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CAREERS NOW: BUY INTO NETWORKING LIFESTYLE
ASAP DEAR JOYCE: I am on shaky ground in my job at age 52, female, divorced, house payments and few employment opportunities in my field. Can you recommend a headhunter in my city? - P.F. Broken CD Department: Headhunters work for the other guys - the employers, not job seekers. You want a career coach. Sorry that I can't recommend one, but I've posted a recent coach column on my Web site, sunfeatures.com. BET ON NETS. As more job seekers level laments that their resumes are disappearing into black holes of no return, and as more employers hold back on hiring regular-status employees - opting instead for contingent workers who can be ditched without guilt or fuss - it's obvious that you need to include all the positive relationships you can hang onto as a key component in your search toolkit. EXPERT GUIDES. Who better to shepherd you through the ins and outs of unlocking the right doors than publicity braintrusters Rick Frishman and Jill Lubin? Both have built their careers on promotional expertise acquired one media person at a time. New Yorker Frishman and Californian Lublin tell you how to use normal, everyday friendliness in programmed actions to achieve any objective from work to pleasure in their new book, "Networking Magic", published by Adams Media (adamsmedia.com). Writing in a casual and idiomatic American style that cuts to the chase - "Do you want to find someone who can help get your kid into a good entry-level job?" - the two communications pros cover a lot of material as they flesh out their theme that "networking isn't just getting - it's giving, a process of building and maintaining relationships." CHIT-CHAT EMPLOYMENT. I especially liked the book's sidebar about food stylist George DoLese standing in line at a pastry shop when he began chatting up the man behind him, by happenstance an executive chef. From this unscripted contact, DoLese interviewed at a Donald Trump restaurant and heard the magic words, "You're hired." REMEMBERING NAMES. Among myriad tactics cited in "Networking Magic" that boost your networking skills is this routine that marketing consultant Ken Glickman uses when he meets someone new: 1. Deliberately shakes the person's hand and repeats the first name several times during their initial conversation. "Joe, it's nice to meet you. Where are you from, Joe? How long will you be here, Joe?" Or he will introduce Joe to someone else and say, "Joe, this is Harry. Harry, Joe is here for the meeting." 2. As soon as the new person walks away, within 10 to 15 seconds, Glickman visualizes the person's face in his mind and repeats his or her name. 3. About 30 seconds later, Glickman looks around the room for the new person, and when he spots him or her, he says the person's name once more. What does Glickman do when he's introduced to a dozen people at the same time? Frishman and Lubin don't say. But they have turned out an engaging guide to painlessly developing contacts for any aspect of life, especially inside tracks to good jobs. ANOTHER GUIDE TO CONNECTING. "Networking for Job Search and Career Success," second edition, covers the same topic but takes a more academic approach in its organization and comprehensive coverage. Written by L. Michelle Tullier, Ph.D., this networking book is published by JIST Publishing (www.jist.com). If Tullier were in the military, she'd be a four-star general. Currently a vice president of leading career transition firm Right Management Consultants, she's a former career coach for Monster.com and was a faculty member in career development at two name universities. "Networking for Job Search and Career Success" covers the waterfront with concepts, techniques, worksheets, conversations and follow-up suggestions. The book's standout chapter is "Networking for Introverts: 25 Painless Tips." People who are not outgoing say they are uncomfortable reaching out. Describing herself as a "recovering introvert," Tullier confesses: "After years of struggling to incorporate networking comfortably into my professional life, I have learned that networking is a skill that can be learned. It's a skill I have developed, and I enjoy showing others how they can develop it, too." GOLDEN NETWORKING ERA. Always useful, these difficult job times make skillful networking essential. (E-mail career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at jlk@sunfeatures.com; use "Reader Question" for subject line. Or mail her at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007.) © 2004 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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