Image courtesy of Loveluck at FreeDigitalPhotos.net The word “networking” can cause extreme anxiety for the introverted job seeker. Introverts (like me!) often struggle to initiate conversations at crowded social events and fail to follow-through afterwards to deepen hard-won relationships. Some candidates even obsess about how they may be perceived when they initially introduce themselves.
The following strategies guarantees instant returns to the introverted job seeker who invests their time in building a targeted networking campaign.
Strategy 1: Clarify Your Job Focus
First, it’s important to curate an events list you can leverage that will produce significant outcomes. To do so, be sure you answer questions that clarify your job focus and company target.
Once you understand the role, employer, and job functions you will be targeting, you will have much better luck identifying events that deliver actionable results. Chances are you may even uncover networking opportunities simply by establishing Google Alerts that track organizations or contacts of interest.
Imagine learning the employer you are following has released a press release announcing a new product line. Further, they will host a community event to provide a product overview before answering any attendee questions. Would this be information you can leverage in a targeted networking campaign?
Strategy 2: Pinpoint Industry Subject Matter Experts
Identify movers and shakers in your industry and/or field acknowledged as subject matter experts. If you win an auction prize that grants you one day to follow a single industry power broker, who do you believe would offer an experience that presents the best opportunity for you to learn and grow?
Strategy 3: Gather Social Intelligence Homeland Security Style
Research your prospects on social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. Before doing so, remember to develop a few of questions that position you to build or deepen your rapport.
What are they passionate about? What organizations do they frequent? Which professional associations are they affiliated with? What personal branding attributes do they regularly reveal?
Follow them via social media to learn more about their professional and personal interests. Leverage your intel to discover where they hangout and who they hangout with. What do you know about the places they visit? What communities do they regularly frequent? Is there somewhere they congregate online? Who else is there?
Strategy 4: Employ Data to Activate Your Champions
After you identify who you should connect with and learn what their interests are, savvy networkers galvanize their existing network to identify who has relationships that may convert to formal introductions.
You would be surprised which family members and friends have long-standing friendships with potential prospects (employees, vendors, and clients within target companies). With this in mind, you’re first step is to negotiate face time with your network to share your networking objectives.
Strategy 5: Invite Champions to Remain Engaged
Networking conversations can then be structured to invite champions to serve as advisors. Advisors are entrusted to evaluate networking resumes, formulate marketing messages, identify company contacts, and refine networking campaign. Depending on the relationship, they can also be invited to serve as accountability partners.
Remember, introverts hold many core competencies that serve them well when preparing to launch a multifaceted job search. Personally, one attribute that routinely yields immediate results for me is the capability to analytically create, adjust, and evaluate networking deliverables. Another is the ability to listen unconditionally.
What other traits would you attribute to introverted job seekers that would positively support a strategic job search? How else might motivated introverts achieve networking objectives while honoring their preferred communication style and personal values?
The following strategies guarantees instant returns to the introverted job seeker who invests their time in building a targeted networking campaign.
Strategy 1: Clarify Your Job Focus
First, it’s important to curate an events list you can leverage that will produce significant outcomes. To do so, be sure you answer questions that clarify your job focus and company target.
Once you understand the role, employer, and job functions you will be targeting, you will have much better luck identifying events that deliver actionable results. Chances are you may even uncover networking opportunities simply by establishing Google Alerts that track organizations or contacts of interest.
Imagine learning the employer you are following has released a press release announcing a new product line. Further, they will host a community event to provide a product overview before answering any attendee questions. Would this be information you can leverage in a targeted networking campaign?
Strategy 2: Pinpoint Industry Subject Matter Experts
Identify movers and shakers in your industry and/or field acknowledged as subject matter experts. If you win an auction prize that grants you one day to follow a single industry power broker, who do you believe would offer an experience that presents the best opportunity for you to learn and grow?
Strategy 3: Gather Social Intelligence Homeland Security Style
Research your prospects on social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. Before doing so, remember to develop a few of questions that position you to build or deepen your rapport.
What are they passionate about? What organizations do they frequent? Which professional associations are they affiliated with? What personal branding attributes do they regularly reveal?
Follow them via social media to learn more about their professional and personal interests. Leverage your intel to discover where they hangout and who they hangout with. What do you know about the places they visit? What communities do they regularly frequent? Is there somewhere they congregate online? Who else is there?
Strategy 4: Employ Data to Activate Your Champions
After you identify who you should connect with and learn what their interests are, savvy networkers galvanize their existing network to identify who has relationships that may convert to formal introductions.
You would be surprised which family members and friends have long-standing friendships with potential prospects (employees, vendors, and clients within target companies). With this in mind, you’re first step is to negotiate face time with your network to share your networking objectives.
Strategy 5: Invite Champions to Remain Engaged
Networking conversations can then be structured to invite champions to serve as advisors. Advisors are entrusted to evaluate networking resumes, formulate marketing messages, identify company contacts, and refine networking campaign. Depending on the relationship, they can also be invited to serve as accountability partners.
Remember, introverts hold many core competencies that serve them well when preparing to launch a multifaceted job search. Personally, one attribute that routinely yields immediate results for me is the capability to analytically create, adjust, and evaluate networking deliverables. Another is the ability to listen unconditionally.
What other traits would you attribute to introverted job seekers that would positively support a strategic job search? How else might motivated introverts achieve networking objectives while honoring their preferred communication style and personal values?
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