PaulLyon, France
I've read your columns about networking, and my problem isn't about establishing a network -- I have about 300 people I consider contacts. It's that I'm uncomfortable asking them for help. What do you recommend?
I've read your columns about networking, and my problem isn't about establishing a network -- I have about 300 people I consider contacts. It's that I'm uncomfortable asking them for help. What do you recommend?
It's unfortunate that networking has become a buzzword associated with asking for job-hunting help because it has much broader uses in many facets of our daily lives. For instance, it's common for friends to ask each other for the name of a good doctor or dentist. It's unlikely that they'd randomly visit such professionals without any information on their expertise or abilities. If the first person they asked didn't have a suggestion, they'd ask someone else until they got a good lead. That's the essence of networking -- the exchange of information to help one another. Sometimes you give, and sometimes you get.
The same process applies to the task of job hunting. Your goal is to cultivate a lifelong network of contacts to help and be helped with advice, support and, when needed, job leads. When you need to reach out for job-hunting help, it should be initially to find out what information can be shared with you that might prove helpful down the road. Keep in mind that when you make those first contacts, you're only looking for information and not asking for a job. Knowing this should take the pressure off and help you feel more comfortable about getting started. After all, if any one of those 300 people on your list contacted you, we bet you'd be willing to share whatever information you could to help them.
When approaching your contacts, say that you're considering a new job or career and would like to gather information to be sure you're making the right decision. Ask people doing the job you want how they got started, what they like best and least about it, what qualifications are needed, and who else you could talk with for more information. Keep up this process until you're certain that you've found a good match on which to base your next move. Give yourself ample time to do this, and don't expect to finish this task in a week. We think you'll find that the less you ask about actual job openings during your survey, the more likely you'll be to receive information.
Finally, consider writing an article or paper about the results of your survey and give it to those who helped you along the way. They'll likely be glad to get the information and know that you're as interested in giving as in receiving.