One man did, and asked me for input.
Dale from St. Paul writes: "How do I respond to companies that require a four year degree? Twice in my life I was #1 in sales for national companies. Yet, I cannot seem to get in the front door because I only have an associate's degree."
I called Dale to discuss how he could produce more job leads. Here's what we found...
It's always good to analyze what works, so I asked Dale how he got hired by the two companies where he did so well. Dale said he was hired by a friend at Company A, and Company B hired him after he persistently contacted the president asking for an interview.
Takeaway Lesson: If you get stuck in your job search, analyze what got you hired before. Are you doing it now? If not, why not?
In Dale's case, he had been hired twice for good jobs through personal contacts. In both cases, his "lack" of a four-year degree made no difference to the hiring authorities, because they knew Dale could perform.
So I suggested that Dale spend about 80% of each day networking with personal and professional contacts -- since this has worked before -- and the remaining 20% on responding to advertised job openings.
It turns out Dale is already doing a lot of networking and has had 10 interviews in the last four months. But he could be doing even better by making a few changes.
Example: Dale has no business cards, so people have no easy way to remember his contact info. At my urging, Dale agreed to order cards from a print shop or an online store like VistaPrint.com
Example: How extensively is Dale networking? He said that he's talking to about 30 people each week. Not bad ... until you realize that the average person -- including Dale and YOU -- knows about 250 people. So there's plenty of room for him (and you) to meet more people. All you have to do is ask.
Here's how I suggested Dale expand his network:
- Former clients: Dale has talked to 15 of them about his job search. By asking each one, "Who else do you know that I should be talking to?" he should be able to get the names and phone numbers of at least 15 new people to contact.
- Former vendors/suppliers. Dale has contacted about 10 of them so far. By asking the question above, he should get another 10 names to add to his networking list.
- Former co-workers: Dale talks to six of them by phone every week and can get the names of six more people by asking, "Who else do you know?"
- CPA/attorney/financial advisor/insurance agent: Dale has a CPA and that's a valuable resource, because most CPAs know a lot of small business owners and affluent people -- the same folks who create most of the jobs in our economy. So by letting a CPA know about his job search, I estimate Dale could get the names of at least three more employment contacts around town.
Takeaway Lesson: Most people network incorrectly, half-heartedly, or not at all.
Dale is networking pretty well, and can do even better by expanding his thinking.
Important! For networking to work, follow these 3 rules:
- Brainstorm with your contacts to help them help you. Ask, "Who do you know that I should be talking to?" Never ask a yes/no question like, "Do you know anyone who's hiring?" That invites a quick "No" and will end all conversation.
- When reconnecting with people, always be a bearer of good news, business leads or something else of value. That way, your network contacts will look forward to hearing from you -- and they'll introduce you to others -- because you are a welcome guest (and not an unwanted pest).
- Keep records. You'll never remember whom you contacted, when, or what you said. So write it down. Manage this data using software, like GoldMine or ACT, or a simple box of 3x5 cards, as Dale does.