Janice Worthington MA, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP Send Janice a Question

Networking - You can do it! Networking, although made to appear like a newly discovered tool with a mystique bordering on rocket science, fulfills a basic human need...to run with the tribe. We see it everywhere, beginning in the sandbox, advancing to the beauty shop and golf course, and continuing in the retirement home. We go to church, bowl in leagues, chat on soccer fields, join investment clubs, take night classes, play poker, and grill out with the neighbors. Of course, we also belong to professional associations, attend industry conventions, and work with clients, although these may not be the folks with whom we necessarily want to discuss our job search. However we all have our networks, whether we realize this fact or not. And they can get us hired! Gone are the days when extended family members, having started in the plant and worked their way up to the executive offices, brought you onboard. But in spite of the fact that we’ve lost our identity as Mike’s kid brother and Joe’s son-in-law, direct communication with someone with whom we cross paths continues to increase our odds of becoming the employee of choice. The candidate’s biggest roadblock seems to be building and knowing how to capitalize on a network. The secret lies in the fact that there does not have to be a direct relationship between your contacts and your goal. In reality it’s not always who you know; it’s who you know knows! During my certification process to become a Job & Career Transition Coach, I learned a valuable lesson from the facilitator. There were 35 of us from all over the US in the class, and one assignment involved selecting a vocation (I wanted to be a television evangelist), and networking ourselves into a contact by the end of that day. We began by going around the room announcing our goals, and I had barely mentioned my chosen vocation when a Boston colleague said she had an Aunt in Lynchburg, Virginia whose neighbor’s daughter served as a Secretary for Jerry Falwell. I immediately asked the Boston colleague for her Aunt’s name and phone number, and asked permission to reference the Boston colleague when making my call. I would eventually do the same with the neighbor and the neighbor’s daughter, who each day took shorthand for the good Reverend. Almost simultaneously, my Brooklyn colleague (she could hardly contain her excitement) made sure we knew that her ex-husband’s roommate was a Youth Pastor, at Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. So I proceeded to take the same steps, always seeking permission to use the last contact’s name. In one afternoon, the entire class of Coaches found contacts that knew others who could plug us in to contacts with influence toward meeting our career goals. From the tales of clients who have been most successfully hired by effortless networking I offer the following: If it is compatible with your personality, integrate your after-hours talents into the community. Coach your son’s little league team; you will not believe how grateful Junior’s corporate executive parents may be when you call on them. Teach Sunday school, volunteer at the retirement center, join the local theatre group. Don’t wait until you need a network to try to develop one. Establish an on-going professional identity and work to enhance your visibility. Corporations consistently spend millions of marketing dollars on their products hoping to achieve the same effect...to enter your circle and gain your attention based on their message when the need presents itself. It works!

Janice Worthington is President of Worthington Career Services, Ohio’s oldest resume preparation firm and one of the oldest in the U.S. With 14 years of corporate recruiting experience, Worthington Career Services opened its doors focused on applicant empowerment in 1973. She is known for advising some of America’s highest-ranking industry leaders. Please send Janice your questions at janice@worthingtonresumes.com .  For more information on Janice, please visit her website at http://www.worthingtonresumes.com/!