Community Blog: Elevati

After a fun and highly engaging session at the recent Career Expo, I was prompted to share with the Jobing family (and that means you too) of learners and career seekers the key points from that session. So get your Word processors - or pencils and pens - ready, here we go.

First a little context.  Some may think these are suggestions for the job-seeker only. And this would put you at a serious disadvantage; not so much from a competitive stand-point as a relationship-building stand-point. You see, the mental framework of meeting with people only to receive something - a potential job - is what gets you exactly nowhere. And puts you at the disadvantage. Changing your mental framework; or your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about what you're meeting ABOUT, raises your chances for success exponentially and improves the conditions for which you will build and maintain a relationship with someone else for a  much longer period than the one 'networking' meeting. Wouldn't it be nicer to reach out to the person in the future for something more informal, as friends, than opening and closing the door on that relationship under the pressure of them having to tell you where to get your next job?

And this leads us to a final note before getting started. I do know well, and many reading this blog understand intimately, the pressure and emotional pain of looking for a career. What is paradoxical about it all, is that patience - in mindset and in focus - impacts how we are in these 'networking' meetings. If our behavior is rushed, stressed, or hurried because all we want is a job NOW, our minds are not open to what other possibilities could be revealed to us in the conversation, good questions we could be asking are never asked (and the possibilities are never shown), and ultimately, we feel the contact we just met with was little help.  Remember, it isn't our new contact that is responsible for making that meeting successful and valuable - that responsibility lies with YOU!

So here are some tips to help you prepare for, get, have and close every networking - or what I like to call, relationship-building - conversation:

1. Know thyself:  Beyond your technical skills in accounting, project management or administration, what are your unique talents and strengths that make you shine? What have people told you you do really well? That you seem to have a knack for? Think about stories when you had to pull through something tough and oyou found by depending on these specific strengths, you did surprising well? List these and have stories to support why they make you different than anyone else. Whatever you do don't forget: Don't forget to talk about the benefits of those strengths.

1 (a). Okay, this is part of Knowing Thyself, but a little more detailed.  A set of questions will help you identify how your thoughts and emotions are impacting your behavior. And the last thing you don't want to be absolutely clear about is how you are perceived by the person sitting across the table from you. 

      - What are my thoughts as I think of having that big meeting with someone?

      - What are my emotions as those thoughts are playing in my head?

      - What physical changes happen as these emotions take place? (faster heart rate, sweating, nervous twitching, loss of eye contact?)

      - NOW, for a little inspiration, how do YOU feel when someone asks you for support or advice?

2. To be successful initiating, having and closing that conversation you've got to: 

   a. Outline why them? What about that person is unique and special for this meeting's purpose? Then what is the purpose for your meeting? BE SPECIFIC! And finally, why you?! (See #1 above)

  b. Present a clear and explicit message. If you've done your homework, you know exactly what how this person can be most helpful and you're stating that explicity to them. (If you're wrong, they'll correct you - but that's a good thing!)

  c. Engage them! Pay attention to nonverbal and verbal cues that tell you they are confused, rushed, not interested - and set a positive direction for the conversation. Leave them feeling good about helping you and looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Remember, the mentality isn't to use and abuse this person's influence or authority. It's to build a relationship, which brings me to "c -1":

  c-1. Don't be afraid to ask how YOU might help them. By this turn in the conversation, you've talked a little bit about you (Hopefully!!) and you've hopefully learned more about them. There may be something that you know about, circles that you travel in, or expertise that you could share to help them solve a tough challenge they are experiencing. If you don't ask you'll never know.

  d. Never leave without asking who - another two or three people - might be best able to help you in your quest.

3.  Map your networks.  This was a key exercise in our workshop. Why? Because we finished our PlayBook of Getting, Having and Closing our networking meetings by putting into writing WHO we were going to start and reach out to. This level of clarity is hard to run away from!  We put ourselves in the middle of a circle on a page. Then we identified groups and people in those groups who were already in our immediate circle. These are all people you can begin reaching out to, sharing your new venture with, and using the tips above to start building continuous success for yourself.

So there you have it.  These steps in the Playbook of Relationship-Building Success are effective in their simplicity, but mostly in their clarity. They help you eliminate the ambiguity of doing what may be an anxiety producing exercise (meeting someone new about our career search) and make it clear, focused and purposeful. This helps you (confidence-builder!) and your new contact move you forward in a genuine, successful and highly energizing way.

Onward and upward!
Tanya Goodwin-Maslach

Elevati, Inc

If you're entering the job or customer search for the first time, especially if you're a first time entrepreneur, people transitioning to new careers, or a newly graduated student entering the job market, you're realizing the somewhat uncomfortable position of having to prove yourself but needing the experience to do so.
The employer, venture capitalist, or investor want someone with drive and ambition, smarts and a will-do attitude, but most require experience or some 'proof' of past performance as the ticket to entry.

How do you get past this inevitable "speed bump" in your search?

Rather than try and lead a stealthy, quiet search (unless of course you're currently employed) there is no shame in being visible with your intent. After all, once you've taken the steps below, you'll be proud to shout your value from the hilltops.

There are two ways you can build credibility from the onset... and they are inextricably tied.

1. Dig deep. By that I mean, go outside the traditional realm of your technical skill (programming, accounting, budgeting, classes you took), and venture into the less conventional. List out the ways you accomplished your work, brough teams together, managed through challenging deadlines, worked with a difficult team/boss and then categorize those skills. Chances are you have talents in a variety of less technical skills that may help you capture the attention of a potential customer/investor/employer.

An example to help you:

I left the field of marine zoology to enter the world of leadership development. Yep. Exactly. I was asking myself the same thing you just thought - WHAT? How? I did exactly what I just mentioned (above) and was snatched up for a Fellowship in leadership development. Turns out the skills I acquired in science WERE valuable (data assimilation, data analysis, presentation skill, team work) and so were the ones I never even thought about (self-management, being a helpful team member, leading teams).

2.<b>Reach out for help.</b> Nobody does anything all alone. Nobody. It may seem like it sometimes, but there's always at least one person behind the curtain providing advice, opinions, contacts, free support and even bartering for services in order to get that one person off the ground. Reaching out for help may happen before step #1. No matter when it happens, you have to learn who might be in the best position to help you succeed and then you have to go find them. This could be many people, or a few, but start reaching out to those you've developed relationships with to find out who or what groups could provide you the most benefit in your quest. Once you meet with one person, you're leaving them asking for two more people you should talk to and asking if they'd facilitate an introduction to those people for you. (By the way, are you seeing how we're creating credibility for you in just two steps?)

My example to help you:

I reached out to a career advising group. They helped me realize where my strengths were, my hidden talents, and get those framed in a nice value proposition to future employers. Then I just reached out to CEO's, senior executives and influential decision-makers in the community to simply help GUIDE ME in where I might best fit in in the community. (This was before email was prolific. I was using snail mail for almost everything!) And here is where relationship-building is paramount. I asked for what I sought - not anything more. My actions were authentic and I followed up with thank you cards and offered my help to them in the future.

A short time later? I was interviewing with the President and CEO of my next employer.

Self-awareness and relationship building are two key components to your search. In fact, one is the foundation for the other. Can you imagine anything more different than someone transitioning from studying marine fish/mammals to studying organization behavior and leadership? I couldn't - at first - but with some work on understanding my talents, and leaning on the willing support of others, I quickly began believing it wasn't such a far fetched idea.