2. Five
Networking
Mantras
for
Job
Seekers
I
lost
my
full-‐time
job
five
months
ago,
and
have
slowly
and
painfully
developed
my
networking
skills.
It
has
been
a
rewarding
journey
and
I
have
learned
more
while
looking
for
a
job
than
I
may
have
ever
learned
in
just
doing
my
job.
Here
is
what
I
have
learned:
1. Networking
happens
all
the
time.
Be
prepared
for
the
unexpected.
There
is
no
script
or
formula.
When
you
meet
someone
and
connect
with
them,
let
them
know
you
are
looking
for
a
job.
You’ll
be
surprised
at
how
quickly
people
want
to
help.
Be
genuine.
Two
months
ago,
at
my
favorite
café,
I
struck
up
a
casual
conversation
with
a
woman
on
the
adjoining
table.
She
happened
to
be
looking
for
employment
herself.
As
we
chatted,
another
woman
by
our
table
joined
the
conversation
and
shared
she
was
also
in
the
job
market.
It
led
to
us
connecting
over
coffee,
LinkedIn,
and
FaceBook.
We
formed
a
Professional
meet
up
group
and
held
a
very
successful
networking
mixer,
which
led
to
contract
work
for
several
people
including
myself.
2. Don’t
be
pushy
or
exude
desperation.
Don’t
hand
out
your
business
cards
at
a
casual
meeting
or
email
your
resume
unless
requested.
Ask
to
meet
a
contact
first
or
have
a
conversation
on
the
phone
before
sending
your
resume.
Even
better,
email
a
link
to
your
complete
LinkedIn
profile
if
you
need
to
provide
a
quick
overview.
3. Be
prepared
to
learn
new
things
in
this
phase
of
your
life.
Ultimately,
these
are
the
building
blocks
for
landing
on
your
feet.
Consider
all
your
activities,
such
as
attending
a
lecture,
researching
a
topic
of
interest
for
an
interview,
a
yoga
class
as
pathways
that
are
expanding
your
networking
world
and
adding
knowledge
and
information
that
will
be
useful
on
your
journey.
For
example,
recently,
I
snagged
a
30-‐minute
meeting
with
the
CMO
of
a
leading
software
company.
Before
the
meeting,
I
surfed
his
company
blog
and
realized
that
one
of
the
topics
closest
to
his
heart
was
the
power
of
social
media
in
impacting
how
corporations
communicate
with
their
customers.
I
spent
several
hours
researching
and
reading
articles
on
the
internet.
Not
only
was
I
able
to
hold
my
own
in
our
conversation
but
I
also
have
been
able
to
use
the
knowledge
in
other
networking
situations.
4. Build
relationships
for
the
long-term.
Network,
network,
network.
According
to
Jerry
McCreary,
the
networking
guru,
who
formed
a
networking
group
called
Coach-‐onthego
on
LinkedIn,
the
best
breakdown
of
your
time
is
90%
networking
and
10%
applying
for
jobs.
Keep
logs,
invite
people
for
3. coffee,
and
invest
time
in
these
relationships.
Help
other
people
along
the
way.
It
is
hard
to
put
yourself
out
there
but
it
gets
easier
with
practice
and
you
will
find
the
gold
at
the
end
of
the
road.
Here
are
some
statistics
from
my
own
case:
Time
elapsed
since
losing
full-‐time
position
5
months
Number
of
online
applications
70
Number
of
interviews
from
online
applications
1
Number
of
part-‐time
contracts
from
networking
5
Informational
meetings/interviews
from
networking
25
Connections
on
LinkedIn
at
beginning
of
networking
32
Connections
on
LinkedIn
at
present
time
137
5.
Don’t
take
it
personally
when
you’re
reaching
out.
Don’t
look
for
instant
returns.
Sow
the
seeds.
The
harvest
comes
much
later.
People
will
help
you
but
not
always
in
the
way
you
expected.
The
rejection
letter
or
the
no-‐
response
to
a
networking
request
should
be
a
stimulus
for
you
to
reach
out
again,
strengthen
your
resolve,
and
go
out
and
network
more!
Consider
this
time
in
your
life
as
an
opportunity
that
needs
to
be
developed
patiently
and
positively.
Keep
yourself
open
to
the
possibilities
out
there
and
they
shall
come.
If
you
live
in
the
Silicon
Valley,
email
me
at
Pushpinder.lubana@gmail.com
to
meet
up
for
coffee!
