Networking Events: Information Gathering

In episode 371 of this podcast, I covered Places to Network You Haven’t Thought Of. If you haven’t listened to that one, it is a good complement to today’s episode.

Why is Networking Important in Your Job Search?

1.   75% of the jobs are in the hidden job market, meaning they are not advertised. If you aren’t networking, you have zero chance of accessing the largest portion of available jobs.

2.   Job boards are THE most crowded venue to look for a job. I tell clients that if all they are willing to do to look for a job is apply online, they should expect it to take at least 1 year.

3.   When you network in addition to applying for a position online, you increase your chances considerably. I call this the “+1 Approach.”

4.   When a job is posted online, companies now have a roadmap they must follow to hire “the most qualified” candidate. When you network your way into a company before the job has been posted, they can make sure they write the job posting in a way that benefits you – or in some cases, just hire you and not post the job at all.

What types of networking opportunities are out there?

1.   One-on-one networking.

-You have a concentrated period of time to really focus on building a relationship with another person.

-Because these meetings are typically scheduled, you have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting and determine exactly what you want to ask the other person to do for you.

-It’s much easier to follow up with individuals you have networked one-on-one with – to provide them with what you said you would and remind them to provide you with what they said they would.

2.   Networking events.

-You can speak to as many as a dozen people at one event, making it a very efficient way to network.

-You get a large cross-section of people at these events, increasing the likelihood that someone you meet can help you.

-You can simultaneously build your LinkedIn network by connecting with everyone you meet at these events on LinkedIn.

3.   Events where networking is possible.

(Where the music isn’t too loud and the people aren’t too drunk.)

While not specifically for the purpose of networking, these events provide you with the possibility of networking. Think professional development meetings and community service organizations.

The benefits of attending these events are the same as attending networking events, with a possible added benefit:

-If you are engaged in working alongside other professionals, they have the opportunity to see you “in action,” and be impressed by your work ethic and results.

Two networking approaches

1.   The Tommy Gun Approach (AKA Spray and Pray)

The Tommy Gun Approach involves a non-strategic, never-miss-an-opportunity-to-tell-people-you’re-looking-for-a-job approach.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Tommy Gun Approach, it isn’t strategic and it may not get you the results you are looking for.

The problem with this approach is two-fold:

-You haven’t given the other person anything concrete with which to help you, so your request will probably go in one ear and out the other, and

-You aren’t providing the other person with any value (there is no quid pro quo here).

What does the Tommy Gun Approach look like at a networking event? In a sentence: Vague requests lead to vague results.

You tell everyone you meet at that event that you are looking for a job and if they think of anything to let you know. Then you give them your business card or a copy of your resume.

They don’t even know you, so the chances of anything happening from that contact is slim.

2.   The Bow and Arrow Approach

Here’s how I teach my clients to approach networking:

-You begin with the end in mind. You know which employers you most want to work for and you figure out how to get to the decision-makers in those companies. You then set up one-on-one networking meetings specifically around these goals.

-You are asking your networking contact for specific assistance. You’ve done your homework, so you know who you want them to introduce you to or what piece of information you need from them.

-You are providing as much value to the other person as they are to you. Equal value for equal value.

How does the Bow and Arrow Approach work in networking events? You don’t know who’s going to be there, so it is difficult to plan ahead. Also, you aren’t likely to have an extended amount of time to talk with any one individual.

In these situations, you are in information-gathering mode. You are finding out who’s there, where they work, what their job titles are, and any other information about their professional lives.

Then, you’re going back to LinkedIn. After adding them as a connection, you are looking at who they are connected to, where they’ve worked in the past, etc. THEN you can decide if this individual is appropriate for a one-on-one networking meeting. 

Of course, if you meet someone at that networking event who works for one of your target employers or has some other way of helping you, ask! I just don’t see much benefit in telling everybody you are job searching.

How to give as much value as you get

Most of us aren’t comfortable with just taking and not giving back, whether it is in networking or anything else. I call this being a networking barnacle.

Let’s say you have a 30-minute coffee date with a networking contact. Here are the steps to make this successful:

-Make the first 20 minutes about them.

Ask questions, give input, or just be a listening ear. When you do this first, the other person will be more than willing to help you out when it’s your turn. I promise, even if you think you can't possibly provide value to the other person—you can. 

-When it’s your turn, have a specific ask.

Do your homework and know exactly what you want this person to do for you. Who do you want them to introduce you to? Use LinkedIn to find out who they are connected to that can move you a step along in your networking efforts. 

-Follow up and follow through. 

Because you have made a specific ask, it is easy to follow up with an email to thank the other person, remind them of how you helped them and that they agreed to introduce you to a certain person (or whatever they agreed to). In addition, you can re-state how you supported them, such as “I hope my suggestion to try the XYZ method for month-end close was helpful.”