Accelerate Your Search™ Now

In work, play and life relationships matter.  When assisting your department or team with projects and deliverables both internal and external relationships are critical.  The relationships you have with co-workers, bosses and vendors are also vital when organization leaders are discussing personnel moves.

According to data published by Great Place to Work Institute, 30% of positions in the 100 Best Companies are filled internally.  Your work does get noticed.

You need a strategy to build and nurture your internal and external networks.  What’s yours?  Is it any of these three?

1. Wait till you need something, then ask.
2. Help others all the time, hoping they will help you in the future, or
3. Create a balanced approach that includes getting to know people so that you understand what is important to them and creating results that are of value to your network.

You may have guessed the third strategy is the one I recommend.  It is too easy to spend time and energy on items that take up time yet net minimal real results.

Technology is a wonderful tool, yet it can too easily rob you of the opportunity of spending quality time with your boss, peers, friends, business associates and possible employers.  Take a good look at your relationships.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• Who are you meeting with face-to-face?
• Who do you need to add to the list?
• What priorities, outcomes or results can you impact now?  In 3 months?  A year?
• What priorities, outcomes or results can your team impact now?  In 3 months?  A year?
• Who knows you?
• Who is getting the results you want to achieve?

Being promotable requires marketing yourself and your results.  One of the more productive ways to market yourself is to understand, nurture and build key relationships.

What are three things you will do in the next 30 days to learn more about others, enhance your current relationships or connect with those who need to know you?

Life is crazy busy.  Full schedules, meetings, emails, social and professional association sites to visit and maintain and requests from family members — whew!

The thought of one more email, phone message or “to do” item is just too much.  Who has the time to stay connected to your network, possible references or past co-workers, right?

The impact of those beliefs may lead to a shrinking network or worse — you will be forgotten.  When you need your network most, it may not be there.  Relationships and networks require “care and feeding.”  If staying connected feels like a chore or a burden, your network will notice and it may negatively impact your relationships.

We all know people in our network that we haven’t spoken to in 20 years, yet the bond is so strong that when you do talk to them its as if you have chatted that morning.  Those people are the exception, not the norm.  I call them my “Ruby Connections.”  Those precious connections that will be there no matter matter what.

The truth is not all relationships are created equal.  Most business relationships need regular contact to maintain the connection.  If not, when you make a call as I did recently to an electrician, I heard, “You have been purged from our system, you would be considered a new customer and the wait for a service call is four weeks.”  I was surprised, but realized I had not cared for this relationship and knew nothing about the changes in the business.  Shame on me.

Here is a simple process I use to stay in touch.  It is not perfect — obviously, or I wouldn’t be considered a “new” customer in the eyes of my West Texas electrician!

1.  When adding someone to your network, also add them to a follow-up group.  For me, I assign these groups a letter (A, B, C, etc.) to keep it simple.  For example, I belong to an association of women golfers and all my connections from that group go into my “G” group.  You got it — “G” for golf.

2.  Follow up quickly with new connections.  Learn more about your connection, what they do, interests, etc.  See how you might assist them now or in the future.  Jibberjobber.com is a great tool for managing contacts.

3.  Schedule time each week to follow-up with those in your network.  I schedule at least 60 minutes per week for connecting with new contacts.  One hour allows me time to connect by phone, in person or by Skype.  For established connections, I schedule 30 minutes.

4.  Follow-up methods vary by person, type of relationship and type of last contact.  Mix it up.   I might drop a card in the mail for someone’s birthday or if I notice, through LinkedIn, that someone received a promotion.  Send Out Cards is one of my favorite tools.  I love to send cards, yet I hate going to the store.  Send Out Cards is so easy — it is done from my computer and includes a personal note.  It is printed, stamped and mailed all in minutes.   [In the interest of full disclosure I am a Send Out Card Distributor.]

5.  Finally, for people I see (or saw) on a daily basis I schedule time to really connect — an occasional lunch or coffee or maybe leave a note on their desk to say, “Hi, thought of you last night when your ball team won.”

The bottom line?  Draw water before you need it.  When you stay in touch and show people you care about them, the people in your network will care about you and be there when you need an answer, a referral or an introduction.

We all have time for the things that are important.

Staying connected is easy when you follow the five steps above.  Start small — pick one step.  If you are over-scheduled, look to next month and add one 30-minuted appointment to your calendar or the next time you jump on LinkedIn share a post you enjoyed with someone in your network.

