Networking During the Holidays

Networking is one of the most powerful tools you have to find your next job or internship.  It’s connecting with people to get advice and guidance, to be remembered and to be referred.  Most of the year this happens by intent and through careful planning and outreach.   During the holidays it often happens by surprise.   The holidays provide wonderful opportunities to connect with people in a social setting, making connections when you least expect to.  My network connection into my current position at Pace was someone I’d never met nor even heard of before I walked into a neighborhood New Year’s Day party in 2009.

Why are the holidays a great time to network?

·       People are in the holiday spirit.

·       You get to mingle with more people and often people who are not in your regular circle of friends and acquaintances.

·       Budgets are generally approved in December, so making connections during the holidays puts you in prime position to do some serious follow-up networking in January.

·       AND did I mention that people are in the holiday spirit!

Some things to remember about networking during the holidays…

·       Informal networking happens as soon as you begin a conversation with someone you

haven’t met before.

·       Networking during the holidays is schmoozing, making chit-chat, a much more informal experience than a network meeting in someone’s office.

·       Keep the conversation light and casual – ask how he or she knows the host or what they’re doing for the holidays. 

·       Don’t start with, ”so what do you do?”  Work that question into the conversation after you’ve established some rapport.

·       IF you meet someone you want to officially network with, ask if they’d be willing to meet with you in the next week or two to give you some guidance and advice, get a card or contact information and go back to being social.

·       Be open to being surprised.  You never know who you’ll meet at one of these gatherings. 

Another holiday MUST – the holiday card!  This is a once a year opportunity to connect with colleagues, friends, former employers and professors.  Send a holiday card to everyone you know and do it the old fashioned way – write a short note, sign your name, put the card in an envelope, attach a stamp and put it in the mail.  It’s a great way to be remembered and let someone know you’re thinking of him or her.

Have a wonderful holiday by making some new and unexpected connections.

Make More of a Turndown Than Just a NO!

There are turn downs when you know you weren't even close and feel no real connection to the hiring manager and there are turn downs when you know you were a 'contender'.  Well Rocky didn't give up and neither should you.  Convert that turn down into a network opportunity.

A friend recently came very close to landing her dream job.  All the 'buy' signs seemed to be there - she'd been asked about salary, references were requested and the hiring manager kept making comments about the work they could do together.  Then the trail simply went cold.  After several attempts at communication, she finally got a call from the hiring manager, who told her she was very talented and a wonderful candidate, but the screening committee had selected someone else for the job. To further cement that feeling of connection, the hiring manager offered to refer my friend within the organization, should other similar positions arise.

My advice to my friend was to convert the turn down into a networking opportunity.  I suggested she book a lunch with the hiring manager to solicit advice on her performance during the interview process and get some referrals to other network connections.  Taking this action is additional evidence of her skill as a career coach and should further impress the hiring manager. 

The most critical tool you have in today's marketplace is your network.  You MUST continue to find ways to expand it in order to land your next job and then MUST remember to nurture it as a means of managing your career.