Help Me, Help You – Networking for Career Management

Not an afternoon is going with the aid of without some other headline putting forward the present-day monetary disaster – “Latest numbers imply the worst (pick your metric) in a long time”. Just as Brian Williams encouraged his viewers to send him wonderful information and memories at the end of his “Nightly News” broadcast final week – which, incidentally, ended in a deluge of uplifting and provoking emails and letters – I think it is time to cognizance on things which might be inside our manipulate by identifying approaches in which we will assist one another.

In that case, I will borrow a line from one of my preferred films, Jerry Maguire. In one of the more famous scenes, Tom Cruise Jerry Maguire is imploring Rod Tidwell, performed via Cuba Gooding Jr., to provide him with a few guides as a way to allow him to help Rod in his quest for a new football contract. “You don’t know what it’s miles like being out right here for you,” broadcasts Jerry. He is going on to mention, “Help me, assist you!”

How does this relate to the present-day monetary downturn? I have always been an advocate of searching for assistance out of your “Sphere of Influence” – buddies, professional colleagues, buddies, and my own family. In our coaching exercise, we speak about the energy of soliciting for creation vs. Requesting a task. What’s the difference? We all recognize how tough it is to relax a job properly now. And while many accurate corporations are iring precise human beings, finding those open positions is far more difficult. We also recognize how tough it is when a colleague or friend asks you to assist her with locating an activity. It is in our nature as humans to want to help. We are willing to provide some assistance or steerage to our needy pal. However, the dialogue usually goes something like this, without any tangible effects:

“Tom, hello, it is Sally. How are you? I haven’t spoken with you in some time. Over the last few months, I have been looking for a brand new function as an Operations Manager, and I am hoping that you can help me out with my process search.”

“Sally, I am so sorry to hear you have been laid off”, replies Tom. “It must be tough available given the processing marketplace. You recognize I cannot think of all of us seeking to rent an Operations Manager right now, but if you send me your resume, I will keep keeping.”

In my opinion, Sally has much more control over the outcome than she thinks. The secret is finding a way to “assist Tom, assist her.” This is accomplished by converting the focal point of the communique from “I have been looking for a new role” to something extra productive and precise.

I advise: “Tom, hi, it’s Sally. How are you? As you know, I was meeting with companies to secure a brand-new Operations Manager position. I am seeking introductions to operational leaders of Pr,  including presidentsQualit,y. I hope to stay in the excessive-tech area here in San Diego, running for an organization like ViaSat or Maxwell Technologies. You have constantly been so true at networking. Is there everybody in your network that I must speak to?”

As quickly as Sally redefines her request, supplying Tom with a few specifics can extend his capability to assist her. Tom becomes more powerful by presenting him with a few concrete examples of how he can help. Now, instead of trying to discover colleagues who are hiring operations experts, he can be aware of introducing Sally to experts in his community who are inclined to talk to her. This is much less daunting.

“Sally, thanks for calling. I am so sorry to hear that you were laid off. It must be difficultly accessible given the job marketplace. You know, I have a friend who runs a small electronics business. I do not know if he is hiring properly now, but I would happily introduce you to him. He is a fantastic man, I recogni. e him pretty well, and he is continually open to networking with hit experts. I am certain he would be willing to satisfy you, and he might also have a few different ideas to share with you.”

This two-second situation is much more effective. It presents Sally with a personal introduction to the President of an organization that she might otherwise know nothing about, and it additionally gives Tom a sense of fulfillment by giving him a chance to offer her some real help.

While it may take some practice to successfully “re-tool” your presentation, I assume it will elicit better effects than the more conventional method. In these hard monetary instances, each candidate must spend the time to ensure they’ll stand out from any opposition. Finding new methods to get introduced to enterprise leaders is a key component of this method. If performed effectively and continually, the job opportunities will be an of themselves, and the effort could be worth it.