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#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch -7 Perfect Questions to Ask While #Networking …Great REad!

March 5, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Odds are, you already know how important networking is. You might have leveraged your network to land a job, procure a new client or even switch careers entirely — or at the very least, you probably know someone who has. But despite the endless benefits of networking, many people still dread the experience.

Often, this is because they simply don’t know what to say. After all, approaching a stranger you know nothing about can be pretty intimidating — what in the world do you talk about?

Well, the next time you find yourself wondering this at an industry mixer, don’t fret. We talked to a handful of career experts to get their recommendations on great questions to ask while networking. Use any of these questions for a quick and painless conversation starter.

1. “What brings you here?”

This light-touch question is a great way to begin a conversation, explains Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of The Connector’s Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact.

“This question shows you are interested in the other person and are not just trying to figure out how they can help you. Their response will give you a sense of what they are working on and what is on the front of their mind. That will lead you to extend the conversation and figure out how you can add value to them,” Tillis Lederman explains. “They will also likely ask you the question in return and give you an opening to share what your current objectives are.”

2. “How did you get involved in the industry/company?”

Once you know a little bit more about somebody’s professional background, ask them how they got their start. It can provide valuable takeaways for you, as well as make you seem more likable.

“Finding out more about their journey leading up to their current role can offer an excellent insight into what you might need to do in order to work in that industry, role or company,” says Lars Herrem, Group Executive Director at recruiting agency Nigel Wright Group. “Demonstrating your interest and enthusiasm is key to creating a lasting impression and making yourself memorable, something which will prove extremely beneficial if you end up reaching out to this person in the future.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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3. “Since you work in the industry, how do you feel about X?”

Asking about a specific, timely event in the industry — whether it’s proposed legislation, a merger, a recent news story, etc. — is a great way to show the person you’re speaking with that you are knowledgeable and thoughtful, both of which are key to being memorable, says career coach Eli Howayeck of Crafted Career Concepts.

“First impressions matter. The best thing you can do, besides being a nice person, is to demonstrate how you think and what you know about the marketplace,” Howayeck explains. “This helps direct the conversation and informs your conversation partner that you likely know what you’re talking about or, at a minimum, pay attention to what is going on in the world and [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][are] not only focused on yourself and your advancement.”

4. “How would someone get their foot in the door in your company/industry?”

The ultimate objective of networking is often to get a new job, but coming out and asking somebody you just met to help you get one can be pretty off-putting. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t approach the topic at all — you just have to do so delicately.

This question “is a subtle way to ask about opportunities without coming right out and saying, ‘Do you know if they are hiring?’” says career coach Madelyn Mackie. “If you are lucky, they will ask you if you are interested and then provide you with a business card to follow-up with them after the event.”

Even if they aren’t able to help you out directly, though, you will likely gain some valuable insight that will help you in your job search process.

5. “Based on your journey, what do you wish someone would have told you earlier in your career?”

This is a great question to ask if you’re speaking with somebody who is more senior than you are. It allows them to impart the knowledge they’ve acquired over the years with you, as well as appeals to their ego.

“People are way more comfortable sharing their wisdom than they are sharing their contacts, and both can be very valuable,” Howayeck says. “Seeking to learn from others honors them and shows that you’re invested in growth. It also shows deference and can endear the person to you and deepen the connection.”

6. “How do you spend your time outside of work?”

At its heart, networking is all about forming connections with others, so don’t be afraid to veer towards lighthearted chitchat. Questions like this one help people open up, and make it clear that you don’t expect the interaction to be purely transactional.

“This kind of question lowers the stakes and also gives the other person a chance to discuss what they’re passionate about,” Howayeck explains. “It also shows that you are actually interested in them as a person, and not just what they do and how it could help you.”

Who knows? You may even bond over a shared interest or activity!

7. “What’s the best way for me to get in touch/follow up with you?”

Ask this question, and you’re guaranteed to avoid one of the biggest mistakes that novice networkers make, according to career coach Nikki Bruno: “Beginning networkers often make the mistake of giving away a stack of business cards but gathering none. The only way to ensure that you’ll be able to follow up with new contacts is to get their information; it keeps you in the driver’s seat.”

“Note that this question is intentionally different from ‘May I have your card?’” Bruno adds. “Asking to stay in touch or to follow someone shows that you view him/her as a human being, not as a mere contact.”

