It’s not really a role she would have chosen for herself, but after being laid off three times in 18 months, Irene Kolaczko has become something of a job-hunting pro.
Whether it’s joining job-searching support groups and women’s professional groups, attending behemoth job fairs–or even letting everyone from family members to friends know that she’s back in the market–Kolaczko lets no opportunity go untapped.
“When you’re unemployed, you have to use all avenues to find work,” said the 30-something IT professional who lives in the southwest suburbs.
And in a depressed economy, with the unemployment rate high and the openings few and far between, Kolaczko knows that the only way around sending her resume to a company where it will land in what she calls the “HR bottomless database,” is to keep forging contacts.
“It’s all about networking,” she said. “It’s really the only way to go, even though it’s hard and sometimes it means you find something that would be right for someone else, but it’s all about helping other people in the hope that in some grand scheme something comes back to you.”
Networking. Ah, networking. The dreaded “N” word, which evokes images of someone “working the room,” “pumping the flesh,” and passing out business cards to anyone with a pulse.
Not that effective networking works that way.
“Networking is a misunderstood word,” said Andrea R. Nierenberg, “The Queen of Networking,” and author of “Nonstop Networking: How to Improve your Life, Luck and Career (Capital Books, $19.95).” “A lot of people think you only network when you need something, but my whole philosophy is the opposite: The idea is to give and develop mutual beneficial relationships, and perhaps down the road, there might be an opportunity to get something back. Too many are in it for the short term, calling this person to help them, and if they can’t help, then they’re off the list.”
True networking, according to Nierenberg, is a way of life. Which means the smart networker doesn’t wait for the economy to take a nose dive before hitting his Rolodex.
“The opposite of networking is not working,” Nierenberg said. “Networking is about building connections. People who continuously nurture relationships do so all the time, and for them there is no down economy.”
Brian Marcus is a good example of someone who understands the art of networking. A marketing professional who has an MBA from the University of Chicago, he has found himself back in the job market twice in two years, a product of tough times in the tech sector. So he turned to his extended network of contacts to lead him back to employment.
“I believe in networking,” said Marcus, 34, who lives in Chicago. “I’ve landed every single job based on people I knew.”
What makes Marcus so successful is his ability to both forge and maintain relationships. For example, while working for a telecom software company, among his many contacts was someone who ran his own start-up company. Marcus kept in touch, occasionally sending him newspaper clippings, updating him on his own career and even recommending potential candidates for employment. So when the telecom market crashed and Marcus found himself back in the market for a job, contacting this acquaintance wasn’t such a stretch.
“It wasn’t like a cold call since we’d been in touch, and it turns out when he did have a need he called me and I got a job,” Marcus said.
When that start-up fell on hard times, Marcus already had formed many new contacts–not merely to suit his own needs, but because he saw each new relationship as a way of expanding a growing circle of professional and personal contacts. He sent an e-mail to 200 of those he felt comfortable enough with to ask for job leads.
“I try to make my request simple and clear, telling them the type of position I’m looking for, how it fits into my career goals and asking them to think about their relationships with their friends to see if they know anyone I should contact,” he said. “My expectations are only for them to introduce me to someone and I’ll take it from there.”
How, you may wonder, does Marcus even know 200 people?
It depends on how you define the word “know,” he says. “I cast a wide net. The way I look at it if you send a note to someone who either knows you or knows of you through a trusted source, they may be able to point you to the right people. It doesn’t take a business executive to lead me to the right person,” he said. (Case in point: Do not underestimate the power of a well-connected mother-in-law!)
So, what kinds of results did his mass mailing yield? Of the 200 e-mails he sent out on his last job search, Marcus received 30 “good, solid leads,” and at least 50 additional offers of support. He followed up all mailings with thank-you notes and continues to update his contacts on his progress. The point, he said, is to always remain in touch.
And networking, he said, is a give and take. Which is why Marcus is always willing to help others. Even when he was in the middle of his own career crisis, he took the time to meet with a handful of people–all referred to him though acquaintances–to offer career advice and other people to contact.
“You do something nice and it will come back to you,” Marcus said. “I’ve had some great mentors in my life and get great satisfaction out of extending myself when I can.”
Networking doesn’t only happen with the job hunter.
For Carol Semrad, director of human resources for Learning Curve International, a Chicago-based marketer and manufacturer of children’s toys, said even when there isn’t an opening at the company, they’re always on the lookout for talented employees. “We’re always recruiting,” she said.
The companyreceives between seven resumes a week to a whopping 700. To stand out from the crowd, it’s best to have some kind of entree into the company, Semrad says.
“Our favorite way of recruiting is through referrals. About 45 percent of our employees came through people and business folks that we know,” she said.
One woman, referred to her by a mutual contact, came in to speak with Semrad about the HR field. There wasn’t an opening at Learning Curve at the time, but since the two hit it off, when something temporary opened up, she was the first one to hear about it. She now works full time at the company.
While applying for jobs through traditional venues, always keep your eyes open for opportunities, Semrad advises.
Learning Curve’s president, in fact, once found an employee while he was out of town on business. He overheard his waitress mention that she was moving to Chicago and would be looking for a job in sales, and he told her to send him her resume. She did.
“She worked for us for three years,” said Semrad. And when the time came for her to move on, it was Semrad who referred her to a friend at another company who eventually hired her.
As Semrad said, you don’t know where the next job lead may come from. “It might be at a bus stop, it might be at a restaurant, it can be anywhere. And if you’re looking for a job you have to be aware of all of those opportunities.”
Connect yourself to a job
When it comes to networking, does the thought of attending a job fair or a networking event make you want to crawl back in bed and stay there until you wake up employed?
Don’t fret.
Networking–the most effective way to find everything from a dry cleaner to a dream job–doesn’t necessarily mean working a room or handing out bundles of business cards.
“The whole point is you never need to be someone that you’re not. Networking has to fit your own style, otherwise, it won’t work,” said Andrea Nierenberg, author of “Nonstop Networking.”
With that in mind, consider the following five networking tips:
Think quality, not quantity. Before handing out a flood of business cards or sending out your resume by the bundle, forge a few meaningful contacts. “I would rather walk into a room and meet two people and connect with them than throw out my card to 20 people,” Nierenberg said.
Give and you shall receive. Single yourself out by offering to help work at a networking event, instead of being one of the hundreds of participants, says Michael Newborn, a career services manager at Computers Systems Institute in Skokie and Chicago. “You’ll become known as someone resourceful and dependable, so when the leaders of the group hear of an opportunity either in their own company or through contacts, they’re going to remember you,” he said.
Hit the Web. The Internet has revolutionized the art of networking. Through listservs, free Internet groups made up of people with shared interests, thousands of people can meet and mingle online. The Chicago-based ChicWIT, a listserv for Chicago Women in Technology (men are also welcome), is a shining example. Founder Liz Ryan had the brainstorm to bring Chicago women professionals together and started the listserv in 1999 with only two members. Now there are 4,000 subscribers to chicWIT who can post messages to find everything from a good hair stylist to a pet sitter to a perfect job.
Interview for fun. When times are tough, many employers are on guard. But if you’re sincerely interested in a company, the best way to get to know them–and to let them get to know you–is to set up an informational interview. “You should never ask for a job,” Newborn said. “Instead, if you take the informational interview as an opportunity to really find out about the company, then when they do have an opening, they might pick up on that.”
–Abigail Pickus
