Employers have done a good job at belt-tightening the past few years out of shear necessity (for survival). This translated nationally to a 6.2% rise in productivity in the fourth quarter. A negative consequence of this is that they - especially small businesses - are reluctant to start hiring again, for fear of a slow recovery. This is leaving about 6 unemployed people vying for each job opening, not the odds you are looking for if you are on the job hunt.
How we have to go after jobs has changed dramatically over the last decade, in the digital age. This presents some benefits and some challenges. Many people have a misconception of Internet job search and social networking sites. A recently published article on Yahoo! HotJobs, has a career "expert" suggesting "use social networks to, well, network." This is her complete advice on networking and use of social networks - which tells me she doesn't have a clue about how to effectively network. Social network sites are simply mediums to connect to others, just like the telephone, email, snail mail, or face-to-face meetings - and nothing more. They do give you broad reach to a great many people (the positive benefit) but only if used for (effective) networking. And job search sites - they are just the electronic equivalent of printed job posts in the newspaper of yesteryear, only digitized. The benefit is that you can search for jobs across a broader geographic region - easier - since it would be difficult to pick up help wanted ads from neighboring newspaper markets. They also allow you to send a resume online versus print and mail to each job post you are interested in. The downside is that thousands of others can do the same thing and your resume usually ends up in a digital "pile" on someone's desk - many times buried without so much as a cursory review. They normally receive so many resumes because of the reach of the Internet that they almost always refuse follow-up phone calls and don't respond to emails.
Social network sites can connect you to complete strangers, who you would not (should not) recommend for anything - if they are more than two degrees of separation away. This is advice strongly espoused by the networking guru of our time, Guy Kawasaki, author of Art of the Start and several other top-selling books. This means if your immediate circle of contacts, good friends, former colleagues, and school mates (1 degree) tell you they are good friends (1 degree) with someone they introduce to you (physically or electronically), and you have complete trust in their judgment, you can also recommend that person. But never a friend of a friend's friend - after all your reputation is on the line. Online social networking is the equivalent of more traditional networking, such as at a chamber of commerce meeting or industry tradeshow, where you meet someone you haven't met before. Here is where the Law of Reciprocity comes into play. It basically says, "if I do something good for you, you will feel similarly obligated to do something good for me." But you have to give before you receive. You must get to know this person first. Listen, listen, and listen some more to what they have to say and establish some common threads of interest and people you know. Only when this rapport is established and you offer them advice or assistance, can you ask for the same. This is not likely to occur on this first meeting, which is why follow-up is critical to the success of networking. This "meeting" can also take place online but it's much tougher to "get to know" someone and usually should only be done through introductions by someone you know.
This brings us to effective networking - which is the best way to land your next job, sell your product, or complete complex tasks in your current job. The majority of middle to senior management jobs are not posted outside the company or selectively given to recruiters to fill. The only way to find out about these jobs is through the network you have established. (The best advice I can give you is to always establish and nurture your network before it is needed!) You will find you have greater reach with your network than you think when using (the positive benefits of) social networking that make it so easy to keep connected to former school mates, business associates, extended families, and other shared interest groups. When one of these "friends" is offered assistance and then asked for assistance, you open up their networks. When they know the position you are qualified for, they can get the word out and "open doors" for you. The best scenario is for your resume to be walked into the hiring manager without ever having the job advertised to the masses. Minimally it gets you on the top of the stack for a guaranteed review. Networking can similarly get you past the "gatekeeper" to the right contact if you are selling a product or if you need expert advice on a project you are tasked to complete - a whole new avenue of resources.
How you position yourself to a prospective employer is also critical to getting past the resume review and through the interview process. We have seen in the economic downturn that companies have retained more "generalist" employees who could not only do their own jobs, but also extend themselves and take on tasks previously handled by others who were laid off. But it is interesting to note that employers now are being extremely selective in who they hire. They will not even look at candidates who do not match "perfectly" the job skills for the position they are filling. So you must research the requirements of the job you are applying for and lay your resume out to completely satisfy a HR screener that your "skills" meet those requirements. Even if you can bring a great deal more to the position, do not go down that path until you get by the resume screeners and preliminary interviews. Once you get the opportunity to sit with the hiring manager, you will want to convince him or her that you not only meet all of their requirements but you also bring so much more to the position.
It's a new world with new challenges, but not too complex to handle once you sort through the hyperbole and master the art of networking.
Richard S. Pearson is the Author of 5 Necessary Skills to Keep Your Career on Track. He has held vice-president positions with four multibillion dollar travel industry companies and three Internet early stage companies. He has a BA degree from Regis University in Organizational Development. His experience has given him a unique perspective on how to navigate the organizational structures of both large and small companies. He has hired and trained hundreds of employees from frontline salespeople to vice presidents, and coached many through their careers. He is currently working on facilitating the large increase of travel between the US and China, which is taking place. http://www.5necessaryskills.com |
