What to do about the numbers?

We have a good-natured competition going on at Harper's Career Stimulus Program. Our Director--or I should say our Dean -- Nancy Wajler has decided to up the number of her contacts in LinkedIn. One of Nancy’s strengths is competition and this is a perfect area to compete in. Very easy to measure and compare the number of our connections.

Whether you have 150 LinkedIn connections or 250 or 500 or over 600 like Nancy, the next questions is, what do you do with them once you get them? Nancy is a LION a “LinkedIn Open Networker.” She sees value in networking or connecting with everyone knowing that at sometime those connections can be utilized to help someone or to connect to someone else who can help her or someone she is connected to.

While I’m not truly a LION, I have many connections, and I will connect with most everyone as long as I know how I may help them and they know how I they can be of assistance to me. If I’ve never met a person asking to connect to me,  I’ll invite them to a 15 to 30 minute meeting or a phone conversation if they are not local. There I find out about them and they learn about me. After all, networking is about relationships.

Sales professionals have an old adage that goes something like this, “Sales is a numbers game.” When I meet a new client, one of the first things I ask them to do is develop a list of contacts. I suggest they start with a list of 150 names. Often I receive a groan of protest, “I don’t know that many people!” they tell me. Some of my clients are on LinkedIn and they say, “Can I start with my LinkedIn contacts?” What’s the difference? LinkedIn has demonstrated to people the power of connecting. Being connected to people gives you a means to finding a solution to a problem.

Lets say you need to talk to (network with) 15 people in order to meet with one hiring manager or decision maker. Now let’s say you need to talk to at least 10 decision makers in order to get one job offer.  The more people you’re connected to the better your chances of landing the next job. But wait!!!! It’s not just about being connected: you need to talk to these folks. Call them up and ask for a meeting so that you can describe what you have to offer them.  So you can ask them who else they know who you can talk to.

It’s an interesting statistic that if you have less than 100 connections on LinkedIn that less than 3% of LinkedIn can find you on LinkedIn. However, if you have over 500 connections more than 90% of LinkedIn members can find you. Like the old saying, there are strength in numbers. Whether you’re a LION or an Alley Cat, the number of people you’re connected with will aid your success in job search or in business. Professional and Social Networking is about helping people find what they need. Connect, Ask, Talk, Succeed!

Advice From Strangers & Friends

In 1937, Simon & Schuster published How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. I really like and recommend this book for everyone to read. In September, 2010, I highlighted How To Win Friends and Influence People when talking about Interviewing. Among other things, Carnegie tells his readers not not to criticize, condemn, or complain, and to give honest and sincere appreciation. So when someone gives you advice, don’t become defensive, and show true appreciation for the advice.

Even if the advice is totally off the wall, idiotic, and absolutely crazy, thank them for their thoughts and move on. I bring up this point because I keep hearing from clients and students that they’ve gotten advice from a friend or stranger and it’s put them into a tail spin. Not a single person reported to me that the advice they got was fantastic, right on, helpful, or life changing!

Pauline Phillips--AKA Abigail Van Buren--died a few years back and Dear Abby was/is a professional and has a support staff, so who is giving you advice? Most advice isn’t all that good, seriously! A lot of people convey conventional wisdom, which doesn’t always live up to its name. So many folks are passing negative comments and de-motivational advice to job seekers. Or they are relating self-serving thoughts that make themselves feel important. Consider the source and the speakers’ agenda when considering their advice.

The negative that is being passed out there is devastating to the people hearing it, not just to their emotions, but also to their activity and job search efforts. So much of this “advice” is couched as “friendly & supportive” and often starts with the words, “Without...,” “You need to be realistic...,” or “Everyone knows...”  I think as a rule of thumb if someone is telling you that they can’t, or you cannot or you have to be realistic, or anything along those lines, they are not trying to help you, they’re trying to make themselves feel better.

There is positive stuff out there too. One client who landed a job recently sent out an email and told her friends and contacts: “For those of you concerned about the economy, don't believe everything you read in the news! I can tell you that many of my friends and I have been receiving interest, phone interviews, in-person interviews, and more over the past several months.” This offered folks some positive and believable encouragement.

So if the advice you’re hearing is uplifting or constructive, think of Dale Carnegie and thank them and then consider the relative value of the comments. If it is not serving your mission, let it pass, no harm is done, you’ve been professional and respectful and remained on the path toward your goals.

Why is Asking for Help So Hard?

In my December 2009 blog, “The 80/20 Rule” I brought up the subject of networking and asking for help or advice from those we network with. I pointed to the fact that men are so unlikely to ask for help it has become a punchline of jokes. Some people say that the GPS became such a successful product for this reason and others point out that using a female voice for the GPS is just plain irony.

