I am looking at the biography that I put together for Network In Austin, and as usual, have noticed that the list of companies that I have been affiliated with would be completely foreign to some of our younger members. Burroughs, once second only to IBM, cannot be distinguished from any other part of Unisys. Eaton Semiconductor, just like the Motorola semiconductor division has been divested for economic reasons, and has been renamed to a public relations chosen meaningless group of letters. Even mighty AT&T Bell Labs, has been divested, split up, bought, sold and renamed so many times, that a whole economic sector has sprung up just to deal with the business of presenting the names and logos to the public.
What does this mean to you and me? Well, if you are in the process of networking in order to secure your financial future, it means several things. For one, if you find it necessary to explain your resume and CV to a prospective client or future employer, then you are saddled with the problem of providing adequate substantiation of your claims due the near impossibility of providing adequate proof of your experience. With the fast changing technological environment, and the political upheaval that is happening with the professional community, the concept of a community of peers has become a tenuous, almost non-existent concept. With the adjustments that are taking place economically, politically and geographically, the individual and the corporation must be constantly in touch with the social media in order to have some knowledge of what to expect in the near future. With the advent of Twitter, Linked In, and other communities, the world has shrunk at an amazing rate, but we are in touch with what we need to do to move forward.
In the latest issue of the IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer, Dr. James Gower presents his views on what we need to do in order to jumpstart the economy (Today's Engineer June 2009), and what he feels the necessity to discuss is vitally important today. Yet, what he says is not news to anyone in the engineering industries. When in 2004, we were on Capitol Hill, lobbying for engineering funds, and other issues, in order to keep our professionals adequately employed, there was already that sense of urgency, the urgency was so profound, that we were able to convince John Kerry to integrate our issues into his presidential platform. The need to bootstrap the economy was existent then, and is still existent today, which is why it is absolutely vital that there is a synthesis created from all the Social Networks into a critical mass to move the economy back on the correct path. As a new resident of Austin, I am impressed at the efforts that are ongoing, and hope that I am able to help forge the arrangements necessary to get the community to where it needs to be.
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Edward Gordon has been in the software industry for 35 years, dealing with development lifecycle issues and technology transfer for companies such as Burroughs, Racal, Wang Labs, AT&T Bell Labs, Eaton Semiconductor, General Dynamics, SAIC and the Pentagon. He has worked with the IEEE-USA in lobbying Congress for funds for research in addition to his tasks with IEEE Consultant Networks and Professional Activities Committee, and is now a Senior Member of the IEEE. He can be reached at ebg@ieee.org.
I've realized that not everyone reading this blog is an experienced networker, which many of my posts are written for. This is for the newer networker that is wondering how to get started.
The first thing you need to know about networking is that everyone has a network. You don't have to go to mixers, happy hours and chamber luncheons to have a network. Your network is made up of all the people you have relationships with. Some of those relationships are close, like those with your family and good friends. Others are more distant acquaintances like your neighbors down the street, or a colleague in another department or city that you rarely get a chance to talk to.
It's my personal belief that REAL networking primarily happens one on one, face to face. Sure one on one can happen over the phone, but nothing beats person to person contact if it can be arranged. Start anywhere. It's probably easiest with those you are close to, but it's just as easy to reach out to someone you used to be close to but have lost touch with. Schedule a time that you can get together for lunch, a cup of coffee or a beer depending on your style. There's really not much more to it. Get together, have a good time and ask questions to learn how you can help this person. Repeat this process with others to deepen the relationships with those already in your network.
Ready to expand your network? There are lots of ways to do this, but the easiest and probably most reliable way is to simply ask those you're having lunch or drinks with. Give them some idea of what you're looking for, or the type of person you'd like to meet. Give them an opportunity to think of a couple of people who fit the bill and simply ask for an introduction. Do this well and you'll quickly see that this has an exponential effect and starts to look like a pyramid scheme. You meet with a good friend who introduces you to 3 of her friends. Each of them has a couple of people they think you should meet. Before you know it your network has grown by dozens of people who are already friends of friends, and that usually comes with some measure of credibility and trust.
That's really all there is to it. This networking thing certainly isn't rocket science. Make it a point so set aside a couple of times each week to get together with folks over drinks or lunch, and you'll quickly learn to love networking as much as I do. Then be sure to come back here or sign-up for our newsletter so you can learn more tips to make your networking even more effective.
With our Get Hired! event coming up tomorrow I thought it only appropriate that I write a post about Job Networking. Networking isn't just what you do at mixers and job clubs. It's really a part of every conversation and activity you're involved with; since you never know where that next opportunity is going to come from.