It is often the simple things you do that brighten someone’s day and show you care.  Nurture your relationships and create a “Ruby Connection.”

If you know someone who can benefit from this post, please pass it on.

Everyday you have opportunities to connect, build relationships and get your brand in front of decision-makers.  Businesses understand the value of this type of connection.  Think about it.  Everyday you receive coupons and offers via snail mail or company newsletters via email.  Why do they invest time and resources in staying in touch?  Simple.  They want you to think of them when you need their product or service.

For example:  If I need a plumber and the plumber I met at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last March mailed me a note, then a coupon, then another note and enclosed a refrigerator magnet with his logo, website and phone number, odds are good that the magnet is on my refrigerator or at least I will recall his name when I (or a friend) need a plumber.

Starting this year, find or create a system for staying in touch with your network and getting those people to be your brand ambassadors.

How do you get started?  Follow the steps below:

1. Create your list.

Who needs to know you?  Start small and focus on key influencers.  You are not building a mass marketing list.  Think of the people you really want to connect with during the first quarter of the year and those you will stay in touch with throughout the year.

2. Make your regular connection all about them.

Whether you craft a note, letter or email (I recommend giving snail mail a try), don’t go on and on about you.  Focus on what the person means to you, acknowledge them as a person and thank them for previous projects — you can even share an experience or fun memory you’ve had with them in the past.  If appropriate, you can mention what you are doing or ask to connect in person.  Don’t send your card, but do add your phone number under your signature or in other appropriate places.

3. Think about your system and how you plan to continue to connect.

A personalized plan is best.  Decide how often you will stay in touch.  Once per quarter is ideal — more often and you are less likely to actually follow-up (or your contacts may begin to wonder why you have so much time on your hands!).  Add holidays, business events and personal events like birthdays or work anniversaries to your systemized plan.

4. Have an impact and make a statement.

This method of connection also helps your network connect with the things that are important to you.  Do you run in charity events?  You could send a card that also supports that cause.  If you are a golfer, send a postcard from your favorite course.  Or design a card yourself using your own personal color of ink.  My plumber does not send coupons for his services, but rather for purchasing trees to help with reforestation and he sends recipes for his favorite cookies around the year-end holidays.  What have I now learned about my plumber?

5. Mix it up.

Don’t always do the same thing — be creative.  There are many tools to help you find creative ways to “reach out and touch” your network.

Connecting, nurturing and staying in touch with your network is a necessity.  Being known and trusted requires being present.  If you wish to leverage your network, you must invest in your network.  Personal marketing, building relationships and connecting helps others know you, which in turn, helps your career and your brand.  When others know who you are they are able to speak to your uniqueness and value.

Connecting with your network is not just a job search task, it is a career management must.  What is your plan for this year?  How will you really connect with your network?

In late January, I am hosting a 3-part workshop:  Identify, Leverage & Own Your Uniqueness.  The workshop is designed to help you quickly identify your strengths and see how others view those strengths, so that you can stand out in the eyes of hiring managers.

If this opportunity speaks to you, drop me an email.  I will send you the details and information on how to sign up for the workshop.

Have an amazing week!

Some time ago I began asking my clients and workshop attendees to offer feedback and share which tips they found most effective.   Below are the top five tips.  May they also help you reach out, contact and leverage the power of your personal network.

1.  Find the diamonds, rubies and emeralds among your old contacts. Annually go through your contact database.  Call people you haven’t spoken to in 3 to 8 years.  Update your data:  verify phone numbers, addresses, email addresses and organizations.  Discover what’s new with your contacts. If a number is disconnected or the person has moved on, place those people on your research list.  You might be surprised at how many people say, “I am so glad you called.”  For each contact reached be sure to note and schedule your next contact.  One contact and one follow-up per week helps you stay in contact with 100 people a year.

2.  Organize your contacts into categories.  Use your Contact Management System (CMS) and sort all of your contacts into five or six categories.  My recommended categories are:  1) those who can hire you; 2) those who can influence someone who can hire you; 3) those who can recommend you to someone who can hire you; 4) centers of influence with whom you have a strong relationship and who have an interest in your success; 5) to be determined (TBD) – these are people you just met or have not contacted in some time and therefore you are unsure of the most appropriate category; and 6) others contacts – family members or close friends who belong in your contacts, yet do not fit in one of the first 5 categories.