But it’s not just men; many women don’t like to ask for help anymore then most men. Back in March 2010 my blog “Asking for Help and Advice in Your Job Search” I wrote, “This is what I say to my clients who tell me that they are uncomfortable asking for help: "Get over it if you want a job. It's a numbers game and you'll need to ask a lot of people for their help and advice in order to meet the person that knows about your job."

Recently, I’ve meet a number of people that voice this same issue about asking for help. So I asked myself and others why is this so hard? Let’s first point out that this isn’t only a problem for people in job search; it really is an issue for most of us at every stage of our careers. In fact, even as students it’s hard for us to ask for assistance or help. Still, why?

Fear of rejection
Most commonly this seems a reason not to ask for someone’s help. Is this irrational? Normally I would have to admit that if you ask people for help or advice they give it freely, willingly, with joy. Yet, folks will say to me, “What if they say no?” Of course the response to that is, “What if they say yes!” if you don’t ask you’ll never learn what not being rejected feels like.

Feeling vulnerable
Now, it is true that if we are asking for help, we are admitting that we need help. We are not strong enough, smart enough, connected enough to do it ourself. If I have to ask for help, I tell myself, “I suck” or something equally demeaning. However the fact is that I have never met the 100% perfect, totally fulfilled, absolutely self-reliant human being. In fact, many of the people that we look up to in sports, business or the media have been found cheating, using drugs or covering up because they couldn’t admit that they weren’t perfect. We all feel vulnerable, so what!

Owing someone
Along with feeling vulnerable, people will say, “I don’t want to be beholden to someone else.” This really falls into the “I don’t want to feel vulnerable” camp. What if Great Britain said back in 1939 and 1940, we don’t want to be beholden to America so we’ll pass on Lend Lease. What if Google didn’t want to be beholden to a bunch of stock holders or if any company didn’t have public offerings of stock. Would a person whose house is on fire stop to consider whether or not owing the firefighters was worth making the call to 911? Pretty silly!

It’s Change
I’m not used to asking people for help. Once upon a time, you and I weren’t used to walking, talking, driving or going to work; that didn’t stop us then. That’s what being human is all about. It’s about change and growth, and becoming better. Getting help, assistance, direction made it possible for us to walk, drive and succeed at work. Asking for help now will drastically shorten your job search.

So asking for help is very human, very normal and appropriate. Asking for advise doesn’t make you appear weak or stupid. Asking for direction in your job search or any career choice is a great way to glean insights and wisdom and make a connection to another human being. So start asking for help and advice in your job search.

Favorable Impressions Interviewing

Three things to help create a favorable impression for a meeting or interview. 

      If you are interviewing, you can assume that three or more candidates are interviewing for the job opening. We can further assume that you all present relatively the same capability and skill set for the position.  If this is true, how are they going to chose the new hire? I suggest, if all things are basically equal, they are going to hire the candidate they like best. Think about it; your expertise and ability got you the interview, but how you fit into the team will get you the job offer. Simply stated if they like you best you'll most likely be offered the job.

    Favorable impressions are lasting impressions. Here is what you can do to create a more favorable impression in an interview or a networking meeting. Remember that the first five minutes are critical when first meeting someone. Consider these three areas:

• You communicate via body language
• Be yourself
• Don't take control 

Body Language: 
    Management consultant and keynote speaker, Joe Takash says that the most important thing you can do when you meet someone new is smile. A real, genuine smile makes it easy to like someone.  Your confidence is communicated most in your body language by smiling and making good eye contact. Joe goes on to tell his audiences that "SHE is the key" when you first meet someone. SHE stands for smile, handshake and eye contact. If in the first five seconds you accomplish a connection you've made a good first step. Plus, I believe that the more confident you feel the more comfortable they'll be with you.  

Be Yourself: 
    Psychologists call it being genuine; I say be yourself and you'll come across as real. In an interview situation people often feel nervous and anxious. I remind my clients to always be yourself; be prepared and you'll be more comfortable when meeting someone new. Being a little nervous is okay, it keeps you on your toes and gets the juices or endorphins going. When you are yourself and not pretending to be something you're not, you will communicate more calmly and clearly when responding to questions. As you speak to the interviewer use normal hand gestures and lean slightly forward showing that you are composed and confident. If the interviewer is nervous, and this is often the case, your demeanor can help them to relax which makes it easier to like you. However, no one likes a phony person, period! Don't be a fake, they may not know exactly what you're faking, but they'll feel something's not right and then you lose. 

