Being in a position where you have no network is like not having a safety net. There's nobody there to catch you if you fall. The early stages of networking are like building a safety net. These are the critical relationships where if you misstep or faulter you have a support structure to help you get back up on your feet and moving in the right direction again. This comes through friendships, mentors and other meaningful networking relationships with people who care about you. If you're serious about networking then the safety net is just the start. The smart ones among us build that safety net long before they need it. Sadly many realize they should have been networking and building their own safety net after they've already fallen, and it's too late. Most frequently this happens in a layoff or other job loss situation. If you've been building relationships in and around your industry then it's easy to bounce back. If not it generally takes significantly longer to climb back up to where you were. Over time as your continue to strengthen your safety net through deeper more meaningful and broad based relationships your net not only grows stronger, but begins to develop some bounce to it. It's at this point that your network isn't there just to protect you from whatever life throws your way. Now it's creating opportunities. Before the networking safety net was built a fall resulted in a major set back, not to mention some major bumps and bruises. Now the strength of your safety net more resembles a trampoline. You're able to use it to gain alititude and move to the next level through promotions, increased sales or upward job transfers. If your network is weak start building your safety net today. You never know when you'll need it, but work hard to strengthen that network and you'll quickly find it will take you to new heights. Happy Networking! Scott Ingram www.NetworkInAustin.com

I’d like to thank Jason Alba for inviting me to take part in the blog carnival on his JibberJobber blog.   The question he posed was: “Yikes! You just lost your job! You’ve been so busy at *work* that you don’t feel your network is as strong as you would like it to be! What are you going to do with (and to) your network in the next 6 weeks as you begin an aggressive job search campaign? And, outside of your network, what job search tactics will you employ? Or your best networking tips related to job searches.”   My answer: Congratulations! You’ve just landed a new sales and marketing position. Whether or not you were in sales and marketing before, you are now. Your new job search will be a lot easier if you start thinking like a sales and marketing professional because that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. You’ll be selling and marketing yourself. Don’t forget that this is a full time job, and you’ll need to put in at least as much energy as you did into your previous position.   Before you start networking and dusting off your resume you should first identify your target market. Without a specific target your other efforts won’t be focused enough. If you don’t know what your target market is then you’ll need to do some market research.   Identify as clearly as possible the position or career that you’re looking for. What industry is it in? What is the job title? What exactly do you do? What are the necessary skill sets? What size company? Who do you report to? What is the company culture? Why do they need YOU? The more specific you can be the better. It’s the difference between saying that you want to work in technology, and saying that you’re looking for a position as the IT Director of a medium sized financial services company in downtown Austin, Texas.   When you’re able to be that specific it’s easy to find companies that meet your criteria that you can begin targeting.   The traditional method of job searching would have you pour through classified ads and sites like monster.com to find jobs you’re qualified for and send out resumes. That’s akin to applying a direct mail approach to marketing yourself. You can probably expect about the same results; a 1-3% response rate. Instead I’d suggest a much more focused and direct approach. A resume is essentially a brochure that’s designed to get you an interview. It's no different than a company or product brochure. Let me ask you this: When was the last time you actually read a brochure for more than 6 seconds? That’s how your resume will be treated. However, if the whole purpose of a resume is to get an interview why not just call and ask for the interview?   This is where the parallels between sales and your job search really become apparent. We’ve already talked about blind resumes being like direct mail and having a very low response rate. You could also make cold calls. That is, call the prospective companies that you’re interested in working for and asking for an appointment. You’ll probably get a little bit better response then just sending a resume, but your results probably won’t be spectacular. This is why networking is so valuable. If you can find someone that already has a relationship with your target company you can simply ask for a referral. Your odds of getting an interview will be much higher.   Ideally you’ve identified your target market so clearly that you have a list of companies you’re interested in working for. If you don’t have a list of specific companies than at least a crystal clear description of the type of organizations you’re interested in. This is where you start networking.   Start talking to your existing network. Focus on those that you have the best relationship with, and who are most likely to know someone at your target companies. Work your way down from there. The more specific you can be when you ask for introductions the better. That’s why a list of target companies is so useful.   The question as Jason asked it suggests that your network isn’t very strong. Networks take a long time to build, and you’re not going to be able to build a new network in just 6 weeks. However, you can build some strategic relationships and still get where you want to be. Try to find someone who is in a similar position, or the same department as you’d like to work in at your target company. Give them a call and ask them to lunch or coffee. Here’s your chance to learn about the organization from the inside. What are their biggest challenges? Do they have a position available or need additional help? Who else in the organization would they suggest you talk to? By building several relationships inside the company you can quickly learn a lot about how you might be able to fit in. If you play your cards right and act graciously you might even get that introduction or referral you were looking for.   This same process can be used to build relationships with vendors, customers, suppliers or anyone else who might have relationships with the organizations you’re interested in. If you’re targeting a specific industry there’s a very good chance that that industry has an association. Go to those association meetings. Market yourself at those meetings. Let people know what you’re looking for. Don’t forget to follow-up with the people you meet at those meetings.   By following this process you should be able to find opportunities for yourself relatively quickly.     Job networking is a very broad topic. I’ve really only scratched the surface and I thank Jason for posing the question. I’m sure there will be lots of other terrific advice from other bloggers so check out Jason’s blog for links to their responses.   You can also expect more posts about career networking here on this blog in the future.   Happy networking! Scott Ingram NetworkInAustin.com