Temporary Staffing  Finding the Right Job  Get a Job through Staffing Agency  Links 

Networking Mistakes Marketing Strategy Business Sales Advertising Job Interviews Interview Tips Hunting Resume Best How Make Format

Mistake #1: Confusing "networking" with "prospecting"

Networking and prospecting are both useful, but they are two very different activities.

Most people are really "prospecting" when they go out "networking". In other words, they are specifically (and only) looking for prospective customers. They're not really interested in meeting anyone else for any other reason.

When you're truly networking, you're looking to meet all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons. See mistake #2 below, for an example.

So, what happens when you confuse the two

You end up "pitching" to a bunch of people who have no interest in what you have to sell. You have frustrating conversations that go nowhere. You end up disappointed.

At the receiving end, you get annoyed or irritated with people who try to "pitch" to you at networking events. You feel dismayed that this is what you must do to "network successfully". And you force or resign yourself to doing something that neither feels good nor works for you.

Mistake #2: Not being clear about what you want

What you want from your networking efforts

Most people answer this question with general statements, such as "meet new people" or "generate new business". I used to do that!

But this is too vague and not very useful. It doesn't really help you identify what specific actions you need to take. For instance, if you say you want to "meet new people", who are these people, where are you most likely to meet them, and what will you talk to them about when you meet them

Put simply, being vague prevents you from focusing your time and energy in the right place and on the right people. You end up meandering -- in conversations and at events.

Lack of clarity leaks your confidence. It frustrates you.

Mistake #3: Not asking clearly for what you want

Often, even when we know exactly what we want, we don't ask for it. Or we don't ask clearly.

Think about it: if others don’t know or don’t fully understand what you want, how can they possibly help you

So why don't we ask Because we may feel awkward or self-conscious about asking people for something. Or we may fear "rejection" (what if they say "no" ). Or we may assume that people already know what we want, so we don't need to ask again. Or... you fill in the blank.

Yes, I speak from experience! I certainly made all kinds of assumptions that held me back from asking people for help. And when I did ask, I was so vague, I may as well have not asked.

No surprise then, that I didn't get what I wanted!

Mistake #4: Following up improperly and with the wrong people

I can't tell you HOW much time, money and energy I spent on this one! I filled up my calendar following up and getting together with all kinds of people that I had met, over endless cups of coffee. I like coffee, but this was getting out of hand.

Then one day, I got an email from someone saying, "It was great to meet you yesterday at the business mixer". I had no idea who this person was and had no recollection of having met him. He had sent this email to a whole bunch of people, and I assume most others had a similar reaction to mine.

I realized that he sent this email because one was supposed to "follow up" in business networking. In his mind, he was "following up".

And I realized then, that I wasn't very clear about my following up process either. Why was I getting together with all these people To build a relationship for what purpose

Trying to follow up with and stay in touch with as many people as possible, without a clear idea of why you're doing so, is exhausting -- not to mention wasteful (your time, money and energy are all precious resources).

Mistake #5: Limiting "networking" for events and mixers

Many people reserve “networking” for “events”. And further, they use it to only generate leads or referrals.

Meanwhile, networking opportunities show up in everyday life – all the time. And they offer a wide range of ways to market your business — from publicity opportunities to partnership possibilities, from access to information about new marketing tools to referrals to new customers.

If you’re using business networking as a marketing strategy (and I’m assuming you are), it's important to understand that you don’t have to wait for a networking “event” to network for business purposes.

Fortune

The best cities for job hunting Fortune ... of help-wanted listings relative to population, the rankings give an idea of how hard (or easy) it is to find a management job in each place. According to the January 2012 report, the top 10 metro areas for job-hunting managers are: explorer_map.

AllFacebook

Glassdoor Launches “Inside Connections,” A Facebook-Based Job Hunting Tool TechCrunch The jobs and career community site Glassdoor is hoping to ride on the coattails of the Facebook IPO hotness with this evening's launch of a new Facebook-based product called “Inside Connections.” With this new option, which is really just an ... Glassdoor(R) Launches "Inside Connections," Leveraging Users' Facebook(R ...MarketWatch (press release) all 18 news articles »

5 pieces of job-hunting advice that keep the search focused MLive.com By Jennie L Phipps | MLive.com Contributor Here are five pieces of great job-hunting advice from career and executive coach Rob Hellmann of the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Position yourself correctly.

