Be curious. Ask great questions!

Going for an interview or exploring some potential employers?

Ask open ended questions of people you meet who work there –What do you like best about working there? What is the prevailing management style? What is the average age (or most prevalent) age of employees? How long have people on staff been on the job?

How often does the leadership meet face to face with the employees? What is important to the organization? What kinds of goals do people have? Are there incentives offered for performance? Is information shared in all directions? …

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One of the participants in my job search groups this morning announced: “My network is beginning to light up! People are beginning to understand what I am looking for and are coming forward with new contacts and connections for me to pursue!”

Just the way it is supposed to work! Here are a couple of factors which can make that happen:

1. Repeated communication with your network about who you are and what you are looking for.

Sometimes the people you are talking to don’t get it right the first time. Have you noticed that you get inappropriate job listings from people you …

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It is commonly accepted that networking is the most effective way to find your next opportunity, whether you are looking for a job or a new challenge where you currently work.

“But is doesn’t work”, many people will say!  “I’ve tried and I don’t meet the right people!”

Is it possible that you are looking for networking is all the wrong places and for all the wrong reasons!

Can you answer these questions about the person with whom you want to network?

What title does the person have who is most likely to make the decision about the …

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Ask someone who is looking for a job about networking and you get many evasive answers as to whether they do it, how often they do it and how much they rely on it to find opportunities.  Most of the responses I’ve gotten contain the word internet in them. 

At risk of sounding critical or like a luddite, “interneting” is not networking. 

Before the internet, in order to hear of an opportunity to pursue or a contact to connect with, you had to be looking, and listening and being in conversation with people.  So you call someone you know and the conversation …

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