My Secret to Job Searches
As a veteran of more than 40 job searches (mine and others), people frequently ask me “Is there a secret to a successful job search?”. Is it a killer resume? A particular website or social media platform? Perhaps a specific number of responses to job listings or maybe just a fantastic amount of luck? How can a mere mortal break through amid all the noise?
Sometimes I pick up the phone on Friday afternoon, call 5 people, and end the week with a new opportunity for a job or source of income. Pretty easy – Not! I’ll explain later how I got there (I guarantee it’s not what you think!) and am often called the “best networker” by my acquaintances.
Experts state that anywhere from 50% to 85% of all jobs are filled by people who are already known by the hiring entity (i.e., friends, family, ex- or current co-workers, etc.). Thus, many of the job listings exist to provide justification (aka “column fodder”) to decisions that might be pre-determined. Take a moment to think back to the jobs that were the easiest to get. I’m hoping that you agree that many of them involved people you knew directly or indirectly.
What ingredients might be needed to swim upstream against this tide? I’m a firm believer that ‘luck is when skill meets opportunity’. So, what skills and opportunities should one develop? The secret skill in my opinion is not a secret at all – It’s networking! You must talk to family, friends, coworkers (ex-and current), but most importantly make new friends, extend your “family” and meet other people’s coworkers (ex- and current) preferably on a systematic basis. And the “opportunity” here is personally communicating with people who might introduce you to a hiring manager.
If you’re an extrovert, you’re nodding your head “yes” and ready to begin. If you’re an introvert, you’ve stopped reading and are probably out the door wanting to get back to the easy (but frustrating) semi-anonymous submissions to one job listing after another which may or may not represent actual jobs. If you’re somewhere in between, I’m guessing you’re trying to figure out where the introverts are going because most people don’t enjoy networking and all that it connotes.
This hypothesis begs the question – “What is the secret to networking?” Are there secrets regarding the process, websites, approaches – maybe even magic words? In my humble opinion, an emphatic “yes” to all.
So how does one conquer the embarrassment of asking friends for work; the fear of contacting total strangers; and/or the agony of defeat at the hands of people you don’t even know? All of these and more are impediments to my simple assertion. Here are my suggestions to overcoming inertia based on my experience and the evidence I’ve observed and collected over the years.
First and counter-intuitively – you won’t start reaching out to contacts right away! There needs to be a warm-up period - mental and emotional preparation – let’s call it Spring training. (You can exhale now!)
Start slowly on what I call the two-list method. First, make a list of all the people that you would like to contact. Include everyone you know and maybe even some you don't but would like to. Now add some that you don’t want to contact but know that you should (I’ll explain an easy way to approach them later). Don’t worry, it’s just a list so don’t get caught up in what might happen next. Write down your closest friends and family – the easiest to contact folks. Then add those people’s closest friends and family if you know them: people that you work or have worked with; and even people you know in your other communities casually or socially.
Simultaneously, start making a list of companies, organizations, or other sources of income known and unknown. Making the first list will help you with this one – e.g., finding out on LinkedIn that your uncle’s friend works at smallbutcoolcompany.com would result on both being added to the appropriate list. Get creative – there’s no wrong or right way to create the lists!
You will be amazed at how quickly the lists grow. I suggest using good old-fashion paper and pencil initially to enable free form thinking. And leave the list somewhere handy so that when you're going about your daily activities you can easily add something if a random thought pops into your head. You can transfer the list to an electronic device later.
The process might take several weeks of preparation until you are finally ready. People often have visceral reactions about doing things that might be really good for them. It’s normal! That’s why most people wade into the ocean slowly instead of diving right in even on a steaming hot day.
Schedule your “launch day” in advance – preferably at the beginning of the week, a month, or even the first day of a new season or year to harness the extra energy that comes with new beginnings. Choose someone easy as your first target– like a family member or a best friend. Relax – you are only going to make one outreach on your first day (unless you absolutely must make more!). Honor your effort of trying out your pitch, voicemail, email, or DM and get ready for the next day! Have fun with it and see what happens.
But what should you say or write? The “pitch” that has worked best for me is the same one that recruiters use and that I have seen recommended repeatedly by experts. Simply state that you are networking and ask if they know anybody else that might be a good networking contact you! You’ll feel or hear the sigh of relief on the other end of the line when they realize that they don’t have to tell you that they don’t have a job to give you. Rest assured that if they do know of a job for you, they’ll be excited to tell you about it! Most everyone knows what “I’m networking” means but asking for something indirectly gives them an easy out if they need it.
Another networking secret I can offer is that if you approach enough people, you will eventually find that unusual person who actually likes to “network”. They are often a "center of influence” but look exactly like all the other contacts from the outside. In fact, you may get rejected or have no response from 9 or more people over the course of 2 weeks, but that 10th person will open up a pathway to 9 people to make up for all the others. Keep going and stay positive and you will find those diamonds in the rough! They have a lot to say and have a load of good ideas!
Try for one outreach per day on a weekly basis - that means 5 per week – which is (full transparency) why I ended up making 5 calls on a Friday afternoon after procrastinating for an entire week! So it turns out that being the best networker that many people know is a relatively low bar, but extremely rewarding! And going back to my original comment, repetition of this “skill” can increase your luck exponentially.
Here's another power tip – use the power of accountability to keep yourself going. Get a wall calendar or one of those free calendars from the local deli and cross off the day when you complete your daily outreach. Another great way to create accountability is to share this process with significant others or family members or dare I say a paid career counselor (sorry about the shameless plug). Perseverance is the key!
I’m often asked about the effectiveness of emails versus phone calls. I am unapologetically old school and prefer to make a daily call. However, I understand that using the phone can be uncomfortable for many people in this day and age. If you are apprehensive about calling people, keep in mind that roughly 80% of the time there will be a voicemail on the other end of the line. But studies show repeatedly that phone calls are the more effective contact method. If they do pick up, just use the script anyway with some minor personal modifications. If you’re going to email, create a written version of the pitch I mentioned earlier that seems natural to you and that you think will be pleasant to receive. Alternatively, some other kind of direct message on the communication platform of choice.
If you would like to discuss any of this without further obligation, please go to my website at www.mtmnkamp.com/career-counseling to schedule a 15-20 minute chat or for more information. Good luck with your networking efforts and job search.
