Sea Glass and the Job Search: Networking

If you've ever felt like that one pebble tossed among the thousands of other pebbles and rocks on the beach then you are not alone.

Networking can make you feel like that and for many people it’s hard, exhausting and an overwhelming yet critical step to the job search process. Critical in that 65% to 80% of people have found work through their networking contacts.

Added to the mix is the recent statistic that shows approximately 80% of companies using social media to search for job candidates.

The path to finding a job has always been “who you know” and now it has moved to “who you are connected to both socially, professionally and personally”.

Networking can be massive but if you break it down into a few manageable steps you can get out from under that mountain of pebbles. Here’s how.

Identify your strengths and specific accomplishments (see previous Patch post, Sea Glass and the Job Search - Planning) and feel comfortable talking about them.

Create a list of your personal, social and professional contacts. Include names, numbers, email addressess and any other pertinent information. Let your contacts know that you are looking for work and ask for their assistance. These people may know someone who can help you. Everyone has heard of someone who found a job from a friend, neighbor, dentist, hair stylist, or the woman on the train. The list goes on.

Create a formal and informal “Elevator Speech”. Here are two samples from the same person.
Informal (for friend, acquaintance, family): “As you may have heard, I am returning to the job market, specifically in writing and editing journals in the pharmaceutical industry. I have 10 years of experience and have even won several awards. Would you know anyone in the industry that I could call?”
Formal (for a professional meeting or networking event): “Hello! My name is Catherine Jones and I am delighted to be here this morning. I represent ten years of writing and editing clinical trial publications for the ABC Company. For three consecutive years my articles on microbes and cell division were featured in the New York Medical Journal. I am currently in the market for a similar position and would appreciate any contacts for my job search. I am Catherine Jones.”

Get connected. Since most companies are using social media, it hurts your chances of finding work if you are not an active member of LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. I’ve posted a few Patch blogs on using social media.
Make sure you give as well as you get. Networking is a two way street; it’s about building relationships and giving back.

Networking can be an overwhelming part of the job search just because there are so many different pieces, people and steps surrounding it. It can also be the most fruitful if you break it down into the steps that will allow you to stand out and be noticed.

Sea Glass and the Job Search: Planning

A week or so ago I compared beginning a job search to looking for sea glass on the beach; shuffling through the rocks and shells to focus on that one spectacular piece.

To many people, the job search can be a jumbling mess of thoughts and actions leaving us frustrated and not knowing where to begin. There are three steps to the job search process; planning, networking and preparing. Let’s take them one at a time

The first big step in any job search or career change is to put away your resume or your worry about crafting one. That’s the last thing to work on. You need to plan and dream and take a bit of time to think about you and all that you do. Planning allows you to sift through the jumble and focus.

1. Focus on You
2. Focus on the Job

Focus on You: Take some time to reflect and jot down your answers to these questions. Try to do this exercise yourself and then ask friends and family if they have anything to add.

a. What did I like about my last job(s)?
b. What activities did I enjoy?
c. What type of work energizes me?
d. What don’t I like to do?
e. If I could do anything, what could it be?
f. What are my interests?
g. What are my values?
h. What type of personality do I have?
i. What am I really good at?
j. What am I really bad at?
k. What skills do I have?
l. What skills have I developed over the years that I can transfer to another job (transferable skills)? Include work and volunteer activities.

Focus on the Job: Once you have identified your skills and interests, think about the types of jobs that may interest you.

a. Take a free career assessment. There are many but try coachcompass.com or online.onetcenter.org)

b. Review the jobs defined in the Occupational Outlook Guide from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

c. Go to the familiar job search engines such as Indeed.com. Jobs4Jersey.com or Monster.com and look up the various positions that match your skills and interests.

Once you’ve researched these two areas you’ll need to put them together and evaluate yourself. You can do this by drawing a worksheet. In the first column list the skills needed for a particular job. In the second column list the skills that you have that align with these. Compare the two columns and decide whether this is an area for you to pursue.

There are other areas in planning that may be important to you such as reviewing your finances, personal and family needs, logistics, etc. These need to fall into the job search equation too. After this, it’s time to start part two of the job search equation; networking. We’ll do that next time.

Sea Glass and the Job Search

Can you find the sea glass in the rocks?

As I was walking on the beach today I was thinking about other things and wasn’t concentrating on the reason I was there. I was thinking about work and my kids and if I left enough food out for the cat. My mind was so busy jumping from topic to topic that I walked by two pieces of glass. How did I know that? Because some part of my brain was still processing the reason for the walk even though I was thinking about something else. Somewhere in my brain I was getting a message that I just missed some glass. Sure enough, when I stopped and turned around, there they were.

Organizing yourself for the job search process can be like walking past those two pieces of glass. While your mind is telling you what you should do, your thoughts tend to become scattered, disorganized and leave you overwhelmed and frustrated. The key is to take it one step at a time. After getting over the initial shock and then visiting with the unemployment office to figure out your options, it’s time to develop a strategy. There are three steps to that process; Planning, Networking and Preparing and you should spend some concentrated time on each before jumping to the next.

I’ll write about those areas next time. In the meantime, remember that while finding a new job is a necessity, too much mind clutter can lead to unproductive activities. We’ll take it one step at a time and like the sea glass, focus on doing it right.