GlassDoor.com | March 5, 2019 | Posted by Emily Moore

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Your #Career : Four Things You Must Do On #LinkedIn Once A Week…Think of #LinkedInGroups as Online Professional Associations.

April 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It’s been a decade since LinkedIn starting adding features that help you do your job better, but many people still aren’t taking advantage of those features. They only visit LinkedIn when something big happens, like a job promotion or a move to a new company.

To start getting the most out of LinkedIn, here are four things you should do each week.

1. Review what’s happening in your groups.

Think of LinkedIn groups as online professional associations. When you want to know what’s on the minds of the decision makers in your field, groups are a great place to start. You can learn and grow, adopt best practices, and get some fodder for your next meeting. Here’s the best way to do it – so it doesn’t feel overwhelming and so you can zoom ahead to the important stuff. Click on “Work” in the upper right corner of the home page (it looks like a 3×3 box with nine little squares). You’ll get a page with two columns. Use the one on the left to scroll through the latest posts from your groups. Use the one on the right to help you determine which groups are most active. Just like with real-world professional associations, you want to participate in the groups that have the most activity and engagement.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. Respond to messages

You get notified in your email when someone sends you a LinkedIn message, but should you go to the message right away? Probably not. Save them up and go in once weekly instead – after all, lots of them are “thanks for connecting” messages and others that don’t require a response.

And just because someone is connected to you in LinkedIn does not mean you need to do what they ask in their message or even respond. You shouldn’t feel guilty if you don’t. That might be the protocol with other forms of communication, but it’s just not realistic in LinkedIn – especially if you have a lot of connections. You have limited time. Because of the work I do, I get at least a dozen requests to “please check out my LinkedIn profile and tell me what you think.” And as much as I would love to do that – I love looking at LinkedIn profiles, and I love helping people – I would have to give up my day job to accommodate each request. Even responding to let people know I don’t have the time would take too much time.

3. Check out who has viewed your profile.

When you’re looking at the home page, you can see a snapshot of your profile in the left column on the screen. Right below your headline, you can see “who’s viewed your profile.” If your privacy settings are not set to “private mode,” LinkedIn will show you a subset of the people who have visited your profile during the previous 90 days. This is important because it helps you determine if you are attracting the right people – the decision makers and influencers who can help you expand your success. When you check this out monthly, you start to get a feel for the impact of your activities.

4. Measure your activity.

You spend time updating your network and posting articles, but are they working for you? When you click on “views of your post” in your profile the left column of the LinkedIn home page, you’re brought to a page that shows you the impact of your communications. If you’re using the LinkedIn blogging feature, you can check stats on your articles. You can do the same with your updates. It shows you the number of views, likes, and comments. When you click on the number of views, you get valuable information about the impact of your communications. There are three key pieces of data you receive about the viewers: What company they work for, what their job title is, and where they are located. When you view this, ask yourself: Am I attracting the right people to my profile? Then adjust your communications (both the content and the groups to which you post) accordingly.

To make all four of these actions happen, start the week off by scheduling some time in your calendar so you commit to this, just as you would to any meeting or conference call you have. You only need 15 – 30 minutes a week to start getting the most out of LinkedIn!

William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and creator of the complete LinkedIn quiz that helps you evaluate your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy.

Forbes.com | March 26, 2018 | William Arruda , CONTRIBUTOR

#CareerAdvice : #BestofFSCBlog -The Simple Trick that has Helped me #LandJobs Without Having to Apply….Must REad!

April 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Author Anna Davies hasn’t applied for a job through a portal in over a decade.
Instead, every few years, she sends our her a “hire me” email and sends it to her contacts — including old coworkers, bosses, neighbors, landlords, people she trained with for a marathon, and more — via BCC.
To keep up your own network, Davies recommends helping people out when you can, becoming a mentor, and volunteering.

Networking is simply tapping into your social circle and the people you already know, to try to find the best fit for a position that aligns to your interests and abilities,”

Every few years, I pull out my “hire me” email and bcc it to my contacts, which includes old coworkers and bosses — but also former neighbors, landlords, people I trained with for a marathon, and so on. It looks like this:

Hi all,

After a really fun two years of traveling and freelancing — currently sitting in a cafe in gloomy Edinburgh — I’m planning to settle back in New York City on 10/5 and am looking for a full-time job in editorial or copywriting. Above all, really looking for a position at the senior-editor level or above with challenging work and great coworkers.

A bit about my resume: Was last a senior editor in magazines, but left my last job in November 2012, and since then have been freelancing for magazines and websites, as well as writing YA novels — 13 published for various houses. Interests include brand copywriting — can turn around copy fast — health, psychology and relationships.

