Thanks, but I already have a contact.

When I sit in the Executives Network meetings, I listen to people offer up a contact, only to have the person on the receiving end say “Thanks, but I already have a contact at that company.”  That’s just great.  That 10,000+ person company, and you have one contact.  Congratulations!  Here’s a needle.  There’s a haystack.  Go for it!

Or how about this approach?  If you really want to target a company, why don’t you meet as many people in as many different departments as possible and learn as much as you can about each area?  I remember when I was targeting commercial real estate.  I met with six different people at the same company (and the office only had 15 people total).  You think I didn’t know virtually everything going on?  I think some people thought I worked there already!  Another benefit of meeting with all of those people is that I realized I absolutely would not be a fit at this organization, but that didn’t become apparent until I was meeting with person #5 (besides, their holiday party was a complete disaster!).

Here’s an idea:  If someone offers up a contact, you say thank you! And follow up!  You never know who else that person might know.  And you can now tap into their network and expand your possibilities.

A Referral vs. an Introduction. Which is better?

About two weeks ago, my friend Alex told me he was very excited because he spoke with an ex-colleague and that person was going to make an introduction to a CEO friend of his.  I said that’s great.  Two weeks ago?  That may not seem like a long time when you’re working, but life in the job search is a lot like dog years, and two weeks seems more like two months (or even two years).  I asked Alex what he was waiting for, and he told me that his friend would get back to him as soon as he had a chance to make the introduction.

This was Alex’s best lead for a position.  And he just put all of the control and ownership of it into someone else’s hands (and more importantly, on someone else’s timeline).  And he doesn’t want to pester his friend too much for fear that he’ll lose the introduction (and yes, that can happen!).

What should he have done?  Instead of getting an introduction, Alex might have better positioned himself with a referral.  What’s the difference?  An introduction is when someone does just that – “introduces” you to someone…and controls the conversation by controlling your ability to connect with a contact.  A referral is when you get someone’s name from a friend or acquaintance, and you control the conversation by owning the followup.  What if they don’t give you the person’s phone number.  Big deal!  Ask where the person works, and pick up the phone and call their office.

I’m sure Alex’s friend would have been fine with letting Alex control the followup.  If for some reason, your friend is complete control freak and really really really wants to make the introduction, then take this approach.  Tell them you really appreciate it, and you’ll plan to follow up directly with the referral by [name a date that is within 5 business days].  Therefore, if they haven’t had time to control the introduction, you’re not stuck in a position of wasting your precious dog years away.

Networking Pitfall: Being Mysterious

Nothing makes me more suspicious than the phone call that goes something like this: “Hello Molly, a friend of yours gave me your name and suggested we meet.” 

My first thought is that they’re trying to pitch me on some multi-level marketing scheme.  And if that is in fact the case, I may need to reevaluate my friends!  I immediately ask which friend, and from there I’ll determine whether I have time for them.

Whenever the phone rings, the first thing I think is “Who is this and why are they wasting my time?”  I don’t think I’m the only one.  Therefore, it’s critical to state your name, purpose, and your referral source up front.  If it’s a good purpose (or better yet, a good referral), you might buy at least 10 more seconds of their time.

You’re doing it wrong!!

I’ve watched people in the job search for more than six years.  And as the economy gets worse, so does your approach to finding and landing the next great opportunity.  Here’s what “You’re Doing it Wrong” looks like:

You focus on your resume.  You rework it until you’ve driven yourself crazy.  Every person you ask has a different opinion of it.  And just when you think you’ve got it perfect, someone comes along and tells you that it needs some serious revamping.

You list yourself with the major job sites.  After you spent all that time working on your resume, you now spend hours upon hours uploading your resume content to the major job sites.  Because you think they care?  No.  Now you’re just on their mailing list.  When was the last time you got called by someone because you were one of the hundreds of millions of people who have a listing?

You spend “valuable time” surfing the job boards.  Searching on job boards may make you feel like you’re working hard on your search.  You review each job posting and carefully select which ones you’d be perfect for.  You may spend some time thoughtfully composing a well-worded cover email.  And finally, you hit send.  And then you wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Did you know that more than 94% of companies never even respond to candidates who apply for a position?

You call every recruiter you know.  Don’t get me wrong, recruiters provide a valuable resource to corporations in finding great candidates.  It’s just that recruiters are paid for bringing in candidates that EXACTLY match the company’s criteria.  Once the position is put in the hands of the recruiter, if you don’t meet 12 out of the 10 attributes – yes, this includes the two criteria they never even thought of – then you’re wasting their time.  Recruiters don’t typically have a lot of time to spend with you if you’re not a fit for what they’re working on today.  It’s the classic cold call technique that went away (or at least should have!) in the 80’s:  “Would you like to buy from me today?  No, okay, I’ll call you back in 90 days.”

You send your resume to everyone you know telling them you’re looking for a job.  Hey, want a quicker way to make people have pity on you?  Guess what, there isn’t one.  What you’re really looking for is help.   What happens when you send out a generic email to everyone is that they feel sorry for you, and they don’t know how to help you – unless of course you end with the all-important line: “If you know of any companies looking for someone with my skills, please let me know.”  Quit sending people your sad, pathetic email.  If you really think you need to tell your circle about your job search via email – Think again!  If they’re that close, they already know about you, and if they knew about an opportunity, they would’ve told you.