“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
Happy Thanksgiving!
In the US many are making plans for Thursday, Thanksgiving Day! The day marks the beginning of the holiday season and hopefully for you a time for quiet reflection and gratitude for the blessings of your life and all you have, and have been given.
As you plan your week, travels, events or whatever you will do this week to celebrate may you also pause to be thankful, I know I will. Then take a bit more time to plan how you will take advantage of all the holiday gatherings to connect with family, friends, make new friends and build relationships within your network. The holiday season is the best time of year to connect and build your network. Here are a few tips to maximize each gathering and leverage the many networking opportunities you will have over the next few weeks.
Be prepared to give something to everyone you meet. A smile, a kind word, a connection, even an opportunity to get to know a family member better can is a wonderful gift you can give another. Don’t forget to have business cards with you and share them as appropriate.
Be prepared to answer the question “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?” Avoid saying, “I am unemployed” instead share what you do, or your ideal job, clearly in less than a minute. If asked questions share more as appropriate, if asked where you work reply with you are currently seeking new opportunities within XXX (list your top 3 target companies), or that you most recently worked for XXX (your last employer).
Don’t beg for a job, sell yourself, and don’t ask those you meet if they know who is hiring or if their employer/company is hiring. Instead ask questions about the other person, what type of work they do, the company they work for and what they enjoy most about for the company. The odds are you will be very surprised to learn how you could help another person or something about that person and/or the company they work for that you would not have known without that chat.
Give the person you are talking with your full attention. Avoid the challenge of balancing a plate of food, and a glass, hold a plate or a glass but not both at the same time. It is okay to eat before you arrive at the gathering and focus only on visiting and networking. If you are gathering for a meal, ask questions and listen, listen twice as much as you talk!
Have a positive attitude about the event. Be sure to thank the host and/or organizer, even Aunt Sally, of the event and show appreciation for the work and effort to ensure the event’s success. As appropriate prepare and deliver simple unique, affordable, fun holiday gifts to say thanks.
One of my clients created a simple bookmark with a list of 5 top tips from her field and added a lovely sunrise photo she took on the other side. She gave them to each host or mailed them with a thank you. These were created on the computer in less than an hour and printed six to a page, so the cost was just right.
Do your best to ensure that everyone you meet and talk with feels special, valued and important. One of the easiest ways to do this is with focused listening.
Ask others questions about what they enjoy about the event, the season, or what is exciting or interesting in their life. Listen and ask follow up questions, avoid offering helpful suggestions or ideas unless you are asked for your ideas.
Avoid negative comments, conversations, and discussing that you are unemployed. Be happy and maintain an attitude of gratitude. Your upbeat attitude will prove contagious.