Resume attached, and thanks in advance for any leads!

Thanks to this email template, I haven’t applied for a job via a job portal in a decade — I’ve always been able to find opportunities through my network. But my confidence in the approach took a dive when I shared it with a former coworker recently. She was job-hunting and frustrated by the lack of response from sending applications through online forms.

“It’s like I’m sending them into a black hole,” she said. “I don’t even know if they get read.”

When I suggested my email trick, she wrinkled her nose.

“Doesn’t that sound desperate?”

I flushed. I hadn’t thought so, but did it? The technique had been successful, but what if it seemed like I was just begging for a job?

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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A few weeks later, I reached out to the same friend to see if she wanted to take on some freelance work. She replied back, saying she didn’t have time — she had tried the email trick, got five interviews and just started a full-time job. Even though it felt uncomfortable, it was clear: The networking approach works.

While the word “networking” may conjure up visions of people mingling around a badly lit ballroom, bedecked in name tags, it doesn’t have to feel artificial.

“Networking is simply tapping into your social circle and the people you already know, to try to find the best fit for a position that aligns to your interests and abilities,” notes J. Kelly Hoey, career expert and author of “Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World.” Having someone vouch for your skills can go way beyond what a hiring manager gets from your resume and a 15-minute phone screen.

Today, finding jobs through who you know is easier than ever. Jane McGonigal, a video game designer and author, has gotten gigs via Twitter — simply by tweeting what she wishes she could work on. “I’m constantly tweeting about cool projects,” she says, adding that part of her success is due to her 150,000 followers. “But I think this approach can also work for other people. When you talk about the things you love, people take notice.”

The other benefit of networking? It can save you hours spent on job search engines. “I’ve never applied for a job,” says Lelia Gowland, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from New Orleans. “I had a lot of internships in college, and I stayed in touch with all my hiring managers. That’s how I got my first job at the Dallas Zoo, where I stayed for a year.”

Gowland found that having a large network in her corner helped her make the leap to entrepreneurship. “My network is everything,” she says. “I think it’s all about showing interest, seeing what other people are doing, and seeing how your skills match their needs and interests. It’s a give-and-take relationship.”

Here’s what I’ve learned from tapping my network of friends and colleagues — and how you can make it work for you, too.

1. Seek out examples

Networking language varies across industries. Some, like mine, can be informal, while others are more buttoned-up. If you work in an industry like finance or law, join professional organizations and go to events, suggests Hoey. You don’t need to pitch everyone; being friendly and engaged is enough.

2. Get social

Think beyond LinkedIn — Twitter, Instagram and Facebook can be valuable platforms for networking. Having discussions, following people in your industry, and making sure your LinkedIn is up-to-date are all easy ways to stay relevant online.

3. Give in return

Remember, this is a relationship, so it’s important to give something to the other party, too. A simple “congratulations” when they’ve been promoted, for example, can keep things on good terms, Hoey suggests. Send things that don’t need a response — a short message, an article link, or a forwarded invite to a talk. The other person won’t feel like they need to do anything, but you’ll keep the conversation going.

4. Know when to take a break

It’s enticing to keep in contact with a powerful person you met, but if all you’re getting in return is radio silence, step back and focus on other connections.

5. Say ‘thank you’

“People want to help, and if their advice or introduction led to a job, tell them about it!” says Hoey. A sincere “thank you” will go a long way.

6. Keep searching job sites

If you already have a large network, it’s easy to get complacent. Don’t. Having a resume on-hand and being knowledgeable about industry news means you won’t need to play catch-up if an interview comes your way.

7. Volunteer

One of the best ways to meet people is through volunteering, especially if it’s industry-adjacent, says Hoey, who began volunteering with the group 85 Broads (now Ellevate) when she wanted to pivot from her legal background. Later, she was tapped to lead the group as president. When you show your skills in an authentic way, people want to work with you.

8. Be a mentor

Offer time to talk over coffee or help mentor people at your alma mater who want to get into your industry. They may have no power now, but you have no idea where they’ll end up a few years down the line.

Businessinsider.com | April 1, 2018 | Anna Davies, LearnVest

Your #Career : Five Things To Do When You’ve Exhausted All The #JobBoards …If your #JobHunt has Stalled, Try One of These Tactics to Get Out of your Rut.

