In this lesson, we're going deeper into how to use networking in your job search. In our networking 101 lesson, we talked about how networking can improve your results. We also walked you through how to take inventory of your existing network, and identify which contacts have the most potential to lend you a hand. Now we're going to cover how to reach out to those in your existing network. So now that you have a healthy list of at least 20 network contacts, let's narrow it down and decide who we want to contact and how. A note about stealth job searches. Keep in mind that if you're conducting a stealth job search while still employed, you will need to be extra thoughtful about who you share information with and what you say publicly on social media. You don't want to jeopardize your current position by being too public about your job hunt. However, you can still start reconnecting with people without mentioning your job search until it makes sense. Remember, most people won't know how to help you unless you tell them. Even your closest contacts may not know that you're job hunting, or what type of jobs you're most interested in. They may not think to offer assistance if they think you've already got things well in hand. Your best bet is to start with anyone who you rated as a five in terms of potential on that worksheet. If you don't have many of those, start with both your fours and your fives. For each of these, you're going to brainstorm the best way to reach out to them. In some cases, you may decide not to, or to wait a while. But in other cases, you can easily get the ball rolling with little to no fear of rejection. You'll decide on the best approach based on the relationship and your comfort level. To get you started, we're going to cover some best practices for reaching out, organized by relationship type, because that's often what dictates adapting your approach. Let's start with the easiest, strong relationships. Your best friends and family members probably already know you're looking for a new job opportunity, but do they all know how they might be able to help you? Some of us are reluctant to ask for help, even of people who would be more than happy to provide it. Similarly, there may be good pals, mentors, or family members you haven't been in close touch with recently. With all of these strong connections, you can likely reach out directly by picking up the phone, writing an email or text message, or making plans to meet up. With some, it may be as simple and casual as something like, "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm looking for a new position as an IT Support Manager. So if you know anybody in IT who might be hiring, I'd appreciate any suggestions." Other contacts may have expertise in your field, or in hiring or human resources. If you think someone may have useful advice to share I recommend trying to schedule a time to chat. That way you can dedicate some time to discussing and brainstorming ideas. For these contacts, you might reach out with language like, "I'm currently looking for a new position as an IT Support Manager. I'd love to get your advice since you have so much experience in the industry. Do you have time for a call or coffee later this week? In general, and this applies even more so to contacts you don't know as well, it's best for your first ask to be for advice, as opposed to, "Do you know anyone who might hire me?" First of all, good advice is incredibly valuable. You never know who might have words of wisdom that could fast track your job search. Second, asking for advice leads to a conversation. A conversation and advice exchange will strengthen the relationship. Even if no lead immediately comes out of it your contact will be much more likely to think of you when they hear about an opportunity. When you jump right into asking for a referral or job lead you turn the exchange into a closed-ended question. When you ask, "Do you know anyone?" If the answer is no, that's it. Your friend might even put off responding if he isn't aware of any immediate openings. Meanwhile, if you have a chat, it might lead to new ideas. When you have your advice, conversation or even email exchange, consider covering the following. One, clarify what you're looking for. Often friends and family members have only a vague sense of what you do for a living. This can lead to very bad job search advice. Make sure you give some detail around your target job types, industries, and experience level. Two, build credibility. If the person doesn't know your career track record well provide a bit of background to make it clear you're good at what you do, and you won't make them look bad if they introduce you to one of their contacts. Three, ask open-ended but focused questions. Open-ended questions will get them thinking out loud and perhaps lead to some interesting ideas. Just don't be so open-ended, that they don't know where to begin to respond. For example, "What advice would you give to somebody with my background looking to move into a role on the client-side?" Not, "How can I get a job?" Four, ask for introductions, have the conversation first. But then if it doesn't come up naturally, consider asking outright something like, "Who else do you know that I should talk to?" Because these are strong relationships they will likely feel comfortable making introductions. So don't hesitate to ask, as long as you do so in a respectful way. The worst-case scenario is that they say no. Five, be appreciative. Thank them for their time and