3.  Pick up the phone.   Allot one hour per day for phone calls.  Call those people in categories 1-3.  Be frank.  Explain you are engaged in exploring opportunities and seeking your next position and ask two questions:  Is there any assistance you can provide them at this time and what names can they give you of people who may need your assistance?  When possible arrange a face-to-face meeting within 3 weeks and secure the names of three referrals.   This is tough to do.  I know.  Face your fear of rejection and pick up the phone.

4.  Build your contact list.   What service can you provide to a group or association that will quickly build your contact list?  Who could use your assistance on a project (large or small) for free?  Offer to help and do it for free.  A former client called four contacts from his “who can influence someone who can hire you” category and offered to review 2-3 contracts for free and provide written recommendations.  Within six weeks, he had three interviews with hiring managers that liked his findings report and added 30 new, solid contacts to his list.

5.  Leverage the power of direct mail.  Mail requires thought, planning and an investment.  Sending direct mail to your top contacts pays dividends.  Unless you have invested in an email system with analytics and tracking features you may never know whether your email was delivered, opened or read.   However, direct mail that includes a strong call to action, such as, “Will you meet me for lunch downtown at your favorite deli at 12 noon, Tuesday, Oct 5 for a sandwich and conversation?” pays off amazing well and has a cumulative impact over time.

What is your favorite tip?  Do you have an adaptation or a success story?

Please share how you used one of these tips to manage your personal marketing and reach your contacts.

The whole month of April we have been focusing on The B’s of Interviewing — tried and true tips to ace your interviews.  We began with a discussion on Being on Time, moved to Being Prepared and today, tip #3, is Being Interested.

Being Interested is comprised of two parts.  First, building rapport.  Seasoned interviewers are skilled at small talk, which puts the candidate at ease and allows the interviewer to test the “fit” of the interviewee.  Be prepared to engage in this small talk and engage honestly.  If the woman across the table asks about the local college’s basketball team and you don’t follow them, be honest.  Don’t pretend to engage where you lack experience or knowledge.  Remember the integrity thing?  It applies here, as well.

The second component of Being Interested is to ask sincere questions. The easiest way to do this?  Follow up on questions asked of you.  Ask for additional information or clarification.  Ask questions from your research, about the company’s direction, about what keeps them up at night, about the goals for the department or position.  Employers are much more likely to remember a candidate who engaged in meaningful, thoughtful conversations about them.  Remember, this is a two-way street.  Both parties are dancing — trying to decide if and when to close the deal.  Even if you aren’t interested, ask questions to practice.  Yes, I said practice at the interview.  Don’t share this with anyone, but I know people who go on interviews for positions that don’t interest them just for practice.

And, what will you practice?  The B‘s of Interviewing, of course!  Be on Time, Be Prepared and Be Interested.

-Mark Key is a retail professional known for driving results in diverse and challenging retail segments.  Mark’s interviewing insights come from companies big and small — having worked with organizations with just a few employees to Fortune 100 companies.

“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 U.S., many are making plans for Thanksgiving Day!  May your celebration be special and include time for quiet reflection, gratitude for your blessings and simple moments of appreciation for all you have been given.

With Thanksgiving, the holiday season is officially underway.  It is a great time to expand your network and to Accelerate Your Search.  Holiday and family gatherings provide opportunities to connect and nurture relationships within your network.

Here are four tips to maximize each gathering during the holiday season:

1. Give.  Be prepared to give something to everyone you meet.  A smile, a kind word, a connection or your time — these are wonderful gifts.
2. Ask questions and listen.  Ask others questions about what they enjoy about the season or what exciting things are happening in their lives.  Listen carefully and ask follow-up questions.  Avoid offering helpful suggestions/ideas unless specifically asked.
3. Market yourself.  But, don’t beg for a job or oversell!  Be prepared to answer the question “What do you do?”  Avoid saying, “I am unemployed” or “I am looking for a job.”  Instead share what you do and how you add value.  Exchange business cards when appropriate and don’t forget to follow up.
4. Manners Matter. Take your manners and a positive attitude to each event. Be sure to thank the event host.  Yes — even Aunt Sally — your less than favorite person.  Show appreciation for the work and effort put into planning and hosting the event.  When appropriate,  prepare and deliver simple, unique and fun gifts to the host.