We all have certain strengths and abilities. Often times we discount the value of these abilities especially when they come really naturally and with almost no effort. They're just part of what you do. It's important to remember that these talents of yours have value. Frequently a lot of value. But you don't always get to demonstrate these skills as part of your regular job searching activities. Maybe if you're in sales, but I digress.
For so many reasons I think it's important to somehow get involved in something you're deeply passionate about outside of your job search. You should be doing things like this when you have a job, so why wouldn't you do them when you're looking for your next gig? This is easiest if you start with something you absolutely love. It might be a favorite non-profit, your church, your kids activities, a favorite sport or hobby. It really doesn't matter as long as it's an organization you care about. Approach one of the organizations leaders and tell them how you'd like to help. Make this easy for them. Don't just ask to help, which creates work for them to figure out how they can use you. Instead figure out a way that you can really demonstrate some of your highly valued skills and offer to do that for them. That way they can just say yes, they don't have to think and you get to show your stuff rather than getting stuck doing some menial task that you can't get excited about.
So now you're probably thinking. Why Scott? It's really important that I find my next job, and I need to focus on that and you want me to spend 5-10 hours a week volunteering my time?
Yes! Looking for a job can be really difficult work. It sometimes leads to depression especially in our society when you may define yourself by what you do. Besides, sending off a few more blind resumes probably isn't going to help you anyway. The psychological boost you'll get from making a difference will be invaluable during your search. Your attitude is so important and you impact your attitude most by what you do. Why not do something really worthwhile? It also will help you develop and deepen new relationships. Don't do this work in isolation, get out and be visible about it. Talk to people, tell them about the things you're doing and how much you enjoy it. Let them know that this is the kind of work that you love doing, and you're looking for your next opportunity to do it full time. Not only will you be demonstrating your skills, you'll also be keeping them sharp. It'll make interviewing easier as you'll have current examples you can point to in a positive light.
I'm yet to meet anyone who's sorry they took on this type of project. It may or may not directly lead to your next position, but it sure can't hurt.
Usually I think most people already have some ideas of where they want to be involved and how, but if you need some additional help there are a bunch of great resources to help you find this type of work. Here are just a few:
Oh yeah, and this doesn't have to have anything to do with a job search. If it's a good idea when you're looking for work isn't it also a good idea when you're not?
As I've thought about this job networking series much of my thinking had a specific desire at it's core. What I mean is a clear and very precise goal with regard to the position you're looking for.
Finding yourself among the unemployed can be quite a shock to the system. It often causes people to rethink their careers and many will consider changing industries, positions and even entire career tracks. There's certainly nothing wrong with this process, but it frequently causes these job seekers to be unable to articulate what type of position they're looking for. This inability to articulate their desires makes it nearly impossible for those in their network to help them because they can't know who to connect them with.
It's important to have a very clear and specific goal when you're looking for a new opportunity for so many reasons. You'll be able to develop the strategy and tactics necessary to attain that goal. You'll be able to reach out to those in your network and make very specific requests that they can actually help with. You can always change your goal as your search progresses, but at each step you need to be as clear as possible with those you're communicating with.
I will likely refer back to this post throughout the job networking series here on my blog. Without this clear vision in place the other job networking recommendations you'll find here will probably not be useful.
You can't cross the finish line without defining where it is.
You've probably noticed that unemployment has been on the rise lately. The national unemployment rate is up to 6.5%, and here in Austin it has grown to 4.7%.
It's certainly noticeable. I'm seeing more resumes come across my desk than I've ever seen in the past. Not to mention quite a number of personal friends who have found themselves in the ranks of the unemployed.
At a time like this many people are realizing just how important networking really is. Especially when they find themselves without a job knowing that the majority of job opportunities are found through networking and not through traditional means.
This has prompted me to start a series on job networking and career networking. The distinction being that job networking is an active search for a new position through relationships. Career networking is for those with a job who are looking to advance inside their organization or move up the ladder via another employer. There are many similarities between the two, but there are also quite a few differences.
My goal with this series is to create a truly valuable resource for those in a career transition, and a resource for their friends to be able to refer them to so that they can easily add some value.
I've already received an incredible Guest Blog post that I'm formatting now about how a friend of mine nearly landed a real job opportunity through his use of Twitter.
The following posts are currently in the queue over the next few weeks:
Networking to Your Next Job: Using Existing Relationships
Networking to Your Next Job: Starting From Scratch
Unemployed Networking: Maintaining Your Professional Identity
Best of Breed Tools for a Job Search in the Time of Web 2.0
Helping a job seeker: The Ultimate Referral
Networking Up The Ladder Inside Your Company
Job Networking in Austin, Texas
What's missing? What do you need to know about career or job networking? Do you have your own networking success story? I'd love to have you as a guest blogger to share your stories and suggestions with others.
