking • Your job is to find a job.. Spend 40 hrs/week looking • Align your search with your interests.. • Your college has an alumni group • If you are good with computers, etc – there may be opportunities to work from home..

9. Support Groups • Job Search is challenging .. You can’t do it effectively alone • Consider becoming part of 2 types of support groups • Larger group (>10) – meets weekly or monthly .. Discusses current topics of interest to employment • Small Group (<5) – meets weekly. Accountability – do what you say you will do and get objective feedback on what you are doing.

10. Summary • Networking is how most jobs are found.. • An ongoing activity – you are never “done” • Building up your network of contacts is work .. But it’s worth the effort • Finding a job is hard work.. You will likely have to interview multiple times before landing a position • Using the phone and following up are critical skills to be learned

11. Linked-in • Social networking tool for professionals • More than simply a “job search” tool • Used for collaboration among like minded professionals.. • Smaller companies utilize this tool to identify and screen candidates • More efficient than posting and then having to screen hundreds of candidates

12. Fundamental Concepts • Degrees of separation • People you know directly and who know you and would respond to communication from you (1st level contacts) • People who are “friends of your contact” – who would respond to communication from your friend but who do not know you directly (2nd level contacts) • People who are “friends of friends of your contact” (3rd level contacts)

13. Why does this work? • People who have been involved in a job search recently are often willing to help others who are still in the search.. • Pay back • In offering to help, individuals are not obligating themselves to anything other than an informational contact • Phone call • Lunch meeting • Individuals are much more likely to respond to their friends than to “total strangers”

14. Why does this work? • Consider a typical “networking event” • How many people might you meet and exchange information with? • How many of these people would be in the same field you are interested in? • How would you locate the people you were interested in meeting and networking with? • Consider an electronic tool with access to millions of online resumes, a good search engine and a mechanism to contact individuals identified • Consider the same questions as above… • Which is more likely to be effective in your job search?

15. What about privacy? Spam? • Linked-in has several levels of user control • How much of your information is visible – including your name • How much information “search engines” such as google can find • Because communication with you is managed by “your friends” – they screen inappropriate contact • Personal experience – no spam from this tool

16. How do I get started? • You have to register on-line (free account) • User name and password.. • You should next construct your own resume • Fixed format.. Company name, dates you worked there, text describing what you did (cut and paste from your resume) • Write a careful summary statement (career summary, not what you are looking for).. 3 or 4 sentences .. Describe your accomplishments • Include your schooling and certification credentials • Think about key-words to include.. industry specific “buzz words” • Upload a picture of yourself – professional, head & shoulders, Sunday dress

17. How do I get started? (2) • Create an online network of your friends • Invitations are simple .. “I’d like to add you to my professional network on linked in” • Include at least one of the counselors at ERC • Gives you access to a huge network of previous clients • For example: • Paul Smith – has 342 professional in his network • 2nd level – 37,700 professional contacts • 3rd level – 2.7 million professional contacts • Connections in Chicago area (25%), New York (6%), San Francisco (5%), Salt Lake – Provo (8%)

18. How do I use this network? • Use the search engine to research a company you may be interested in.. • It will identify contacts in your network who either work there now or have in the past • Narrow your search – look locally, look for folks that currently work there, look for people in the department posting a job • If/when you identify an individual you want to network with, use the introduction mechanism to request contact. • E-mail to your direct contact, attached email to the person you want to contact..

19. Summary • Social networking tools such as linked-in are increasingly being used in job search • You need to learn how they work and get comfortable using them to be effective • Linked-in is not a substitute for face to face networking, but it can facilitate face to face contact with appropriate people