Go network, enjoy and have fun!  Avoid negative comments or conversations.  Be open to the opportunities before you and maintain an attitude of gratitude and appreciation.  Your upbeat attitude will prove contagious and you will expand your network and Accelerate Your Search.

‘Tis the holiday season!  What a great season for networking and landing a new job. 

Are you ready for holiday season networking?  So many people take a break from a job search at this time of the year, that those that stay with it have the added plus of less competition. 

If you’re a great networker you know this is a great and fun time of the year.  If you don’t like to network or haven’t mastered the finer aspects of networking and marketing yourself as you network you might not have feel the same excitement about this season.

Here are 8 quick tips to help you plan your holiday job search networking.

 1. Don’t only attend the mandatory events, expand your holiday networking

 Leverage the events you always attend and add others.  Consider stepping outside of your industry events, family events, and the networking events you do now, add several events where you can meet new contacts.  

 2. Set a budget for holiday networking

  You will have expenses, business cards, attire, event fees, food or beverage, or a donation to a charity or cause.  Be willing to invest in yourself, in your search and do it with a grateful heart.  Holiday networking is not about going to parties, it is about connecting with critical centers of influence and the opportunity to market you to your target audience.

3. Plan and Set a schedule for holiday networking

 The season is short and many events fall on the same day.  Plan which events to attend, who to connect with, what to wear, and how you will follow up. Having a plan and a schedule will help your focus.

4. Leverage your existing relationships, network and connections by giving

 Each holiday networking event is an opportunity for you to add value to others.  Discover who you can help and do so.  Connect someone, learn of a need and help, share a tip, do what you can do to help others in your network.

5. Support the event and the community the event serves

 Find a way to offer your support for the event or the organization before or after the event.  You could share event photos or highlights of the event via social media channels, or connect in advance with the organization or event supporters to offer your unique talent, skills or labor to support the event.

6. Don’t get lost in the crowd

 Know how you want to differentiate yourself from others searching for key contacts and your dream job. Know who you want to connect with, and be open to the opportunities before you.  Don’t sell, and don’t take your résumé to any holiday event.  It can be hard to predict who will show up, remember impressions count.

7. Don’t forget to leverage your online network and online events this season

 Many events are growing and some with combine both online and face-to-face experiences.  If get an “Evite” with an RSVP treat it as you would any invitation with an RSVP.  If you need to check in via a QR code to support the charity – do it.  Manners do count.

8. You Can’t Have It All Without Effort and Work

 Networking can be great fun.  You meet wonderful people, serve others, connect and build relationships and gain a lifetime of event memories, but all relationships take work.  During this season in North American the daylight hours are shorter, so it is a season of busy days, long nights, many events and extra commitments.  Your networking workload may increase, so adjust your schedule according.  Rest during the day if you know an event will end late, drink lots of water and plan your follow up so you can reconnect quickly and in an effective manner.

Do you have a networking tip to share or a comment?  Post it below.

To accelerate your search you need a strategy that helps you stay focused on the “right” things to build and maintain your network.  I encourage you to balance and nurture your network online and offline.

It is so easy to spend time, energy and effort on the items that take up time yet net you little in real results from your network.  It is also easy to forget to pay attention to the little things that pay big dividends.

There are many tools to help you connect with your network – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.  Technology has made it easy and convenient to connect. 

Yet sometimes technology robs us of the opportunity to really spend quality time with friends, business associates, customers, and possible employers.  Rarely does a technology work as well as a face to face meeting.

One of the “right” things to do in marketing yourself is to meet face to face.  Face to face you have the rare chance to learn more about others and often to explain your business and what you do.

How much face to face time do you have planned for this week?

During a job search there are a lot of expectations, most expectations you believe are understood.  Yet you may or may not be surprised to learn that the unspoken rules are often only your rules or expectations. 

You must be clear about your expectations, the leads, referrals, and help you want or you won’t get help.  You must communicate your expectations in a clear way.

Weekly, I talk to hundreds of people who say they want to land the ideal job, yet they struggle with how to do so.  About 50% say they go to networking events, connect online and in person and never get a referral or a lead. 

Sometimes they are mad, on the verge of tears, or ready to just throw in the towel.  They feel as if they are begging for help, working so hard yet never make progress or get the help they want. They want help but don’t know what to do or where to find help.

