Networking Into The Unknown
By Kevin Donlin | November 24th, 2008
Here’s a reader’s question about networking that may apply to you, even if you’re not trying to relocate …
Question: “How do I network if I want to access the hidden job market in another state? I don’t really have any contacts in the city (San Francisco) where I want to find a job.” — Larry
Answer: While YOU may not have contacts in San Francisco, the people YOU KNOW will likely know someone there.
The key is to get the message out to people you know … so they can tell the people they know.
Example #1 from our client files (thanks to my biz partner David Perry): A client in Florida found out about a job in Tennessee from a recruiter he called who was a connection to him on LinkedIn. The client didn’t know the recruiter, but they did share a connection.
The networking progression went like this:
Client –> Known contact –> Unknown recruiter –> Employer –> Job interview.
Result? New job in Tennessee with a fat signing bonus.
Example #2: This same client got an out-of-state job lead by telling one of the students where he taught adult ed about the city he wanted to move to; this led that student to recommend him to someone she knew in Tennessee.
The networking progression went like this:
Client –> Known contact –> Unknown employer –> Job interview.
Result? Interview in Tennessee that did not lead to a job, but produced enough confidence to enable client to land successful job mentioned in Example #1 above.
Your lesson?
Stop thinking that your network is limited to the people you know. It’s not. It’s MUCH larger.
Your network is everyone you know, PLUS the people they know, PLUS the people those people know.
Your second- and third-level contacts involve many hundreds and thousands of people. That’s where the real power of your network is found. And it’s likely where you’ll find a job, if you do it right.
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