How Do You Find the Masses Who Can Help You?

Last week I ran into someone who has been in the job market for quite a while. It was great seeing him, but I was sad to see he had not landed anything yet. He is a human resources professional and has an impressive background. I’m fully aware that as a result of all the massive layoffs that have occurred over the last two and half years, HR is one of the areas that took the hardest blows. If you have fewer people – you don’t need as many people in the HR department.

I asked if he was attending any HR association meetings like SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management). He told me, ”No, the fee was kind of high. He was, however, meeting with another group that was primarily a version of SHRM but they are more like a support – networking group for HR professionals who are in transition.”

I told him, “I’m glad to see you are getting out and networking, but I don’t want to mince words here. You need to be meeting with as many people in your profession that are currently employed.”

The best place I know to find this is to go where the masses are, your professional associations. They are fertile ground to plant seeds. This is so critical that if there is a fee to attend that covers the cost of a meal – be willing to make the investment. It can shave weeks, months if not years off this discovery process for you. But here’s the great thing about membership fees, you don’t have to belong to the association or networking group to attend the meetings at first. Most associations are always looking to grow in their membership. So the majority of them are happy to have you join them as a guest to find out more about their organization. You can call them or contact them and let them know you would like to attend as a guest. Further, if you choose to join, most associations have special reduced memberships for those who are in transition. So I would encourage you to do some research and find - then attend as many associations, or networking groups you can find that are relevant to your field of interest.

Here’s Tip #1.

Make sure you have a professional business card that reflects your desired profession – include your specialty if you have one. You want to offer your card to everyone how’s hand you shake. Now the critical step, you want to make sure you ask for their business card too. This is essential! As you close your conversation, you might want to say something like, “I would really enjoy talking further. May I contact you in the future – maybe I can buy you a coffee?”

Later that day or the next, you can reach out to the people you met and send them an invitation to be LinkedIn. When you send your invitation, rather than defaulting to the pre-stocked message, personalize your message to the conversation you had at the meeting. Something such as, “It was a pleasure meeting you at the SHRM meeting I would enjoy the opportunity to get to know you and your organization better. May I invite you to join my Linkedin?” Once a day or so has gone by, I would encourage you to contact the people you met and ask if they might be interested in meeting for coffee or a drink after work. I always suggest saying something like, “I really enjoyed meeting you at the SHRM meeting, I’m interested in opportunities in the XYZ field. May I buy you a cup of coffee, I would truly value your opinion.”

Let’s revisit the general rule of telling anyone and everyone what kind of opportunity you are looking for. The mistake most folks make is they are simply asking, "I do XYZ, do you know anyone who is hiring for XYZ jobs?" Here is what I want you to take to heart. In reality, very few people know what actual positions are available in a given company unless they, themselves, are the hiring manager or they happen - just happen to see a posting within the company they work for. Maybe, just by pure circumstance, they may have been told by a friend or colleague they are looking for a XYZ person to hire.

Here is Common Mistake #1.

If you simply ask people if they know anyone who is hiring for what you are searching for, you will most likely get a, "Hum, let me think about that ... Gee, no I don't know anyone who is hiring, sorry." Well as much as I believe that person would truly like to help you, the conversation pretty much ends right there.

I don't like those odds. And I would guess to most who go about the job search, this conversation sounds pretty familiar.

I would much rather you have people champion your cause. People who would say, "I don't know if anyone is hiring for XYZ position, but I do know a couple of people I think you might be interested in talking with who do XYZ for ABC industry. They may not be hiring, but they might know a few other people with whom you should talk." Now, you can get some traction.

Solution to Common Mistake #1:

Ask to be introduced to anyone who is in your industry or specialty. You have a perfect opportunity to do a well thought out - well-executed informational interview. This approach has a great deal more impact with new acquaintances. There is no pressure to "interview for a job" you are simply "talking shop". You are learning more about them and their organization, how they are fairing in these tough economic times. Your passions ignite, their passions ignite and all of a sudden you are truly enjoying the conversation. You’re building a relationship. It’s good practice to ask them, “How can I help you? What kind of referral can I send your way that might support your efforts?” More importantly, you have found an ally. One who will be able to help you with the most important question of all … "Do you know anyone else with whom I should talk?" Then you can repeat the entire process. And as opportunities arise you will be on their minds.