The bottom line is referrals and leads don’t always come as quickly as we’d like, for most of us it feels awkward coming right out and asking for a referral (so, we beat around the bush), and even when we do ask directly it is at the last minute, like a day or two before an interview or when you see a job posting for the job you want.  Is this true for you?

Here’s what’s going on – you believe

                 – you communicate your expectations and that you want help,

                 – you help others everyday (you keep score, too),

                 – you ask for leads or referrals,

                – you clearly communicate you expect a lead or referral, and

                – you clearly communicate the exact job or referral you want. 

However the message is so diluted or cryptic, even I need a ‘magic decoder ring’ or to ask lots of questions to get a clear idea of how I can help.

If who, you are talking to or connecting with don’t have the foggiest idea what referral is good, what job you want, or what company is a good referral for you, trust me, life is too busy for them to stop and figure it out.  Not to sound like I am bragging, but I am better at sorting this out than the average person, because that is what I do!  So, if I don’t have a clue, I guarantee others are clueless too! 

    Do you have a clear message? 

    Are you receiving leads or referrals?

    Would you like help to craft a message in a way to ask for referrals that does not feel awkward?

Well, there is a whole list of things you can do to be clear and ask for referrals and leads to accelerate your job search, land the job you want at the salary you deserve and with less stress.  Here’s one for networking introductions:
 
“As you know most job leads come via networking and word-of-month referrals, I am a __insert your profession or the job title you are seeking___, I would like to help you, learn more about what you do, share leads and offer you referrals, please connect with me by email at xxx@gmail.com or ask me for my business card so I can learn more than 30 seconds worth of what you do.”

Why, does it work? 

It is a clear message.  It tells what you do, how you will help, it makes it easy to connect with you, it gives you an opportunity to learn about what someone else does, it clearly sets the expectation of sharing leads and offering referrals and in creates an opportunity to connect with you to learn exactly what you do, what type of job you want to land and what type of referrals and leads you want.

Be sure you are prepared to continue the clear communication when someone contacts you and you plan to meet.   Here is one more tip, if you need help with your message, join the Q & A calls and ask for help or feedback on your message. 

Being prepared, having a clear message and planting the seed early in all interactions and relationships, sets the expectation upfront and ensures more leads and referrals – guaranteed!

I love success stories and comments.  Will you share yours?  Add your comment or success story below.

This is a bitter sweet weekend for me …  it is the first Father’s Day without my Dad.

For years I have lived far from my parents home and I rarely spent Father’s Day with my Dad.  Yet, we always connected,  just a year ago, I could still call, laugh, write, email and get advice from my Dad whenever I needed it and somethings when he just wanted to offer it.

My Dad would tell you I didn’t always follow his advice or agree with it.  I drove him crazy and sometimes he drove me crazy too.  Today, I wish he was here to give me advice and a hug.  He was wise and taught me many things.

One of the many lessons was on networking and building relationships.  My Dad would not call it that or might not even agree he was a master networker, but he was.  He understood the importance of relationships, and built relationships wherever he lived, traveled, and visited.  He served others sometimes just by listening.

Our lives are connected in interesting ways and I do believe relationships are formed for a specific reason.  We have the opportunity to build relationships every day, some professional, others personal or casual, some are short term others long term.  Each relationship is unique and in my view, are all important – why because relationships are about people.  I know nothing more important than people and the interactions that you have with people.  There are perfect relationships and imperfect ones!

We build relationships in many ways and in many places.  On the highway, or in our communities, some relationships never exchange words, only smiles such as those shared on the way to the office, store, elevator, or train.

My Dad was not direct like I am, on occasion he offered tough love, but not daily as I am known for, his style and manner was different. He was great at starting a conversation anywhere, with anyone – as a kid that drove me crazy – but as I grew up I learned the value of his skill in this area.

Like me (maybe I learned that from him too), sometimes he did not get to the point quickly.  That drives others nuts, I know and he did too. His patience with others in a conversation was an interesting gift.  There were the things he learned because he was patience and listened in a unique manner.

May all fathers have a wonderful weekend, be blessed by the gifts you share with your children, families; friends and all those you connect and interact with daily.

If you are like me and without your father this weekend, may you be blessed by a memory and the many other wonderful relationships you have.