Effective Networking Skills: Taking Your Job Search To A Whole New LevelWritten by David Richter
Your network consists of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and former employers. It also consists of your dentist, your barber or hair stylist, your accountant and your local grocery store manager. Networking is not only who you know, but who knows you. You may know a lot of people, but how well do they know you – especially in terms of your skills, talents, creativity and potential? How familiar are these people with your value proposition -- your unique gifts? It is your value proposition that differentiates you from crowd; it is what stands out in minds of those with whom you are networking. Your value proposition is cornerstone for all self-introductory communication. It sets tone. It’s how you make your mark. It is how you describe yourself during any networking scenario. The best way to network is to communicate your qualities to people you know, so they in turn will know you better. Practice doing this in as concise and clear a way as possible. When you communicate your value proposition in a lasered way, you will be extremely effective. Networking is never about asking someone for a job. It’s about letting people in, and asking questions such as “Who do you know?” and “Who else should I be talking to?” This process can truly mushroom, especially if you don’t wait until you are out of work before making contact with people. The results can be quite amazing. Networking is also about finding out as much as you can about people with whom you are networking. This serves many purposes. Remembering things about a person next time you see them makes them feel significant. They will want to do more for you. Secondly, you can begin to connect dots between their background and your own career objectives. Thirdly, you are building a bridge of trust; your encounter will be viewed as genuine and mutually beneficial, rather than as a manipulative gesture designed just for your gain.
| | Successful Job Search: 10 Steps To Quickly Acquire Your Dream Job And Put More Money In Your PocketWritten by David Richter
This article describes critical path of a job search. You will learn strategies, tools and resources you must employ to be effective in your job search efforts and successfully land your next job. Do you want to continue your costly, time-consuming and exhausting struggle in a frustrating job search using weak, ineffective tools that are getting you nowhere? The job market today is fiercely competitive with few high-paying or desirable jobs available. With repeated downsizings, companies have learned to survive with less. Mediocrity has no place in your job search process. To be a player among huge number of job seekers, you need an edge, a unique compelling advantage. To be successful, you must differentiate yourself from crowd. You must use search strategies that put you head and shoulders above your competition. You must possess knowledge and skill in your area of expertise, and know how to demonstrate that to world. You may be best candidate for a position, but someone better skilled at interviewing gets offer. Here are strategies you need to use to run a successful job search: 1. Determine your best-suited career You need to sit down and assess your talents, strengths and core competencies, as well as what it is you truly want to do. It may not be enough that you have a skill set in a particular area if you lack desire to move forward in that direction. To be a successful career builder and have a fulfilling career, find your passion and do what you love. If you don’t, no amount of money will satisfy you. 2. Leverage your skills to highest possible level You may be a design engineering guru, a top marketing specialist or a graphics design genius, but unless you know how to present your talents -- in your resume and during your interviews -- your expertise will go unnoticed. You must also present your skills to right person. A candidate weaker than you will ease you out of an opportunity just because they spoke directly to hiring manager while you discussed your candidacy with someone in human resources. It's not always best candidate who receives offer. 3. Set yourself apart from your competition With up to nine hundred candidates responding to one advertised job opening, it is easy to lose oneself in vast sea of job seekers. You must learn how to differentiate yourself from crowd. Creating an attention-grabbing resume is a good start. You must also learn how to prepare for and succeed at interviews. Tapping hidden job market and networking are by far most effective strategies for finding right opportunities and getting ahead of your competition. 4. Create an attention-grabbing resume One of best ways to achieve this is to clearly state your value proposition, your strengths and several uniquely defined differentiators that set you apart from your competition. Add to that a set of well-crafted accomplishments that incorporate three critical factors -- extraordinary task you fulfilled, how you achieved it, and results -- and you have basis for a winning resume. 5. Write a captivating cover letter Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets tone. It is read before your resume and includes vital information about you that every potential employer needs. If you don’t have a cover letter, or if you have one that is poorly written, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Knowing crucial elements of a cover letter is imperative to moving your candidacy forward.
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