JOE

Job hunting in Ireland 'more difficult' than anywhere else in Europe JOE In fact, job hunting in Ireland is more difficult than in any other Eurozone country. Well, duh. The Irish Examiner reports that in Ireland there is an estimated 50 people for every vacancy that comes on the market, and the prognosis is not good as ... and more »

College Attendance Policies May Accommodate Job Hunting Students U.S. News & World Report But some professors say class is not the time for students to be interviewing for jobs. By Menachem Wecker The attendance policy at Georgia Southern University is so strict that students can't even miss the first session of a class for their own ...

Wish Book: Former foster youth benefit from clothing, bus passes San Jose Mercury News By Sue McAllister At the Hub, a San Jose center where former foster youths can learn job-hunting skills or get help finding housing, donations from Wish Book readers are helping in many practical ways, says Hub administrator Liza Giron-Espinoza. and more »

Facebook App Glassdoor Integrates Job Hunting Into Social Networking WebProNews "You don't go out looking for a job dressed like that? On a weekday?" Glassdoor is a careers site that competes in the same realm as as CareerBuilder and Monster. They have recently integrated an interesting Facebook app that will reveal what personal ... and more »

Snob job hunting Malaysia Star Looking for a chance to be an intern can be as hard as finding a job but for one lucky lass, her stint as a research assistant taught her that landing a dream job is not impossible. I STILL remember this time last year when I was in a frenzy e-mailing ...

Job Hunting In Burlingame Patch.com By Miriam Finder Although the new Safeway in Burlingame opened its doors more than three months ago, most of the neighboring shopping complex has yet to open, with the exception of Five Guys Burgers and Fries. While work continues on these businesses, ...

Job hunting? Salary negotiation season is open Network World By Ann Bednarz on Wed, 01/25/12 - 2:16pm. Job seekers are gaining leverage in salary discussions, according to new data from Robert Half International. The staffing firm polled 1600 chief financial officers and asked if they're more or less willing to ... and more »

Common Misspellings include activites agian, agin, agina allready alreayd, aready adn, anbd asume ackward bakc, bcak baceause, beacuse, becasue, beccause, becouse, becuase beng bisiness, bidness, buisness, busineses, busness, bussiness calander, calender, calender claer, clera claerly coffe concious, consious diferent, diferrent, differnt, diffrent dissappointed doign, donig effords eiter alse, esle exemple, exmaple experiance, expierence fiel fiels focussing follwoing, folowing fomr, frome furuther, futher genera ganerate gerat, graet, grat, gret ahev, ahve, haev, hvae, hvea hvaing halp diea, idae, idae indentify importamt infomation, informtion instatance intrest iritated knwo,konw, kwno, nkow, nkwo lief liek, liuke maked marketting moeny ened nto, onot lonly, onyl nother, otehr peopel palce possiblities possable, possibile possably proccess, proces perphas relized erally, raelly, realy, realyl, relaly receving, recieving relatiopnship, relatonship sohw similiar, simmilar simpley sose somene specfic, specif statememts startegy, stradegy, stragedy, stragedy succesfully, succesfuly, successully, sucesfully, sucesfuly, sucessfully, sucessfuly suposed, suppoed suprise, suprise, suprize, surprize tkae taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe thne theese htey, tehy, tyhe htis, thsi, tihs tiem, timne, tiome toghether tourch truely twpo uise unsed usefull useing veyr, vrey, vyer, vyre wanna, watn, whant, wnat wnated wass, weas, ws vell waht, whta wehn, whn hwole, wohle iwll, wille, wiull youself
 Temporary Staffing  Finding the Right Job  Get a Job through Staffing Agency  Staffing  Internet Recruting  Internet Jobs  Resume Tips  Resume Importance  Resume Purpose  Resume Tips2  Job Interview Tips  Cover Letter for Resume  Cover Letters are Easy  Cover Letter Guideline  Cover Letter Checklist  Cover Letter Tips  Job Interview Experience  Job Search Process  Networking  Networking with Business Cards  Be Remembered  Networking Mistakes  Finding the Right Job  Telecommute jobs Not Scams 

 Temporary Staffing  Finding the Right Job  Get a Job through Staffing Agency  Links 

Networking Mistakes Marketing Strategy Business Sales Advertising Job Interviews Interview Tips Hunting Resume Best How Make Format

Mistake #1: Confusing "networking" with "prospecting"

Networking and prospecting are both useful, but they are two very different activities.

