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Use Your Network to Find a Job

Use Your Network to Find a Job. Professional Development Series 2012. 3-24- 12. What We’ll Cover. In person meetings. Using online social networks. Tasks!. Why. People do business primarily with people they know and like . Job listings tend to draw piles of applicants.

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Use Your Network to Find a Job

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  1. Use Your Network to Find a Job Professional Development Series 2012 3-24-12

  2. What We’ll Cover In person meetings. Using online social networks. Tasks!

  3. Why People do business primarily with people they know and like. Job listings tend to draw piles of applicants. The job you want may not be advertised at all.

  4. Task #1: Make a List Make a list of people in your network likely to want to help you. Family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, colleagues, and even casual acquaintances. People you know from former jobs, high school and college, church, your child’s school, the gym, or your neighborhood.

  5. Why Others Will Help You It feels good to help others. People like to give advice and be recognized for their expertise. Almost everyone knows what it’s like to be out of work or looking for a job. They’ll sympathize with your situation.

  6. Additional Benefits Unemployment can be isolating and stressful. By connecting with others, you’re sure to get some much needed encouragement, fellowship, and moral support. Reconnecting with the people in your network should be fun—even if you have an agenda. The more this feels like a chore the more tedious and anxiety-ridden the process will be.

  7. Task #2: Know What You Want • Be specific about what kind of job you want. • Be specific about what you want from each person you contact: • leads, • advice, and/or • information about a particular company.

  8. Focus on Building Relationships Be authentic.In any job search or networking situation, being you—the real you—should be your goal. Be considerate. If reconnecting with an old friend or colleague, take the time to catching-up before you blurt out your need. On the other hand, if this person is busy, be respectful of his or her time. Ask for advice, not a job. Don’t ask for a job, a request comes with a lot of pressure. You want your contacts to become allies in your job search, not make them feel ambushed, so ask for information or insight instead.

  9. Task #3: Set as many appointments as is reasonable for your schedule.

  10. Task #4: Follow Up Send an email or call each person you meet with. Thank each person for their support. If s/he provided a specific help, comment on how much you appreciate it.

  11. Task #5 Follow Up Again When you are successful with your job search, be sure to tell everyone you contacted and thank them again.

  12. Task #6: Rate Your Network Give yourself 1 point for each question you answer yes. Do you trust your network to give you the truth about the real you? Does your network challenge you as much as it supports you? Does your network feel vibrant and dynamic? Does your network represent your future goals as much as your past?

  13. Task #7: Expand Your Network Volunteer. Join or start an affinity group (book club, knitting club, gaming group). Participate in work projects that include partner organizations. Use Twitter

  14. Twitter to Expand Network Follow users who have similar interests. Talk TO others, not AT others. Use at events.

  15. Task #8: Update LinkedIn Be sure your profile is 100% complete. Connect to everyone you know whom you respect. Don’t forget the new contacts you’ve been meeting while expanding your network!

  16. Task #9: Use Social Networks On Facebook, Twitter and other networks, post: • Events you are attending. • Such as this webinar! • Job search related articles you are reading. • Your non-job search activities!

  17. Be Helpful to Others • Via email and social networks • send articles that might be of interest. • Recommend people they might want to know. • Write LinkedIn Recommendations.

  18. Sources This curriculum was partially adapted from “Job Networking Tips: How To Find A Job By Building Relationships”created by HelpGuide.org. Additional content created by Connect Your Community, a project of OneCommunity, funded by the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

  19. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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