Joanne Lynch, Network Now's Director of Program Development, wrote the following guidelines for those seeking full time professional employment:
The key to creating a "soft landing" for your resume is to develop and cultivate relationships on an ongoing basis. As you increase your relationships, you increase the number of soft landings (and connections to soft landings) that will be available to you.
Networking:
*In Person/Face to Face - Network, network, network. Ask people to make introductions for you. You will do it for them someday.
*Social Networking - LinkedIn/facebook. Research people within targeted companies and industries. Request introductions to 2nd and 3rd level contacts.
Exploratory Interviews - target organizations you want to develop relationships with.
*People genuinely want to help.
*Don't take too much of their time.
*Offer assistance to them - it is a two way street. If there is something you can offer, offer it.
*Stay in touch.
Connect the Dots Approach - Find commonalities and reach out to potential contacts based on them.
*Become an active member of community & volunteer groups
*Join other interest groups
*Blogs/Articles/Twitter - reach out to the authors based on the information shared.
Pick up the Phone & Call -
*Get contact informatiom of hiring manager or HR person but know what you are going to say if they pick up the phone.
*Ask questions like:
-I am a very strong candidate for this position. Is the position still open?
-Can I send my resume directly to you?
-What is the screening process and how do you recommend I follow up? Always ask permission.
Applying through the "black hole" application process
*Research websites of targeted organizations you would like to work for. Find out who is the hiring manager.
*Get their email address, which is often listed on the website or ask the receptionist to give it to you. It is all in the way you ask.
*Send an email directly to them. Explain that you have applied through the formal process however you wanted to share with them the specific value you can bring to their organization. Ask them to share your cover letter and resume with others who are involved in the selection process.
If you got the interview, but not the job (or not the job YET)
*If you developed a good relationship, stay in touch. Ask permission to stay in touch. Build a relationship that can open the door to a future opportunity or business venture. You never know.
*Don't take it personally. Something else may come along and you will be in a better position to take advantage of it.
*Send them information of interest. Check in on a project.
*Stay in touch periodically but not to pester about the status of the job. Provide value. Provide information of interest.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
As a followup to our Twitter seminar, here are some takeaways:
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform. Users publish messages in 140 characters or less. Their message is seen by anyone that is following them. Users also monitor the messages of the people they are following. This medium allows for fragmented opinion, news, events, ideas & feedback. Posts (or "tweets") can include links to articles, images etc that are hosted elsewhere on the web. Professionals use it to help build their brand and make them the expert in their field.
How to setup a Twitter account:
Enter your full name, a user name, a password & your email address. The user name should either be a version of your name or brand. Upload a professional photo of yourself with "Settings" "Picture" Use a headshot rather than a full body image as the image will be small on the screen. Add a profile description about yourself. Also use the "Settings" page to personalize your profile background and setup account notifcations.
How to follow people:
Click "Find People" & type in the name of someone you'd like to follow. Or click "Invite by Email" to send a personal email to someone asking them to follow you. By clicking the "Find on Other Networks" tab, you can search your entire email address book, see who is already on Twitter and send out a lot of requests at once. Once you start following people, you can click on their name to see who is following them (or they are following). If you find someone interesting, you can start following them as well.
How to post information or "Tweet":
On the Home page, in the box at the top, where it says "What's happening?", type your message using 140 characters or less. Twitter will let you know if you've reached the 140 character limit. To include a hot weblink, use http:// in front of the address. To shorten the weblink, use a url shortening site to convert the address (i.e., http://tinyurl.com). To link your mention of someone to their actual Twitter account (so followers can click to their profile if they wish), use the "@" symbol in front of their Twitter user name in your tweet.
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform. Users publish messages in 140 characters or less. Their message is seen by anyone that is following them. Users also monitor the messages of the people they are following. This medium allows for fragmented opinion, news, events, ideas & feedback. Posts (or "tweets") can include links to articles, images etc that are hosted elsewhere on the web. Professionals use it to help build their brand and make them the expert in their field.
How to setup a Twitter account:
Enter your full name, a user name, a password & your email address. The user name should either be a version of your name or brand. Upload a professional photo of yourself with "Settings" "Picture" Use a headshot rather than a full body image as the image will be small on the screen. Add a profile description about yourself. Also use the "Settings" page to personalize your profile background and setup account notifcations.
How to follow people:
Click "Find People" & type in the name of someone you'd like to follow. Or click "Invite by Email" to send a personal email to someone asking them to follow you. By clicking the "Find on Other Networks" tab, you can search your entire email address book, see who is already on Twitter and send out a lot of requests at once. Once you start following people, you can click on their name to see who is following them (or they are following). If you find someone interesting, you can start following them as well.
How to post information or "Tweet":
On the Home page, in the box at the top, where it says "What's happening?", type your message using 140 characters or less. Twitter will let you know if you've reached the 140 character limit. To include a hot weblink, use http:// in front of the address. To shorten the weblink, use a url shortening site to convert the address (i.e., http://tinyurl.com). To link your mention of someone to their actual Twitter account (so followers can click to their profile if they wish), use the "@" symbol in front of their Twitter user name in your tweet.
How to send someone a Direct Message:
If you want to send a private message that only one person can see, click on "Direct Messages" in the right hand column of the Home page. Select a user from the dropdown box (this person must be following you & you must be following them). Type your message in the second box & click "Send". You can see messages that were sent to you below in the "Inbox". This tool is helpful when you do not have a person's email address.
How to manage your account using TweetDeck:
Go to www.tweetdeck.com and download the free software. Connect it to your Twitter account. (You can also connect it to other social media accounts.) Setup columns to help you sort all the incoming tweets. As an example, I have one column for "Women Entrepreneurs", one for "Doylestown", one for "Bucks County".
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Strategic Goal Planning
Peter Bonacum of Action Coach nailed it once again with these insights on goal setting:
To set a new goal, ask yourself these questions:
Where am I right now?
Where am I going?
When do I want to get there?
What do I have to do to get there?
When will I do these things to get there? What system do I have in place to measure my progress?
All your activity should be geared towards getting desired results. Sounds simple, but perhaps you should ask yourself if the activity will contribute to your goals before spending the time. Is it going to move you forward?
A little math:
To succeed, Dissatisfaction x Vision + First Steps should be greater than Resistance. One reason for resistance is fear. Don't let it drive you. It will keep you from trying new things.
It's a Chain Reaction:
The quality of your mentors & teachers will impact the quality of your knowledge & education which will impact the quality of your beliefs & dreams which will impact the quality of your questions which will impact the quality of your decisions which will impact the quality of your actions which will impact the quality of your results. So get a mentor, keep learning, dream big, make good decisions & go for it.
To set a new goal, ask yourself these questions:
Where am I right now?
Where am I going?
When do I want to get there?
What do I have to do to get there?
When will I do these things to get there? What system do I have in place to measure my progress?
All your activity should be geared towards getting desired results. Sounds simple, but perhaps you should ask yourself if the activity will contribute to your goals before spending the time. Is it going to move you forward?
A little math:
To succeed, Dissatisfaction x Vision + First Steps should be greater than Resistance. One reason for resistance is fear. Don't let it drive you. It will keep you from trying new things.
It's a Chain Reaction:
The quality of your mentors & teachers will impact the quality of your knowledge & education which will impact the quality of your beliefs & dreams which will impact the quality of your questions which will impact the quality of your decisions which will impact the quality of your actions which will impact the quality of your results. So get a mentor, keep learning, dream big, make good decisions & go for it.
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