Most people are really "prospecting" when they go out "networking". In other words, they are specifically (and only) looking for prospective customers. They're not really interested in meeting anyone else for any other reason.

When you're truly networking, you're looking to meet all kinds of people, for all kinds of reasons. See mistake #2 below, for an example.

So, what happens when you confuse the two

You end up "pitching" to a bunch of people who have no interest in what you have to sell. You have frustrating conversations that go nowhere. You end up disappointed.

At the receiving end, you get annoyed or irritated with people who try to "pitch" to you at networking events. You feel dismayed that this is what you must do to "network successfully". And you force or resign yourself to doing something that neither feels good nor works for you.

Mistake #2: Not being clear about what you want

What you want from your networking efforts

Most people answer this question with general statements, such as "meet new people" or "generate new business". I used to do that!

But this is too vague and not very useful. It doesn't really help you identify what specific actions you need to take. For instance, if you say you want to "meet new people", who are these people, where are you most likely to meet them, and what will you talk to them about when you meet them

Put simply, being vague prevents you from focusing your time and energy in the right place and on the right people. You end up meandering -- in conversations and at events.

Lack of clarity leaks your confidence. It frustrates you.

Mistake #3: Not asking clearly for what you want

Often, even when we know exactly what we want, we don't ask for it. Or we don't ask clearly.

Think about it: if others don’t know or don’t fully understand what you want, how can they possibly help you

So why don't we ask Because we may feel awkward or self-conscious about asking people for something. Or we may fear "rejection" (what if they say "no" ). Or we may assume that people already know what we want, so we don't need to ask again. Or... you fill in the blank.

Yes, I speak from experience! I certainly made all kinds of assumptions that held me back from asking people for help. And when I did ask, I was so vague, I may as well have not asked.

No surprise then, that I didn't get what I wanted!

Mistake #4: Following up improperly and with the wrong people

I can't tell you HOW much time, money and energy I spent on this one! I filled up my calendar following up and getting together with all kinds of people that I had met, over endless cups of coffee. I like coffee, but this was getting out of hand.

Then one day, I got an email from someone saying, "It was great to meet you yesterday at the business mixer". I had no idea who this person was and had no recollection of having met him. He had sent this email to a whole bunch of people, and I assume most others had a similar reaction to mine.

I realized that he sent this email because one was supposed to "follow up" in business networking. In his mind, he was "following up".

And I realized then, that I wasn't very clear about my following up process either. Why was I getting together with all these people To build a relationship for what purpose

Trying to follow up with and stay in touch with as many people as possible, without a clear idea of why you're doing so, is exhausting -- not to mention wasteful (your time, money and energy are all precious resources).

Mistake #5: Limiting "networking" for events and mixers

Many people reserve “networking” for “events”. And further, they use it to only generate leads or referrals.

Meanwhile, networking opportunities show up in everyday life – all the time. And they offer a wide range of ways to market your business — from publicity opportunities to partnership possibilities, from access to information about new marketing tools to referrals to new customers.

If you’re using business networking as a marketing strategy (and I’m assuming you are), it's important to understand that you don’t have to wait for a networking “event” to network for business purposes.

10 home-truths about job hunting (III) The Nation What is your job hunting strategy? Let me tell you what is working. Or let us start with what have the least chance of working. The five most ineffective job search strategies are these. • Internet- posting your CV/Resume on the Internet. and more »

Snob job hunting Malaysia Star Looking for a chance to be an intern can be as hard as finding a job but for one lucky lass, her stint as a research assistant taught her that landing a dream job is not impossible. I STILL remember this time last year when I was in a frenzy e-mailing ...