suggestions. And don't forget to ask them what they've been up to, or if you can help them with anything. Six, note next steps. Note on your networking worksheet, or wherever else you're tracking your job search to-do items, any next steps. Are you supposed to send them your updated resume? Do you have a few new names to follow up with? Are you supposed to remind them to call their friend, Reginald, the recruiter next week? Should you send a thoughtful gift card to thank them for the amazing leads they provided? As we've discussed, the job search is a project to manage. You want to stay on top of interesting ideas and leads to follow up on. Some leads and referrals take time and nurturing to pay off. Now, let's move on to how to contact people you don't know quite as well, medium connections. By medium connections I mean, there's some relationship but not enough to qualify as strong. These could include people who know you fairly well but not in a work capacity, people who knew you fairly well in a work capacity, but in the past, and you haven't kept in touch. People who only slightly know or knew you in a work capacity, but relatively recently. With these contacts, you probably want to customize your approach, depending on the relationship and the potential. With some, you might feel confident enough to follow our advice for your strong connections. For example, with someone, you don't know well but they've helped you with job leads in the past, or maybe with an acquaintance who's always been pretty friendly and approachable. In these cases, you might feel comfortable reaching out directly to mention your job search and ask for advice. With others, it's likely better to follow the advice for weak connections, weak connections. These are more like acquaintances, or they could be former stronger connections you've lost touch with. In general, if you haven't connected with someone in a while, or you don't know them very well, you'll probably want to reach out in a friendly and low-pressure way before outright asking for help. This is particularly true for people with whom you had a more personal relationship in the past. You don't want to come across as only reaching out when you need something. Some people would be happy to help you without becoming your best friend. Others might feel insulted, of course. But I think that's unlikely if you're thoughtful about how you connect. People generally understand when you haven't been in touch because life has been busy, or you fell out of contact and feel awkward about it. They may very well feel the same way and be delighted to reconnect. In my own experience, I have almost never had a negative reaction to someone reaching out for networking purposes. On the contrary, when there's a way that I can help someone I like, or just whose work I respect, even if I don't know them well, I'm happy to do so. That applies to friends and friendly acquaintances. Even from the distant past, it applies to friends of friends and fellow members of organizations I belong to. The only times I've hesitated have been when the approach seems spammy, or overly demanding without the relationship to back it up. If you're reaching out to someone you don't know well, or haven't talked to in a while, it's generally a good idea to start with a friendly low-pressure move. For example, connect on LinkedIn if you haven't already. With the connection request, you could include a friendly little note like, "I was so happy to come across your profile on LinkedIn and wanted to reconnect. Hope you are well." If you're already connected, send a LinkedIn message. You could also reach out via email in a similar way. Start with just checking in to say hello. Perhaps congratulate them on their current role or any recent accomplishments mentioned in their profile. Keep it short and casual, and make it as easy as possible to respond. If you get a response with questions about what you've been up to, that's a great opening to mention your job search, along with other updates on your life. If it feels appropriate, you could then make a request for advice or just for them to keep you in mind if they hear about any opportunities. Yes, this might lead them to suspect that you reached out primarily for job search help, but most people won't be too put off by that idea, not if you handle it gracefully. Most professionals know how important networking is during the job search. Even if it doesn't seem appropriate to ask for a favor now, the mere fact of connecting and having recent contact will be useful. Now, if you later come across an opportunity at that person's firm or through a mutual contact, it will feel much more natural to reach out and ask for a referral or information. Please see our lesson on using LinkedIn for the job search for more advice on how LinkedIn can help you. Beyond LinkedIn, you can also look for these weak connections elsewhere online. You can follow, like, retweet, and otherwise interact. Another idea is to find someone who can serve as a bridge to a high potential weak connection. Maybe one of your strong or medium connections could make an introduction. Check and see if you have connections in common. I hope you find these tips useful as you begin to reach out to your network. Next, you can check out our lesson on expanding your network for advice on how to meet new people in your field. Remember, time spent building relationships is almost certain to improve your job search results. You may be surprised at what networking can do. ♪ [music] ♪
