Ford R. Myers, M.Ed. is President of Career Potential, LLC, a prominent
career consulting firm working with companies that are committed to
developing and retaining premium talent in order to improve their market
position. He has also held senior consulting positions at three of the
nation’s largest career services firms. His articles and interviews have appeared in many national magazines and newspapers, and he has conducted presentations at numerous organizations, companies and universities. In addition, he has been a frequent guest on television and radio programs across the country. Mr. Myers is author of The Ultimate Career Guide, the only comprehensive manual for career transition and job search. Learn more at www.careerpotential.com, send an email to contact@careerpotential.com or call 610-649-1778.
Networking – The Core of Your Search By Ford R. Myers, M.Ed.
After you’ve created all your “self-marketing documents” and verbal presentations, you’re ready to take your job search “to the street” and begin networking. The goal is to contact people who can help you reach the hiring managers inside your target companies. Networking can be done on the phone, in person, via e-mail or even “snail mail.” But no matter how you do it, networking should be thought of as the core of your entire search.
Who should be on your contact list? Who should you be reaching out to? The answer is: everyone you know. Everyone? Yes, everyone! Every single person alive who knows your name should be on your contact list! (The only exception is people who clearly don’t like you)! It doesn’t matter what these contacts do for a living, or where they live, or how much power or money they have. The key is not to pre-judge people or make assumptions about who can and cannot help you. After guiding thousands of clients through the networking process, I have learned that most new jobs are secured through people who were least expected to be of help!