February 22, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You’re scanning the job boards daily, but there just aren’t any new listings that catch your eye or fit your experience level. But you don’t have to let your job search grind to a halt just because the pickings seem slim.

There are a few other things you can do to keep things moving, even when there’s not much out there.

1. SET UP AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

Informational interviews are underrated. The goal is to get a hold of someone who works at a company you’re interested in and just learn the inside scoop. They aren’t the one who’s making any hiring decisions, and maybe there isn’t even an open position there that you’re currently gunning for. It’s purely for research and networking.

After you’ve spent some time trawling job boards like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Monster, you’ve probably assembled a shortlist of employers that appeal to you, even if they aren’t hiring right now. And as career coach Sarah Vermunt put it recently, “If there’s an organization you know you’d like to work for, you’d be crazy not to try for an informational interview with someone who works there.” So, she suggests, “reach out to someone who is doing work that is similar to the work you want to do. That’ll give you a true picture of the work–the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

As you plan your next move, these informal conversations can arm you with crucial intel about where the market needs really lie, which organizations are thriving and which ones might actually be pretty toxic, and a few smart ways to position yourself for openings when they finally do crop up.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. UP YOUR LINKEDIN GAME

This one is a no-brainer. When you send out a job application, you’re knocking on employers’ doors; when you optimize your LinkedIn presence, you’re inviting employers to knock on yours. Scan your LinkedIn profile for any incomplete fields, discrepancies, overwritten chunks of text, extremely basic skills, and meaningless industry jargon–all of those things are turn-offs to recruiters and need to go.

Take a little time to personalize your profile so it highlights what’s genuinely unique about your experience. For instance, if you’re a software engineer, your headline should specify what kind, and your skills field should list all the languages and coding tools you know. At the same time, balance out any the human side, too, so you don’t come across as a soulless robot with only great technical chops. Explain what you’re passionate about and what types of problems you’ve solved (and why those wound up helping your team, your organization, or your customers).

Specificity matters, but so do soft skills like emotional intelligence–no matter what your role or industry.

3. GO TO A NETWORKING EVENT

I know–everyone hates hearing advice like this. But when you’re coming up dry in your search for openings, it doesn’t hurt to hit up a networking mixer–even one that you know will be short on leads. The reason? When you’re looking for a job, you need to actively seek out opportunities to practice discussing your experience, professional goals, and passions.

So even if it’s pretty much guaranteed that you aren’t going to meet your next boss at that networking event, the exercise in introducing yourself to strangers and talking articulately about your career is a valuable one. Feeling iffy about it anyway? Grab a friend or coworker and make networking a team sport.

4. CHECK YOUR SOFT SKILLS

Recruiters are interested in your people skills, not just your technical know-how. As Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer for iCIMS, recently told Fast Company, “Hard skills are what you do, and soft skills are how you do it.” And some of the top capabilities in that category, according to Vitale and other talent professionals in the space, include adaptability, problem solving, and verbal communication.

Some job seekers who repeatedly get called in for job interviews but miss out on offers may find that they’re falling short on some of those key soft skills. It’s sometimes easier to nail down a candidates’ technical capabilities before meeting them; soft skills are harder to suss out. So giving recruiters and hiring managers reason to feel confident that you’re emotionally intelligent in addition to being a world-class marketer is one way to get a leg up when new openings finally do get posted. In the meantime, take a few minutes to dial up those soft skills on your resume–here’s a handy formula for figuring out how.

5. CHANGE YOUR THINKING ON JOB-SEARCH DEADLINES

One of the reasons a long, mostly fruitless job search can feel so frustrating is because the outcome you’re looking for–a really great job offer–isn’t something you can bring about all on your own. No matter how badly you might want a new job by next month, there’s nothing you can do single-handedly to guarantee you’ll get one by then. As The Muse’s Alison Cardy explains, “When you tie a deadline to something that’s not within your power, you set yourself up to feel defeated if it falls through.”

Looking out for your mental health is crucial at times like these, when positivity can be in short supply. One trick Cardy suggests is rethinking the way you’re setting goals and deadlines as a job seeker. So commit to sending out 10 job applications over the next two weeks, for example, or to grab coffee with three contacts by the end of the month. “By connecting the deadline to your personal efforts,” Cardy says, “you give yourself the opportunity to feel successful just by meeting it–and that confidence boost can mean a lot during a tough search.”