Job hunting: LocalWork.com targets midsize businesses with cheaper listings Phoenix Business Journal Ryan Naylor is starting a job-search business called LocalWork.com to compete with some of the big industry players while providing what he says will be more customized service for clients. Phoenix Internet marketing executive Ryan Naylor has created a ... and more »

Job hunting? Salary negotiation season is open Network World By Ann Bednarz on Wed, 01/25/12 - 2:16pm. Job seekers are gaining leverage in salary discussions, according to new data from Robert Half International. The staffing firm polled 1600 chief financial officers and asked if they're more or less willing to ... and more »

Job Hunting Tips From Expert Christine Hassler, Including How to Use Social Media Huffington Post Within the text of that post on The Recessionista, we ran a contest offering winners the chance to get their job hunting questions answered by Gen Y expert Christine Hassler. In today's tough economy everyone can always use some tips about how to best ...

Vibrant Nation Reveals 5 Keys to Finding a Job for Women Over 50 – from Women ... PR.com (press release) Louisville, KY, January 29, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Job hunting after 50 presents unique challenges that may seem insurmountable at first. Finding the best jobs for women over 50 in a tough economy is difficult enough -- but when the managers making hiring ...

What the Iowa caucus tells us about job hunting CBS News Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney smiles as he arrives to speak at his caucus night rally following Republican caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 3, 2012. (AFP/Getty Images) Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucus by eight votes. and more »

The Guardian (blog)

Job hunting at work: the rules of disengagement The Guardian (blog) In June 2011 jobs website Monster claimed a staggering 7% of people were spending more than 10 hours a week job hunting at work, with 16% spending more than five hours and 28% spending three hours. Nearly a quarter of people admitted to having taken ... LinkedIn: A handy job hunt tool - or will it get you the sack?Manchester Evening News all 121 news articles »

Summer job hunting: 8 dayclub job fairs in Las Vegas Las Vegas Weekly (blog) Want to go to work in your swimsuit? Here's a sampling of upcoming interviews for poolside positions around the Valley: Wet Republic: January 26-27, 12-5 pm, LAX. Multiple positions. Bring swimwear, resume and headshot. The Pond at Green Valley Ranch: ...

Top con of 2011: Job-hunting scams MSN Money Job-hunting scams were named the top scam of 2011 by the Better Business Bureau, which reviewed complaints to determine the most reported cons of last year. The more notable job-hunting scams included secret shopper schemes, work-from-home scams and ... and more »

Common Misspellings include activites agian, agin, agina allready alreayd, aready adn, anbd asume ackward bakc, bcak baceause, beacuse, becasue, beccause, becouse, becuase beng bisiness, bidness, buisness, busineses, busness, bussiness calander, calender, calender claer, clera claerly coffe concious, consious diferent, diferrent, differnt, diffrent dissappointed doign, donig effords eiter alse, esle exemple, exmaple experiance, expierence fiel fiels focussing follwoing, folowing fomr, frome furuther, futher genera ganerate gerat, graet, grat, gret ahev, ahve, haev, hvae, hvea hvaing halp diea, idae, idae indentify importamt infomation, informtion instatance intrest iritated knwo,konw, kwno, nkow, nkwo lief liek, liuke maked marketting moeny ened nto, onot lonly, onyl nother, otehr peopel palce possiblities possable, possibile possably proccess, proces perphas relized erally, raelly, realy, realyl, relaly receving, recieving relatiopnship, relatonship sohw similiar, simmilar simpley sose somene specfic, specif statememts startegy, stradegy, stragedy, stragedy succesfully, succesfuly, successully, sucesfully, sucesfuly, sucessfully, sucessfuly suposed, suppoed suprise, suprise, suprize, surprize tkae taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe thne theese htey, tehy, tyhe htis, thsi, tihs tiem, timne, tiome toghether tourch truely twpo uise unsed usefull useing veyr, vrey, vyer, vyre wanna, watn, whant, wnat wnated wass, weas, ws vell waht, whta wehn, whn hwole, wohle iwll, wille, wiull youself
 Temporary Staffing  Finding the Right Job  Get a Job through Staffing Agency  Staffing  Internet Recruting  Internet Jobs  Resume Tips  Resume Importance  Resume Purpose  Resume Tips2  Job Interview Tips  Cover Letter for Resume  Cover Letters are Easy  Cover Letter Guideline  Cover Letter Checklist  Cover Letter Tips  Job Interview Experience  Job Search Process  Networking  Networking with Business Cards  Be Remembered  Networking Mistakes  Finding the Right Job  Telecommute jobs Not Scams