Out of Work? Networking?

Networking is something that should be done all the time.  Whenever you are out and about or in your office, you should be keeping your network open.  However, as I coach people who are out of work I hear the same thing over and over again, ” I need to find where all my contacts are.  Or, I have to start networking”.

There are a couple of problems with this thought process.  The first being that you have let your pipeline of contacts disappear and now you are trying to reconnect.  This is always harder than when you have kept a touch point with your network all along.  The amount of time it will take you to find your contacts can be exhausting.  Plus when you do find them, what do you do?  Do you call, send a letter, send an email?  What do you say?  Think of how you feel when someone contacts you that you haven’t heard from in awhile. What is the first thing that comes to your mind?  Exactly!!!!  Not a very positive thought is it?

LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and other networking sites are all wonderful ways to reconnect.  From a professional standpoint, LinkedIn and Plaxo are the best.  Facebook is being used by some, but depending on the industry, it may not be right for you.  You may want to keep Facebook for friends and family only.  Use the filters provided on the sites so that you can have more control over who can see your information.

When I  ask clients what they will say when the do reconnect with someone they tend to tell me that they will let the person know that they are out of working.  Here again is a dilemma.  How would you feel if you hadn’t heard from someone in awhile and when that person finally connects with you they let you know they are out of work.   As the receiver of this news you may feel put on the spot.  An uncomfortable place to be.  This is another reason why networking should be done all the time.  Stay in touch with people and they will not be suspicious wondering why you have just now thought to reconnect.

Once you are reconnect use your network wisely.  When job searching you want to do your homework on companies that are hiring and that are of interest to you.  Your network is the perfect place to find out more about a company.   Here is an example:

1. You see that XYZ company has an opening
2. You check your contacts on Linked or where ever you house your database of contacts
3. You check to see if anyone in your contacts currently works at XYZ – if yes, then you proceed to contact them to see if they know of the opening or who in the company would be best suited for you to contact and inquire more about the job.
4. If no one works at XYZ in your contact list, you can still contact these people and ask them if they know of someone who may know someone at XYZ.

The difference in this approach vs. telling all your contacts that you are out of work is that you are doing your own foot work.  You are investigating possible solutions to your problem of finding work on your own and not expecting or hoping that someone will solve the problem for you.

People want to help other people.   When you approach someone in the manner stated above they are much more likely to engage with you and keep an eye open for opportunities rather than run and hide when they see you coming.

Out of work?  Networking?  You should be, just remember… networking should be done all the time.  And when you find your next job, don’t let your network fall apart.  Someone may be contacting you and asking if you know someone at XYZ company!

Value Driven Leadership

I have been hearing more and more people tell me that their companies will not be handing out bonuses this year.  Some have even said that there will be no annual increases.  The economy is definately suffering, all you have to do is pick up any newspaper or magazine and read the headlines.

People are worried about job security.  Forget about the bonuses and raises, they just want to keep a job with cash coming in.  So, without the monetary incentive and with people feeling insecure about their future with the company, how are managers coping?  Perhaps they are dusting off their copies of Beverly Kaye’s book “Love em or Lose em” or Adrian Gostick’s “The Carrot Principle”.  Maybe “Who Moved My Cheese” or “Our Iceberg is Melting” would be good reads now since change is definately here!  Either way, managers have the responsibility to keep their employees on task and foster a culture of change.  Above all, mangers should not be telling their employees “its business as usual”.

Manager’s need to be open and honest.  What are the values of the company?  How are those values lived out in the work that is done.  In Badaracco and Ellsworth’s book Leadership and The Quest for Integrity, they state:  ”Leadership means shaping an organization so that its values, norms and ideals appeal strongly to its individual members while at the same time making the company a stronger competitor.”  Value driven leadership aligns the employee with the company.  Alignment of values between company and employee provides for a creative work force.  People value work that allows them to contribute, to be creative and to help problem solve.  When the company is seen as a community, everyone can benefit.  Go back to your brainstorming days when everyone was allowed to throw out ideas on ways to solve a problem.  Although some pretty far fetched solutions were offered, there were definately some valid ones as well.  Everyone felt that they had a say and a stake in the outcome.  They were made to feel part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Going back to what I said earlier, employees are worried about losing their jobs.  Perhaps they see themselves as one of the problems of the company.  Not they themselves, but their salary, benefit package, bonus, annual increase all equate to dollars, perhaps dollars that a struggling company does have.  If we can use our greatest assest and engage them in the solution, we may all be saved!