Part 28 (1/2)

It's more important to reach the people who count, than to count the people you reach. Networking is not a numbers game.

-DAVID PERRY

At the core of every job search lies one individual who will determine your success-You. You are at the core of everything that goes on in your life, no exceptions. You are at the core of everything that goes on in your life, no exceptions.

You and you alone are responsible for the failure or victory of your job-hunting mission. n.o.body cares more about you than you-not even your mother. Job hunting is all about you and what you do for yourself. You can count on other people, but you're the one that counts. Too subtle?

GUERRILLA NETWORKING

The world of work has changed dramatically over the past 5 years. Isn't it ironic, then, that most job hunters still depend on the same old tired ways to find a job? Traditional networking ultimately relies on having a fundamental belief in the kindness of strangers. At its core, it preaches that job hunters must have faith that they'll find a job through a friend of a friend of a friend. This is largely a myth.

Although I've heard that this strategy yielded great results in the past, it's not enough today. With the constantly changing marketplace, there is more compet.i.tion for fewer leads. Traditional networking is much like casting your fate to the wind. It is too pa.s.sive to rely on. Moreover, there are 3 flaws in traditional networking: 1. You need to have a network at hand when you find yourself out of work (by the way, being out of work is not the best time to start building a network).2. It requires you to be at least a little outgoing because you need to talk to strangers.3. There's no way to guarantee the jobs people refer will be ones you'll excel at, much less be interested in.

Today, networking can either be the shortest route to your dream job or to a lengthy series of unsatisfying lunches-the difference lies in how you approach it. Let me show you how a guerrilla networks.

Focus all your networking at the tip of the spear; the companies you have already identified as being the Tier 1 buyers of your product-you. Anything else is a waste of your time, energy, and money. Target those companies where you know you can help solve a problem. We've been preaching target, target, target, for a reason-it works. Target with laser precision.

HOW TO NETWORK LIKE A HEADHUNTER

Headhunters network every day out of pure necessity. More often than not, they will have an a.s.signment for ”X,” whatever ”X” may be today, even when they've never recruited an ”X” before. That doesn't stop them from completing the mission. Instead, there are tried-and-true methods for locating, identifying, and recruiting candidates. The following 4 steps show you how to do that for yourself.

Step 1: Locate Your Target Companies

Determine which companies you want to work for, how you can add value, and why they should hire you. If you've read up to this point in the book, you've already done this work.

Step 2: Identify Who Runs the Department

Find out who is in charge of the area you want to work in. This generally means identifying a vice president or general manager. For companies with less than 50 people, it may mean the owner or president. You can get this information by calling the company and asking, ”Who's responsible for X” or by looking on the firm's web site to find the person in that position. Several methods for doing this are outlined in Chapter 4.

Step 3: Research Referrals

Find people who worked at this company in the past. Call them on the telephone and get information about: * The person you are targeting* The department the person runs* The company

Be sociable and ask these people how they liked working there. Watch for any hesitation before they answer. The pause may be a clue that they don't want to answer negatively and are framing a safe answer.

The reasons for asking most of the following questions should be obvious. Having said that, keep the following select questions in mind even though it may not be immediately clear why you need to ask them. This exercise will help you prepare for an interview at a later date.