Don’t tell them about your warts –
“I have these big ugly warts on my feet. I have had them for two months now. Some are small and rough, some are growing together.”
WHAT?
That’s right you would not say that in public or to your friends. Yet almost daily I hear professionals who are looking for their next gig and trying to connect with other professionals, to get referrals and introductions to the employers they want to work for say things about themselves and their job search that I call WARTS!
If you want to increase your connections and referrals, it is critical to educate your family, friends, and the people you meet so they can become your personal advocates. Doing so helps you create a mini sales force.
If your friends, family and allies know you, know what you do, know about your experience and what type of work you are interested in doing, they can help you. When you have a team of people who like you, trust you, know you, and can explain what you do. It is super easy for them to refer you to possible employers, their friends and contacts, and to help connect you with the best companies and the best positions for you.
Here is one secret so few people use. The “update letter”. Use this tool to connect with family, friends and allies. Most people will be very happy to hear from you, to learn about what you are doing and most will be happy to help if you tell them how they can help you. Be specific.
This is not a WART LETTER – don’t say
Dear Friend:
Poor me, I lost my job, after all these years of toil and I need a job. Do you have a job for me?
Signed, Mr. Big Wart.
Any letter, email or conversation like that is a burden on all who receive it. Telling anyone about your WARTS will make them want to run away from you as fast as they can and/or avoid you now and in the future.
Tastefully done an update letter allows you to connect with your network, share key achievements you since you last connected. It provides an opportunity for you to let friends and family know what you are doing and asking them to think of you if they overhear of or connect with a situation relating to your current interests.
An update letter also provides you with an opportunity to connect, catch up, and talk about business. You can connect and discover what’s new and or different in life and in the business of your network contacts as well if there is a way that you can help them.
Does an “update letter” really get results? Not always, but after four months of resisting the idea, here is what happened for one person who decided to send just 10 “update letters”.
One letter went to a former executive assistant, whom he had not seen in 8 years. She called him after receiving the “update letter”, he took her to lunch, during lunch they talked about family, old friends, business in general and her new job. In less than a week she called him to coordinate an appointment with the COO of her employer. The result, an interesting conversation about a new project within a division of the organization scheduled to start in a few months. What is next? Another conversation, then who knows? This grateful executive is glad he composed and sent an “update letter” and connected with someone in his network and is busy updating other advocates within his network.
Who should you send an “update letter” to?
When you compose your “update letter”?
Let me know about your results.
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