Location, Location, Location!

Just an extremely quick update today from New Jersey. As I've mentioned previously, deciding where to live is a very important step in your job search. If you say you will live ANYWHERE, that's great but makes the job search much more difficult. If you focus on one or two places (and I advocate for actually picking up and going there), you will have much better results. Flying or driving around the country for random interviews and networking opportunities doesn't make much sense. Since I've been in DC, I've met with close to 20 people and had about 10 interviews...more than enough to justify focusing solely on one location.

If you are having trouble deciding on a place to focus, try using Sperling's Best Places to research and compare.

http://www.bestplaces.net/

Again, packing up and going not only helps you focus your job search, it shows potential employers and networking contacts how committed you are to finding work. It's easy to sit at home and send your resume out online...it's a whole other animal if you go set up shop in a new city. It's working for me, it will work for you.

Don't forget to send your resume to Mitch.Brummer@gmail.com for a critique!

Networking - Pt. 2

While yesterday was a short intro on networking in general, today I'm going to focus a little more on how to start. It's important to realize that as cliché as it sounds, networking is an art not a science -- and no, that is not a cop out. As I said earlier, networking is different for everyone so I'm going to go through my own process in hopes that it will help:

GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED FIRST!

1. Create a contact information spreadsheet

In this document I have the person's name, phone number/email, how I came in contact (alumni, friend, etc.), their organization, dates contacted and a small summary of conversations. As your network grows, this spreadsheet will be your 'rolodex' so keep it updated and keep it organized.

2. Consolidate your e-mail

I personally use Gmail (Mitch.Brummer@gmail.com if you have any questions or suggestions...or just comment below) which has the label tool. I'm not familiar with the other services but I'm sure they have a similar label or folders tool. It's important to keep your inbox organized to make sure that you don't miss anything and as another way to track your communications as you network. My labels in Gmail are simple -- Networking, Job Search and Personal. 'Job Search' is anything directly related to a job, such as correspondence about interviews etc. and 'Networking' is any correspondence not directly related to a job.

Once you have your e-mail consolidated it's time to start making contacts.

3. Tap into your University Alumni resources

As a graduate of a school with a tight-knit alumni community, I can't say enough about the value of alumni resources. These are the people that went through the same college experience as you (you can reminisce about your favorite local pizza place) and know what kind of people come out of your school. Contact your career services office (or similar organization) and get some alumni contacts!! Ask for contacts that are in a directly related field first but don't stop there if you don't have huge success. Think about what you want to do and ask for contacts in somewhat similar industries. Once this conversation starts, in my experience, your contact will start trying to think of people they know who would be directly relevant to you. Just because a contact may not seem relevant at first, DO NOT BLOW THAT CONTACT OFF. Alums want to help you and if they live where you are looking to work, they WILL know people outside of their own industry to hook you up with!

4. Try to narrow down your location

While it is possible to network by e-mail or phone, nothing beats a face to face meeting. It really helps you to make that personal connection which will be a huge force in making your contact want to help you. The best advice that I received (and received from multiple sources) was to "go where you want to work". By living in the area where you hope to find a career, you are able to "meet for coffee tomorrow" and when that contact has to change plans, you can change right with them...after all, you aren't driving 5 hours for this meeting, you already live in the city. It can be tough to pick where you want to live, especially if you have it narrowed down to a few places and they happen to be Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco but nothing shows commitment like hauling your stuff down without a solid opportunity. From my experience, this is a respected move and your contacts are even more willing to help once they see the level of commitment you have to a career in that city. This may seem scary at first, but you will be able to survive for a few months at a not-so-ideal job while you focus on building your network.

5. Let your friends and family know what you are interested in doing

If you think about how many friends and family members you have, there is a pretty good chance that more than one of them knows someone who could be a valuable contact for you. It is your job to reach out to everyone you can think of and tell them what you are interested in doing. You'll be surprised how often you'll hear - "Oh you want to be a management consultant? I had no idea...my brother works for Booz Allen, let me get you his number". This goes back to the fact -- if you don't make your goals clear and don't ask for what you want, it is not going to fall into your lap. Talk...to...everyone.

6. TALK TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE

I can't stress enough that networking is about VOLUME. You have to throw as much out there and hope that a good percentage sticks (do NOT let quality suffer for volume, however. You need to come across as professional, positive and eager to learn...to EACH and EVERY contact you make). If you are naturally an introvert, you will have to make a concerted effort to reach out to people because successful networking is 100% on you. Just a quick final example of what I mean - This past 4th of July, my first in the Nation's Capital, I went to watch the fireworks with the rest of the city. While sitting on our blanket (5 hours early), I happened to overhear someone talking about my industry of choice. Not being one to pass up any opportunities, I turned around and politely asked the man if I could ask him a few questions as I am new to the area and interested in his field. He was more than willing to talk with me and it turns out he was an executive at a large company I had been researching. Now THAT is networking!

Tune in tomorrow for information on research and maybe a start into resumes. If anyone has ANY questions, suggestions or general comments, PLEASE comment below.

Job Article of the Day: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE56D4XA20090714

Song of the Day:

Layla - Derek and the Dominos

Networking - Pt. 1

As I mentioned on Saturday, today’s post will be a small introduction to an invaluable tool for job seekers – Networking. We’ve been over the definition so I’m going to start right in on some basics.

1. What Networking means to me...

In my opinion, networking is an enjoyable chance to market yourself to alumni, friends, friends of friends, and the guy that worked for your roommate’s 3^rd cousin…three years ago. This is one of your best opportunities to "get yourself out there" and to get smart people invested in your future. To me, this is what networking is all about -- getting yourself on the radar of people who matter in your focus industry and who are willing to take time out of their day to give you advice and guidance (and maybe even job leads).

2. What Networking has done for me so far...

If you read my first post (or even the title caption of this blog) you will know that I don’t have a job. So what, you might ask, has networking done for me? In short, a whole lot. I moved to the DC metro area at the end of May, just two weeks after graduating, jobless, and with enough money survive the next few months. Now, it is Mid-July…and I’m in the same situation…with one noticeable improvement.

In my few short months in DC, I have met with MANY extremely talented, extremely interesting people in my industry of choice. Now, these people are looking out for me and using THEIR networks to circulate MY resume. The BIGGEST mistake people make in networking is going into a meeting with a sense of entitlement. Here is a quick do’s and don’ts list for networking (from my experience)

Don’t:

- Go to a meeting expecting this person to create you a job

- Go to a meeting without a few strong and direct questions or expecting your contact to just lay out all the answers for you

- Expect them to know what you are looking for without explaining your goals and aspirations

- Be afraid to ask

Do

- Ask questions about your contact, their career path and how they got to where they are

- Politely and graciously, ASK for what you want (Once you’ve developed a good conversation or relationship)…if you are hoping they have a connection in some organization, you have to ASK

- Follow-Up quickly, professionally and include a small recap of what you talked about

- Keep in touch!! Networking is relationship-BUILDING…Build your network to last, once you have a job these people will still be invaluable contacts

That’s all for today, more on networking in my next post. Tomorrow I will include information on how to START networking. Finding those first few contacts may seem intimidating and I hope to alleviate some of these fears. Don’t forget – Networking is a process, not a one-time event. By building these skills now, you will be able to develop a strong and lasting network for your entire career. With people changing jobs more and more frequently, you never know when you will need to call upon your network for help (or to return the favor).

Job Article of the Day: http://www.indeed.com/jobtrends.jsp

Song of the Day:

Promontory - The Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack