by Terrie Osborn, CPRW
The unemployed have two challenges; how to find networking opportunities when you’re not in “the loop” anymore and how to successfully network once you find those opportunities.
Here are five ways of creating opportunities:
Don’t just sit there, volunteer! It’s tempting to treat your period of unemployment as a well-earned vacation, sleeping in, catching up on your reading, etc. but unless your goal is to remain unemployed it can be very helpful to get out of the house every single day. One excellent way to get out, keep your skills sharp and meet new people is to volunteer. Pick a cause that you can get excited about and give them a call to see if you can help. Not only will it provide a wealth of networking opportunities, it will add to your references and you’ll feel good about yourself.
Unemployed? Join “The Club!” You’re not alone and perhaps you know other unemployed people. Create your own “Job Club” and you’ll all cover a lot more ground together than you can alone. Pick a day and plan to meet somewhere for coffee and to swap stories and support. Each of you have undoubtedly uncovered jobs that perhaps you weren’t qualified for or know of companies that aren’t a fit for you but could be for someone else.
Have some fun! Resist the urge to be a hermit—you won’t meet new people hanging out in your jammies all day. Go to anything you find even slightly entertaining. Every community has flea markets, poetry readings, open-mic nights and other free events where lots of people gather. You may run into someone you haven’t seen for a while or strike up a fruitful conversation with a stranger.
Spend even MORE time on Facebook! Social networking sites like Facebook are fantastic methods of getting yourself out there beyond the professional networking sites where you’ve already posted your resume. Spend a little less time on Farmville and a little more time looking for groups and individuals from your industry or where you might like to work. Get creative; write a professional blog, offer your professional services as a consultant through Craigslist or other advertising mediums.
Arrange some informational interviews! This is a lost technique from your college days—it still works for grown-ups. Call a manager in a company where you’d like to work and explain that you’re exploring what it takes to be someone in their position. Ask for a 20-minute appointment to interview them. Remember to treat it as if you were being interviewed. Dress the part and put your best foot forward. Before you leave, ask for the name of one of their associates who they would recommend that you speak to in order to enhance your knowledge.
And now here are five ways of maximizing those opportunities:
Dress for success! Never has it been so important to make a good impression—EVERYWHERE you go—than when you’re networking. Place a reminder on whatever mirror you check before you leave your house. A large sign reading, “Would You Hire This Person?” will do nicely.
Leave reminders! The professionals will all advise you not to hand out your resume like candy and that’s good advice. You want to get your message out there but you also want to appear to be a somewhat exclusive property. To accomplish both, create a good old-fashioned calling card. This is a little like a business card on steroids. It can be a fold-over version giving you more room to list some career highlights or your desired title with your skills, etc. Any print shop can help you create and print professional-looking cards or you can use a site like Vistaprint.com that will do it online at a very affordable price.
Don’t be a Party Pooper! We all know that someone who arrives too early and eager at every party, stays too long, can’t take a hint, talks about inappropriate topics, is overly friendly to people they’ve just met, etc. When in doubt about how to conduct yourself when meeting people for the first time, think about meeting someone’s parents. Your language should be pristine, not full of slang or inappropriate words. Your topics should be minus any controversial subjects, and a smile goes a long way toward letting them know you’re happy to meet them.
To be interesting, be interested! It’s a huge compliment to be asked about yourself so as much as you’d like to cut right to the chase and recite your entire resume to your new associates, don’t. Instead, impress them with your curiosity about their lives, jobs, or even opinions (as long as you’re not bringing up politics or religion).
Keep in touch! I have a friend who schedules 20 phone calls each day to just say hello to people she’s met. It’s not a long call and she always finds something to say such as, “I just went by that restaurant we had lunch at and thought I’d call to see how you’re doing.” She also has made a mental or physical note of any topic that’s been an ongoing discussion so she has more to say than just, “How are you?” She might ask about the recent fundraiser they’d discussed or how the visit with their parents went. She does this all the time and I cannot imagine she’d be unemployed for very long if each and every time she made a call she ended the call with, “It’s so nice to catch up with you. Don’t forget, if you hear about any opportunities please let me know!”
