Networking around the Grille

This is probably my 16th posting on networking since I started blogging. Why? Because it’s very important. So, it’s summertime; people are barbequing in the back yard, picnicking and Networking!!! Let’s look at networking again this time... networking at parties, cookouts and picnics.

   Remember the old Nat King Cole song, Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer... but summer is no time to be lazy when you’re looking for a promotion or a new job. It’s really a great time to connect with new people in a pleasant atmosphere. People are feeling good, having a beverage to drink and some good comfort food.

   It’s a great time to connect, but!!! Yes, what do you say to folks? (Well I’m going out on a limb here, against stuff a lot of people before me have told you.) What do you say, not your elevator speech. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. My friend and management guru Joe Takash is quoted as saying:

   Most 'elevator speeches' make the listener want to take the stairs. If you struggle, (which most of us do), in swiftly describing what you do and the value you provide, practice and get feedback.

    Take the pressure off yourself and go the the party, picnic or cookout to have fun. Instead of looking for opportunities to give your elevator speech, look for opportunities to say hi. I like to hang out near the drink cooler or keg. “Hi, can I buy you a beer? By the way, I’m Thomas, here you go.” (I only offer beer or wine to persons over 21 years of age with appropriate identification.) It’s a great way to meet everyone at a party. And by introducing myself, people tend to introduce themselves.

   At many cookouts the “guys” hang around the grill. It’s a guy thing. My wife says that the only reason why men will cook food on a grill is because there is an element of danger. That may be true, or it may be because our ancient ancestors cooked their fresh kills over an open fire and it is in our DNA and it just feels right. Regardless, it’s a safe place to hangout and listen and talk to the fellas.

   At those parties, the ladies congregate with one another over a number of different activities. Sadly, I really don’t have any idea what the women are doing, because I’m a guy and I’m hanging out near the dangerous Weber Grill. But, this is also a great place to say hi, meet new people and connect. It’s been reported to me that women are far more likely to talk and share than men do and I pretty much believe that to be true.

   It doesn’t matter which group you are in, just meet new people and then connect with them. Ask if they are on LinkedIn or Facebook or Pinterest or Google+ or any social media. Then follow up, invite them to join your network, friends, follow your pins or join your circles. Then follow up again and invite them for coffee and there you can share your elevator speech.

Do Elevator Speeches Work?

Elevator Speeches... The old sales adage says that you should be able to communicate the core message of your product in the time it takes to go up a couple floors in an elevator... You have between 30 and 90 seconds to tell the person locked in the elevator with you why he should buy what you have to offer. Yes, I know what you’re thinking... People don’t talk in elevators. You walk in, turn to face the front of the box and try not to touch anyone who is also in the elevator with you. Saying hello will get you a strange look. When would you ever use an elevator speech? Even if you’re in the middle of a discussion with someone, when you enter an occupied elevator the automatic reflex is to stop talking.

So if you’re in sales or in a job search, when are you going to use an elevator speech if not in the elevator? Some unemployment professionals may disagree with me; I believe that elevator speeches are a tool to help folks prepare what to say when asked questions while networking or interviewing. However, if a person took 60 to 90 seconds to recite a whole elevator speech, it would come off as pretty artificial and contrived.

Picture this: you’re in line at a wedding reception either for the bar or the buffet. A person walks up behind  you--the line isn’t moving all that fast--so you say “hi.” They say ‘hi” in return. “Great wedding,” one of you say. The other says “yes, (as the line moves up a step) they’re a beautiful couple. By the way, (holding out a hand) my name is Jim Jameson.” (Shaking hands) “Hi Jim, I’m Jacqueline Daniels, how do you know the lovely couple?” Sooner or latter as the line get closer to the desired end, someone asks the other, “What do you do?”  So what do you do?... you dive right in with your well practiced elevator speech. And what do you hear next? The guy behind your new friend saying, “Hey buddy, you going to order a drink or what?” Your new friend darts over to the other open bartender and says, “Make it a double!” and you never see them the rest of the night. Why? Because they are there to dance, eat and drink, see friends and remember how wonderful it was when they were married.

If social occasions aren’t the best place to use your elevator speech, where do you use this all important tool that people have been telling you needed or you’d never find a job? Job Clubs, Networking Groups and Professional Networking Events are the best. I go to an early, breakfast networking event where after forty minutes or so of informal networking we circle up and go around the circle giving our elevator speeches. It’s a smashing time, really great fun! Then people mingle some more to exchange cards with those they hadn’t met before the circle. We exchange leads and asks questions and the group slowly dwindles as people go to work.

At the wedding, it’s better to tell them what you do and then ask what they do. Develop a rapport where you can learn something about the person. If you realize that they are someone you can network with, find a means to follow up with them after the wedding. “Well Jim, we need to get back to the party, it was great meeting you. Maybe we can get together sometime for coffee? I’d like to learn more about your company... are you on LinkedIn? Would it be okay if I sent you an invitation to connect? Great! Enjoy the rest of the evening.”  

BTW, next week I’ll not be posting, I’m off to St. Paul, Minnesota to visit with some friends and celebrate our 30 year reunion.

Job Search Tools

"What you need to have handy when you're looking for a new job." 

Resume

    A good resume is the first and best tool for the job seeker. It is also the first thing the job seeker needs to work on. Actually, this document should be up to date all the time, even while you still have a paying job. Most people don't have their resume up to date the day they get notified they are being laid off. If you need to, get the old resume out and update it with your most recent experience situations.
    Unless you have special circumstances you'll want to use a chronological resume with a career summary statement, highlighted experience/accomplishments and work history. At the end of the resume your education and special training.
    There are dozens of books out there with suggestions for better resumes, specific formats, choice of paper and fonts. Regardless of what you read... you need to realize that your resume is your marketing material to help you get an interview. Note: your resume isn't a silver bullet. It will not get you the job! It is a tool to be used to get interviews and a device to be used to introduce your skills, abilities and experience in networking meetings.

Handbill
    A handbill is another networking tool. Sometimes called a "mini-resume" it is used in networking situations at networking or job search clubs or meetings. Like a resume they are meant to be given to people so they will
remember you. You can be creative in how you present your info but don't get crazy. There are three parts to the handbill:

• contact info: Name, phone number(s) and email address 
• history of your experience, skills and abilities: Past employers and accomplishments in brief 
• list of target companies: Companies that are hiring or that you would like to work for
  

See link for an example handbill or a link for a template.

Business Cards
    Another essential tool is a business card. Some people put a mini resume on the back of the card. I feel the KISS rule is essential. (Keep it Simple, Seeker) Your contact info and a good tag line are best with room on the back for people to jot notes about you. You can get business cards for the cost of shipping at: www.Vistaprint.com

Elevator Speech
    Everyone talks about having an elevator speech. The idea is to have something prepared to say that doesn't sound prepared which you could say to someone you meet while going up an elevator.  The point is to make it quick and memorable and not to hope you're riding to the top of the Sears (oops, Willis) Tower. A good
elevator will communicate to the listener what you could do for them or their company. Sample Elevator Speech

   Creating these tools will also prepare you for the work of job search. Namely networking! I heard a clever mnemonic the other day, "If you're not networking, you're not working." These are the tools and like all tools the user needs to practice and work with them to be comfortable using them. Get going and make it happen.

Social Media Especially LinkedIn


  Click on "Why LinkedIn Works"