30, 60, 90 Day Vision and Strategy

Negotiating successful outcomes in the workplace can and will increase your value to an organization, but a lot of people are uncomfortable with the process and don’t try it. As a result they remain silent and continue to blend into the background. I run into people all the time that see an area in their business that could reach higher levels of performance, if only their company would embrace a new vision ... a new way of implementing promising – unexploited opportunities. But time and time again, most individuals don’t propose a plan of executing their idea because they don’t feel it’s their place to initiate these kinds of management driven strategies.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. The other day I was talking with an Attorney who works for a midsized law firm. She told me, “I would really like to see our firm use a marketing research company to help us with our marketing direction. I think we would get farther with our marketing budget and get better results.” She went on to tell me, “When I worked with a previous firm, I saw how effective it can be.”

I asked her, why she doesn’t propose the idea. She simply replied by saying, “I’m not in the marketing department. I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to bring this up.”

I shared with her that many people who have experienced first-hand, the positive results of a practice or process are hesitant to offer a solution-oriented idea, because it’s simply not their turf. But most savvy managers and leaders know great growth of an organization comes from listening to people who see challenges and obstacles, and have a track record in understanding what can be done now to face and overcome those barriers.

I asked her if she had ever proposed a 30, 60 – 90 day plan before. She looked a bit baffled, but very interested in learning more.

This is what I shared with her and now with you.

What if you were to outline three things?

1. A few questions that framed the vision and strategy such as:

· What is the growth vision of our firm?

· What strategies are we using to reach that vision?

· If I were to share with you some results I’ve been exposed to that had dramatic positive result, would that interest you?

2. Then craft a three part, solution-oriented description of what you want to propose:

a. Set the stage; explain and establish the exact history of the situation. What were the challenges that were faced?

b. What were the specific actions that were taken

c. What were the results that were achieved by implementing this strategy, quantify them if possible

3. Then offer to work out solution-oriented action steps. Schedule to meet in 30 days to discuss your ideas.

Start by asking something like, “What if we were to explore this more? Would you like me to put some ideas together and we can meet in 30 days to go over them?”

Asking for 30 days is key, you don’t want to necessarily invest your time putting together a solution action plan if your leader(s) is not sold on the idea to move forward to explore. But exploring is exactly what will allow you to share your resources (i.e., the marketing research firm you have used in the past) and get buy-in from your leader. It shows you are ready to “put some skin in the game” and invest in the success of your organization.

It’s also very important to have no more than three steps. It becomes too complex of a project, very hard to roll out and manage. It may also become a bit threatening if there are too many items on your agenda. Plus, if you spoil them with a high number of ideas, they may expect it all the time. You want to learn to manage expectations.

Once you have your solution action ideas together you want to be prepared to work through the list with a willingness to adapt. The last thing you want to do is present your ideas as “It’s my way or no way at all.” You should have target items and resources that you want to try for the next 30 days. Schedule an appointment right then and there to meet 30 days out (60 days from original conversation) with the intent to review, what has worked and what has not. You want to come to this discussion with the knowing you will want to modify our ideas and action plan to make it stronger. You may need to involve other individuals and resources? Then it becomes a bit like the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle “rinse and repeat”. Once you have met to assess the value of the plan and what elements need to be changed. Schedule to meet again in 30 days to repeat the process (90 days total).

Here’s why this works, you have a track record of success, and you’ve been a part of process that has made a positive impact. You don’t have to be the expert; there are people, companies or organizations that specialized in this kind of thing. Simply put, you are making a recommendation of what you know has worked before.

Workplace negotiating starts with wanting to make a positive contribution. And the more your employment contributions are consistent with your employer’s objectives and function, the more you’ll have, as Alan Sklover puts it, “’the power of purpose in your pocket.’ And one thing’s for sure: it’s hard to keep down a man or woman who is purpose-driven.”