The Non-Legal Business World Is Unchartered: Develop Contacts To Network The Maze

You are sending out introduction letters with accompanying resumes. However, you are unsure whether you have covered all the opportunities. Maybe you did not notice an emerging company. Maybe another division within the target leading edge company needs someone. Do you wait to read about it in the next industry publication? There is a better way to find out what might be happening. Most people refer to it as networking. Unfortunately, networking has some bad connotations brought on by selfish, rude people using other people to further their own careers without reciprocating. That is not networking, that is just being a jerk.

Networking is developing and maintaining a connected circle of people who can inform you about job leads or other pertinent industry information. When you are working, networking is important to keep you current on changing trends. However, it is an absolute necessity when you are job hunting. So, it is the next step in the strategy.


Network with People Who Can Inform You:

Network with people who can continually inform you about career opportunities. The job market divides into two broad categories: the unpublished market and the published one. The unpublished market holds nearly all of the high-profile jobs. You want to tap this market. The leading edge companies only occasionally advertise their high-value jobs in the newspaper. Why is this the case? These jobs are so important, employers want really good people to fill them. They want people who have been personally recommended by people whose judgment the employer knows firsthand to be good. The employer readily accepts these anointed applicants. The job becomes theirs to lose. Employment agencies and newspaper ads just cannot give the personal guarantee. Tapping the unpublished market takes work and patience. However, finding the opportunity is only part of the solution. You need to have an insider give you the nod. This means you have to network.

You Won't Find Many High-Value Jobs in the Want Ads:

If you go at this hard and aggressively, you will just make people mad, the opposite of what you want to happen. Networking is a directed and persistent building process. The strength of the network is a function of your professionalism, courtesy, and your willingness to reciprocate. Many of the leads and contacts come back on themselves. This is the beauty to the effort. Your networks will be your safety nets, people who you can turn to when you hit a blank wall.

Start by talking about your job search to friends and professors. On the other hand, if you are a practicing attorney, ask other attorneys. Talk to people with whom you feel comfortable. Chances are pretty good these people will not know of any jobs, or much about anything you need to know. However, they will probably know someone who does. These people they know make up the second circle. You are now networking.

The second circle of contacts, and those beyond, are the most useful in your job hunt. But, it's harder to connect as the web expands. You do not know these people. This is where the real work begins- calling these referrals whom you do not personally know. However, you can ease this difficulty with either of these methods: You can have your referring contact call the referral first, and then you call; or you can arrange with your referring contact for all three of you to meet.

However, in most cases, you will be calling cold. Do not avoid calling because it may be awkward. Those who keep networking get jobs. So make the call. Call and set up a face-to-face meeting with the referral. Why not just talk to the referral on the phone? Because a person is more likely to help someone they have met. People do not respond the same to just a voice on the phone.

Know what you are going to say before you call. Introduce yourself, briefly explain that you would like some information, and arrange a meeting. Always mention your mutual acquaintance as soon as possible to legitimize your call and your request for time. Do not waste the referral's time. However, if they open up and want to talk further on the phone that is great. That means that meeting them will be much more relaxed. If not, wait until you meet him or her to say more. Never ask about possible job openings-even if your referring contact knows there is one. Putting people on the spot rarely works to your advantage.

Meeting the Referral:

Before meeting with referrals, call your referring contact back. Thank him or her and explain that you are about to meet their friend. Ask for a little background information on the person. This will make it easier to develop a rapport quickly. Do not underestimate the importance of your initial meeting with your referral. If you know about something important the referral has accomplished, acknowledge it. Honest compliments never hurt. Empty flattery, though, always does. Remember, no matter how well your meeting is going, thirty minutes is enough time to use.

Summarize your objective by explaining the kind of job you want. Inform the referral about your legal training and how it applies. Be positive here. You need to convince the referral because it is this person who may be recommending you for the job to a friend who has an opening. Again, get to the point. You should think about what you are going to say before you go to meet the referral. There should not be any awkward silence. Be an active participant. Personalize your questions when you can. Make the referral feel as if he or she is an integral part of your search. Do not be afraid to ask for specific advice. Most people like to help and everybody likes to give advice. Remember, not only are you looking for potential high-profile career openings, but you are also looking for more people to contact. The referral, too, may not know of a job, but he or she may be able to direct you to someone who does.

Keep Your Network on a Disk-Not In Your Head

Right after every meeting, enter short notes about it into your computer. You should have a file set up to record your meetings, correspondence, and so forth. Organization will help you not miss opportunities. How you set up the file is up to you. Any number of ways will work. Just make sure you know how to get hold of these people when the need arises. When you do talk with them you will know what you previously discussed. Canned software programs are available to help you here if you need them.

Say Thank You:

After you have logged in the meeting, always take time to send a thank you note. This is both professional and courteous. They will remember it. Thank the contact for something specific he or she did or told you. No generic thank you notes: personalize them.

Keep Working on the Network:

Once you start getting referrals, you must follow up with them. Keep them active. To follow up, you must continually remind people of you and your job hunt. Maintaining a relationship is far more important to you than it is to them. So do not count on them to stay in touch with you. You strengthen the ties that you have established. Every so often call them or drop them a note to keep them posted. Two of the best ways to follow up are: Either calling with a specific question relating to something you discussed previously or calling to explain how their advice is working out or informing them of something that might be of use to them. Suddenly, you are now their contact.

Networking into Other Networks:

Large, well-formed webs exist for you to tie into. Alumni groups, professional organizations, and trade organizations are examples of prespun webs. Professional organizations are particularly useful because their members are exactly the type of people you want to meet. Trade organizations are a source of industry gossip to find out what companies are doing and who is leading the charge. Use them. Find out if the association has a local office. If not, the following is a partial listing of some of the high-profile career professional organizations. Write to them for information about meetings, membership directories, and so forth.

Attending a professional organization's meetings is a great place to expand your web. However, please be aware that association members often complain about the number of pushy job seekers attending regular meetings. Be careful approaching people. Ask for information, not a job.

Networking never ends. The network just expands and gets stronger. Even after you have landed a job and are well into your career, you still will have many of your original contacts, plus many more new ones. Networking takes time and work. Many people do not like to do it, but it is an integral part of the strategy. For a further discussion on networking, refer to Section E of the Appendix for suggested further readings.

All of your efforts to this point are leading to the make-or-break event-the interview. You do well here and you have succeeded. You do poorly, and you have wasted a lot of valuable effort. Let us look at this most important step.