Don't Take Control: 
    Think of the interviewer as your host and you are going to their house for the meeting/interview. Let them be in control. I've had clients say they wanted to show that they were a take charge kind of guy. Right, do that in the success stories you share with them, but let them drive the meeting or interview. Imagine being in the passenger side in a car that the interviewer is driving. You wouldn't reach over and take the steering wheel away from them! Don't do it in an interview either. Nothing turns someone off faster then feeling usurped from their meeting. Be a perfect guest. If they make an offer of hospitality take them up on it. For example, if they ask you if you'd like coffee, tea or water, accept the offer. Do it for two reasons: first, it's good manners to accept an offer of hospitality and second, you don't want to turn down their first offer in the interview process. 

  It is impossible to do over a first impression. And in an interview it's essential that your are liked and viewed as someone who will fit well into the team or department. In sales it is said that people buy from people they like and the same is true here. After all, job search is sales.

Transition: Basic Elements of a System

    Whether you are in a life transition or a job transition there are basically three basic steps to being successful in the transition: Discovery, Action and Achievement.

Discovery

    This is really simple but can be time consuming. First you must take stock of what you have to offer. In business this is a “product analysis” and you are the product. What are your strengths? What do you love? These and similar questions need to be enumerated and addressed. Then you need to ask the question, "What does the world need of me? What can I do that will enrich me?" These are really practical questions that are seldom asked past junior high school. Many people end up in careers not by following a path but falling into a job. Discover what you need to do next.

Action

    The next step begins in preparation and planning. What do you say to friends or family members when you are asked questions about what you want to do? Answering this takes a lot of prep work and this is very important work. For example, if you are taking a driving vacation you need to know where you want to go before you start driving. In a life transition or looking for your next job you need to plan the transition which includes setting goals and targets. Write this down, like a new business needs to write a business plan, write it down.

    The second part of this step is doing the work of transitioning. Namely, networking, following up and staying positive. We’re going to spend time on the specifics of networking in later blog entries, but for now: Networking makes the world go ‘round!

    Once you’ve talked to people it is essential that you follow up. I once heard that only 30% of people follow up after an interview by sending a “Thank You.” Really, can you believe that?

We’ve already discussed the importance of being positive in other blog entries but it is essential that you stay positive and maintain a can do attitude. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Achievement

    The final piece in the transition process is achieving the goal. However, this is not always crossing the finish line. Sometimes it happens in smaller milestones. For people in Job Search it may be getting past the fear of talking to people and asking for their help. Then getting the first interview and then a second is an achievement. Maybe a smaller achievement will be receiving a NO and getting on the phone to make another call and scheduling a new networking meeting. In time doing the little ones will result in the big one. When you’ve transitioned into your new role, position or job you’re then beginning the whole process again. Discovering the new job or role’s needs. Planning and taking action. Then the next achievement.

The 80/20 Rule

In another life I ran QA organizations. That’s Quality Assurance and not question and answers. One of the tools I used back then was the Pareto Analysis which utilizes the adage: for many cases, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Of course this is more commonly called the 80/20 rule.
We use this rule in two ways in a job search. First and most evident is that most of your results are going to come from about 20% of your effort. But! And that is a big but, you don’t know which 20% will produce the results you are looking for. So you have to do 100% of what is needed for a job search. It is also important to point out what works for one person in job transition may not produce the same outcomes for another person.

Now the second way the 80/20 rule affects your job search is in understanding the job market. Behind all the numbers of job loss and unemployment rates is this truth. These numbers bear out with statistical analysis done by companies like Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The fact is that the job market is divided into two different and unequal pieces. First there is the advertised job market and then the larger hidden job market.

The hidden job market is represented by the 80% of this pie chart. But we need to be aware of where or how to find opportunities in the hidden market. The second pie chart shows that we can find these hidden jobs through people we know and people we don’t know yet.

Of course through networking we become aware of jobs through strangers: in fact, that is a primary goal of job search networking. I tell my clients that they need to begin talking to friends. Asking for help in your job search is all it takes. Wait a minute, ask for help? I am an American, I don’t ask for help.

Isn’t that the truth! As a people, in a general sense, we hate to ask for help. Who hasn’t heard the joke about the guy driving around lost not willing to stop and ask for directions. Ouch, it's so true it’s a punch line of a joke. But this is just what we need to do to be successful in job search.

People love to help and will help until it hurts. The trouble is that they don’t know how to help the person in transition. So you need to tell them by saying "I’d really appreciate your help and advice". Who doesn’t want to give advice? That’s all it takes.