Page 235 - ConvinceThemFlip

find the right approach
jobs by networking. Hiring managers also overwhelm-
ingly prefer networking for recruiting new employees. In
one study, almost half revealed they fill up to 25 percent
of their openings before ever publicly advertising them,
preferring to network within their companies as well as
outside before resorting to the assistance of a search firm
or a paid advertisement.
How can you make this work in your favor? Try follow-
ing the example of my old friend Alfred. Alfred lost his job
as vice president of a savings and loan company when it
was sold. What he didn’t lose was his talent for making
connections—and knowing what to do with them. Within
three weeks he had gathered the names of 134 people who
might be able to help him in his job search; he had met
with thirty-seven of them and received three job offers.
And it all happened because he knew how to network.
Alfred’s plan had two steps. First, he tried to have a
face-to-face meeting with whomever he could; second, he
got two referrals from everyone he met with. Starting with
his own contacts, he phoned and said, “I want to talk to
you about something. I am looking for a job. I’m not call-
ing to ask you for a job, but rather two names of people I
can contact. As you know, I have . . . [here he lets slip his
ten-second commercial, plus his credentials]. I’d like to be
able to use your name as an introduction, not a reference.
That’s all I want.”
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