Career Column: Networking for Truffles

By Aly Anliker

Seeking gainful employment these days is like searching for truffles. Truffles are difficult to find and because of this are rare and valuable. Truffles are found underground. The truffle gatherer locates the truffle with the aid of a special dog with a good nose. When the dog sniffs one out, the truffle hunter digs with a small spade until the prize is uncovered. The good news is that you only need one good one, job that is.

Who Knows You?

Networking is one of the work search skills you need to find a good job. How many people have you talked to today? The old wisdom in job search used to be it’s who you know. The new wisdom is who knows you and who knows you are available and what your skill sets are. Networking is the best way to find employment for both contract and permanent positions. This issue’s column focuses on networking as a job search method, providing you with some ideas for preparing for and conducting your networking meetings.

Planning for the Networking Meeting

To prepare for a networking meeting, do the following:

• Plan the agenda and share it with your networking contact.
• Determine what kinds of information you need to know and how will you ask the questions.
• Decide what kinds of things you want your contact to know about you.

Write your questions down, beforehand. The next step is to research the company and the individual you will be meeting with. Start by surfing their web page. You may also want to talk to people who know them. The idea is to find out as much as you can about the company prior to the meeting. The library provides free access to databases for your research. Two great databases that contain a variety of information are Gale’s Business and Company Resource Center, www.galegroup.com and Hoover’s Online, www.hoovers.com. The community colleges also have research resources in their career centers.

Conducting the Meeting

Conduct your meeting in person if possible. For the meeting itself, dress your best, as if you really were going on an interview. You have only one chance to make a first impression and they do count. Shake your contact’s hand firmly. If you have agreed on a duration for the meeting, make sure you stick to it, unless the other person requests more time.

Make sure that you smile often and if you can find a way to provide them with some important information, do so. A successful networking meeting is often an exchange of ideas and assistance. Take notes during your networking meeting. You can use them to write your thank you note and for ideas to stay in contact with that person. Where appropriate, respond to the information you gather by discussing your own skills, objectives and ideas. Even though there may not be an opening now, your networking contact may have ideas for you and other leads you can pursue.

At the conclusion of your networking meeting, don’t forget to thank them for their time.

One Final Task

Here is a way for you to get started now. Take out a piece of paper. Write down the names of five people you know. Next, write down the name of your doctor, your neighbor, and two people you used to work with. You now have the start of a networking list. Promise yourself that you will call two of these people or two other potential networking contacts this week to set up a networking meeting. Good luck! At the minimum you will meet or make a friend and eventually make a contact that can help you find employment.

Aly works as a career consultant and instructional designer for local area businesses. She can be reached at alyanliker@hotmail.com.