The Complete Job Search Handbook
Prospecting
The goal of networking is to gain information and referrals to further your
job search. The most effective way of getting such information is through
face-to-face meetings. A businessperson is much more likely to refer you
to a friend at another company if they have met you in person rather than
talked with you over the phone. Referring you to someone else requires a
businessperson to put their own reputation on the line. If they refer
someone who turns out to be a poor employee, it reflects negatively on
them. Therefore, people with whom you speak will be much more likely to
refer you to others if they have met you, and that is your goal.
The act of introducing yourself to someone you would like to bring into
your network is prospecting. For instance, imagine that you told your
neighbor you are looking for a job in accounting. You ask her the two key
questions - do you know of any accounting jobs, to which she answers no,
and do you know of anyone who might be able to help me with my job
search? She tells you she knows a man who owns a CPA firm named Jim
Jones whom she has known through her church for years, and gives you his
number. When you contact Jim Jones, you are prospecting.
There are three methods of prospecting. Using the above example, your
first choice is to pick up the phone, call Jim Jones and ask him for
information. This method is quick and relatively easy, but not extremely
effective. You are very likely to be rejected, mainly because you probably
will never successfully get through to Jim - Jim’s secretary will prevent it.
Jim’s secretary’s job is to take care of as much of his business for him as
possible and keep his work load to a manageable level. Since you are an
unknown person, Jim’s secretary will most likely screen your call and tell
you Jim doesn’t have time to talk to you and you should call the human
resources or personnel department. You may be allowed to leave a message
for Jim, but the likelihood of him actually calling you back is very small.
The second approach is to write Jim a letter (see examples on page 23).
Since the letter will be addressed directly to Jim, Jim’s secretary will
probably let the letter go by without pronouncing it “junk mail” and
throwing it away. Jim will read the letter and put it aside, either throwing it
away himself or forgetting about it. Even if he is well-meaning and intends
to call you back, Jim is a very busy man and calling you is at the bottom of
his priority list.
Finally, your third approach is to go to Jim’s firm in person and ask to see
him. This is a very time consuming process which rarely leads to an actual
meeting. Jim spends a lot of his time out of the office or in staff meetings,
and probably has a packed schedule. He may not be there, or may be busy.
Even if he is not busy, he is not likely to let a total stranger come walking
into his office just to talk.
Each of these methods in itself is relatively ineffective. However, by
combining all three, you can be an effective networker. The best approach
to prospecting is to make an initial contact with a letter or via e-mail, then
follow up with a phone call and attempt to set up a face-to-face meeting.
This combined method works on many levels. First, as explained above,
the letter or e-mail will probably be read by the target person. Then, when
you follow up with a phone call, you have a reason for calling, and can use
it to successfully get past the secretary. When you ask for Jim, she will ask
who is calling. After you state your name, the secretary will most likely ask
for the nature of the call. This is where the plan works. At this point you
can say you are following up on some personal correspondence you sent
Jim a few days ago. The secretary will probably not be sure whether or not
she should screen your call out, and will either take a message or put you
through to Jim. Now you have reached your goal. At this point, you
should explain your situation and ask to set up a time to meet.
One crucial point to remember regarding networking: never ask anyone
directly for a job. This may seem contradictory, but the key to prospecting
successfully is using the correct approach. Asking people directly for a job
rather than for information or advice will automatically put their defenses
up. Approaching a prospecting target and asking, “Does your company
have any jobs for someone like me?” will only turn that person off and
make them reject you immediately. On the other hand, asking the person,
“Do you know of any jobs in this field?” is very different. In the second
case, you are asking for advice and information - you are not asking the
person directly for a job. In general, businesspeople dislike being asked for
jobs, but they like being asked for advice. Humans tend to love talking
about themselves and their experiences, and with businesspeople this is
especially so. Asking them for advice and information doesn’t put pressure
on them, and it allows them to talk about themselves. Asking for a job
makes them feel put upon and pressured. It makes them feel as though they
must act.
The combination method of prospecting, as explained above, does just that. However, even when using this method, you may still get rejected the majority of the time. In fact, the average job seeker can expect 9 out of every 10 prospecting attempts to fail. While this leaves only one out of 10 actual appointments, one very successful meeting can make all the difference in your job search. The key to prospecting is to be persistent - expect a lot of rejections, don’t take them personally, and DON’T GIVE UP!