Using Your Network to Get a Job After You Have Been Laid Off

You know it's true: Most jobs are not advertised in newspapers. In fact, employment experts believe nearly two-thirds of all jobs are filled through personal contact. Richard Beatty, author of The Complete Job Search Book, believes networking is "the one employment strategy that seems to have the unanimous support of both seasoned employment and outplacement professionals alike. The reason for this is simple: It works!"

Interestingly, the only drawback to networking as an effective job-search method is that it takes a great deal of time to execute effectively. This is the one area in which you have a distinct advantage over someone who is already employed and looking for a job: You have plenty of time. If you think about it, this advantage is significant: The single most important method for finding a job is also the one you are currently best suited to employ.

The success of networking is based on the simple principle that someone working for a particular company is likely to hear about new positions opening within that company. The more employed people you have in your network, the more job leads your network will create for you.



Every person you know or come in contact with just may have a job lead for you. When you are unemployed, you'll be amazed at how many of these people will go out of their way to help you. To coordinate your networking efforts, first make a list of everyone you know who could have contacts that would help you. This list should be as broad as possible: Your dentist isn't a chemical engineer, but some of his patients might be. Your list should be as comprehensive as possible.

As you start to make your list, you'll begin to realize that the number of contacts you have is virtually endless. Any one of them may know of a job you should apply for or may be aware of someone who can lead you to an opening. If you use these contacts wisely, instead of being one of thousands of responses to an advertisement, you can become a recognized and recommended candidate.

If you haven't kept in touch with some of these people for quite some time, you may feel somewhat uneasy about calling them for help at this time. You should remember that most people genuinely enjoy helping others, as long as you are reasonable in your request. If you ask a neighbor to arrange a meeting for you with the president of his company, you may be asking too much. However, if you ask him to introduce you to colleagues he thinks you should be talking to, he'll probably be happy to help.

Believe it or not, one of the most immediate benefits of being unemployed is that many people will go out of their way to try to help you. In the last couple of decades, job uncertainty has become a fact of life in most industries. People will be sympathetic towards your situation out of concern for you but also because they'll realize it could happen to them someday-then they'll be calling you.

Once you have listed the people in your network, you need to begin contacting them. Your goals in contacting these people should be:

• to let them know you are looking for a job and ask them for their support
  
  
• to briefly describe your background
  
  
• to ask them if they are aware of specific positions you should apply for
  
  
• to expand your network by asking them for names of other people you should be contacting to ask if you can use their names or if they would personally introduce you to someone they think you should be talking to
  

Depending on how well you know the person, you may want to be very candid about your current employment situation. If the person is someone you think may have a current opening, you might want to wait until you have the interview before you discuss the details of your situation. If you Ye contacting a member of your church, you can explain the situation in more detail.

Anyone who knows you well will empathize with your situation and be that much more willing to help you.

If you contact someone on your list and he or she has no ideas right now, don't take that name off the list. Ask if you can send a resume and call again in a few weeks to see if he or she has learned of any potential contacts.

After you have completed calls to everyone on your list, you'll have a number of additional people to contact. These will be the names you have been given by people in your network. These people will be very important contacts for you because they will be closer to potential job openings. When calling these people, your goal should not be to ask them for a job. Rather, you should be looking for advice on your current search, and for more names to add to your list. Your goal in contacting these people will be to:

1. introduce yourself and mention the name of the person who suggested that you call
   
   
2. explain your job search and ask for his or her advice on how best to approach the target industry and companies you've identified
   
   
3. ask if you can meet to discuss your search, or ask to spend a few moments on the telephone
   
   
4. find out if they know of any companies looking for someone with your background and if they know of people within those companies you should be talking to
   
   
5. ask for their help in getting an introduction
   

As you use your network, remember that your goal with everyone you talk with is not to ask for a job but rather to acquaint the person with your background and increase the number of contacts you have. As you continue this process, you'll eventually encounter people who are interested in talking about a specific position. People will be more open to talking with you about specific openings if you are asking for advice and contacts, rather than a job.