FastCompany.com | February 22, 2018 | Rich Bellis

Your #Career : How to Successfully #ChangeCareers ……Change is Never Easy, Particularly if you are Trying to Move into an Entirely New Field. But #Change isn’t Impossible. You can Successfully Transition into a #NewCareer, Granted you are Committed to It.

February 15, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Change is never easy, particularly if you are trying to move into an entirely new field. But change isn’t impossible. You can successfully transition into a new career, granted you are committed to it.

“It is possible to transition into a new job but it takes time and work,” says Catherine Palmiere, president of Adam Personnel, Inc. “Sometimes people make a jump and they haven’t done their due diligence.”

Change never happens overnight, and that is especially true of career change. You can’t wake up one day and say you want to trade your accounting job for a position as a fitness trainer and think it will happen quickly. Not only do you need to research the profession you are aspiring to but you have to see what type of education or certificates are needed.

But even doing that isn’t enough. You also have to look inward and make sure you have the skills and personality needed to make the move successfully. “Someone with great computer skills that’s in the financial service business that wants to move to the cloud platform will have a much easier transition then a financial services worker that wants to be a social worker,” says Palmiere.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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According to Mary Foley, Senior Sourcing Specialist for IT Talent at Progressive, people looking to switch careers should consider their passions and interests outside the office and think about ways to apply that to a new career. While you may know exactly what you want to do in your new career, for those that want to switch but aren’t sure into what it pays to take one of the many skill assessment tests available over the Web or rely on a self-assessment to figure out where your are strong and what areas you are weak in. After all, if you are not a people person than it’s doubtful that you will succeed in a customer servicerole.

“The key to remember when it comes to career transitions to make one very small step at a time,” says Alexandra Levit, business and workplace consultant and Career Advisory Board member. “Do a lot of investigation behind the scenes but don’t quit your day job.”

Levit says a great way to kick the tires and make contacts is to find a mentor or mentors in the field or job you want to work in. Those people are in the trenches day in and day out and will be a plethora of information about what it’s really like. Finding mentors can be easily done thanks to the Internet. Levit says to use online tools like LinkedIn to zero-in on the people you would want to meet in the field you are eyeing.

Once you have a list of targets, ask them if they have time for a ten or 15-minute informational interview. If you get the interview, you’ll be able to pick their brain and forge a relationship with the person or people. That could translate into a job down the road if you are front and center in their mind when an opening comes up.

Can’t or won’t find a mentor, then consider volunteering. If you always dreamed of working in a museum but ended up in the back office of a financial firm then volunteer at one. According to Levit not many people think of volunteering not only as a way to learn about a job but to get their feet wet and adds skills to their resume.

Once you’ve amassed the necessary skills and have the network in place it’s time to start sending out resumes. While a career transition can be handled in different ways via the resume, career experts say you want to focus on your transferable skills and less about the chronological order of your previous positions.

One way to do that is to go with a functional resume that lists all your skills at the top and then at the bottom has your past jobs in chronological order. “Functional resumes are controversial because people will think you are trying to hide something,” says Levit. “As long as you show your career trajectory at some point the functional resume could cause them to take a second look instead of tossing it in the garbage.”

The last thing you want to do is randomly send out resumes and hope you will get a call back. Instead, Palmiere says you have brand yourself by reaching out to the decision makers. That could mean sending a letter or email to the top person in the company you want to work for and bypassing the HR department altogether.

If you do decide to send a letter or email make sure to research the company and the person you are reaching out to. You want to show that you’ve done your homework and have real reasons to want to work there whether it’s because you believe in the company’s mission or the CEO’s philanthropic work has had such an impact on you.

Glassdoor.com | February 12, 2018 | Posted by Glassdoor Team

Tag Archive for: #successfulnetworking

Posts

1. “What brings you here?”

2. “How did you get involved in the industry/company?”

3. “Since you work in the industry, how do you feel about X?”

4. “How would someone get their foot in the door in your company/industry?”

5. “Based on your journey, what do you wish someone would have told you earlier in your career?”

6. “How do you spend your time outside of work?”

7. “What’s the best way for me to get in touch/follow up with you?”

1. Seek out examples

2. Get social

3. Give in return

4. Know when to take a break

5. Say ‘thank you’

6. Keep searching job sites

7. Volunteer

8. Be a mentor

1. SET UP AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

2. UP YOUR LINKEDIN GAME

3. GO TO A NETWORKING EVENT

4. CHECK YOUR SOFT SKILLS

5. CHANGE YOUR THINKING ON JOB-SEARCH DEADLINES