1.     Determine your weekly networking goals.

     a.       Identify the number and type of networking events to attend each week

     b.      Identify the number and type of new people to connect with at each evenu

     c.       What do you want to achieve from each networking event?

2.    Develop effective networking tactics and strategies.

      a.       Get each contact’s name from their name tag and use it in your conversation.

      b.      Listen intently before speaking.  Remember, you have two ears and one mouth –
      use in that proportion.

      c.       Ask questions to clarify points and show interest

      d.      Acknowledge points and ideas made by others

      e.       Find out what each contact does, what’s important to them, and what their top three
      strengths are

     f.       Determine one problem each contact is having (business or personal) and help them
     find a way to solve it (either directly yourself or through your network of contacts).

      g.      Ask for business cards and record date and location of networking event on back.
     This information will help you remember the person later when you do a follow up call.

      h.      Find out if each contact has a LinkedIn Profile and check it out to learn more about
      the contact and see if you know any of their connections (more common ground).

      i.        Follow up with each contact after the networking event is over (preferably by phone)
      and limit your initial follow up conversation to 5 minutes unless it naturally flows
      beyond that.

            j.      Find ways to smoothly break out of networking conversations so you can achieve your
           networking goals.

Example:  “I really enjoyed talking with you and I’ve learned a lot about what’s
important to you.  I’d like to follow up with you next week regarding some of the
issues we discussed.  Right now, I’d like to mingle with some other folks so I can
achieve my networking goals.“

k.   Remember, the best way to learn about others is by listening and asking questions first and
then finding out how you can help them.  If you help them, they’ll be more likely to want to
help you!

1.       

2.       

a.       

b.       

c.       

d.       

e.       

f.       

g.       

h.       

i.       

j.       

8 Steps to Winning a Job Fast

by Larry LaBelle of Training Tamer Inc. on 6/18/2008

www.trainingtamer.com

If you want to ignite your job search and win a job fast, here are 8 key steps to help you achieve that goal.

1.  For each company you are targeting, find out what problems the company/dept has as well as any future initiatives.  You can get this information from people in your personal network and people you are or can be connected to in LinkedIn.  If you have the proven skills to solve their problems and/or implement future initiatives, you can promote your ideas for handling them in the Professional Summary of your resume (see item 2 below) and also use them in interviews to help your stand out from the pack.

2.       Create a custom resume for each job with Professional Summary section at the top that contains a brief 6-8 line Sales Pitch that shows you have the key skills listed in the job description and also highlights 1-2 major accomplishments (measurable, when possible) that are directly related to the job that prove your worth.  This summary should grab the reviewer’s attention, make them say “WOW” and get them to bring you in for an interview.  Remember that accomplishments can also include brief but powerful testimonials from managers, co-workers, customers, etc.

3.       Build a “Strategic Business Value Presentation” that briefly summarizes your value to your prospective employer. This includes: What You’ve Done (brief summary from your resume), Your Major Accomplishments (3-5 of them), Your Strategic Business Value (3 major areas, such as People, Processing and Planning, with 3-5 ways that you strongly contribute to each), and How You Can Help Your Future Employer.  You can send this to an employer a week after submitting your interview, post it on your Linked Profile and use it in telephone prescreen or in person interviews.  One job seeker showed this presentation to a Director in an interview and he was so impressed, he brought him to the Senior VP who also saw it and hired the job him on the spot.  See the Downloads section of the Training Tamer website for an example.

4.       Create a “Career Portfolio” containing samples of your work (brochures, reports, proposals, manuals, budgets, graphics, photos, project plans, schedules, customer testimonials, comments from annual performance reviews, awards, etc.). You can use these in a telephone prescreen or in-person interviews to "prove" your worth.

5.       Prepare for an interview by getting a list of interview questions and writing out the answers (helps you remember them). That way, you'll be more prepared to answer the hiring manager's questions than your competition. Remember to use compelling examples to support your answers and cite accomplishments wherever possible.  You can also use testimonials to support your answers.  Be sure your answers include the benefits of what you’ve done as much as possible.  This includes benefits to your company, manager, co-workers, customers, suppliers, business partners, etc.  BENEFITS are what will sell you to employers the most!

Also, prepare a list of questions that you want to ask the hiring manager. These include questions about the company, the hiring manager and his co-workers, the job, and the benefits. One great question for the hiring manager is, "If I were to ask three of your subordinates what it is like to work for you, what would they say?"

6.       Remember to ask the hiring manager at the beginning of the interview to leave time for you to ask questions and show your work samples from your Career Portfolio. Otherwise, he/she may use up all the time.  Take notes during the interview so you can assess it later to determine if the job (and the company, culture, and the hiring manager) is a good fit for you.

7.       End the interview effectively by doing a formal Sales Close. To do this, first ask the hiring manager if he/she thinks you a good fit for the job based on your resume, your work samples, and your performance in the interview. If the hiring manager says yes, ask him if he has any reservations about you. If he says "yes", ask him what it is. Then provide an example from your work history that proves this isn’t a problem. Then ask him if he still has this reservation. Continue doing this until all the hiring manager’s concerns have been resolved. 

Finally, ask the hiring manager what the next step is (e.g. finish the first interviews, finish second interviews, choose the candidate, etc.) and be sure to get a date when this step will be begin or end.  Remember, to follow up using the “Gentle Persistence” method.  The day after a deadline has passed, call the hiring manager (if you haven’t already heard from him/her beforehand) and check on the status of the position.  Avoid doing this before one of these deadlines since it will make you appear like a pest.  When you do inquire, do it nicely and be sure to reiterate your enthusiasm, value and fit for the position.

8.       Send a Thank You Note after the interview to thank the hiring manager for his time, reiterate why you’re a great fit for the job (3 line Mini Sales Pitch), and if possible, provide something that will help address one of his pains (e.g. provide a link to a website that has an article that solve of his problems).