Engagement - Part 2

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The T in networking is next but I want to share some success I'm having on the engagement side.

In the past 45 days I've bumped my engagement to the next level. The LinkedIn workshop leaders suggest that you should have a minimum of 270 profile views in the past 90 days. This is a number that appears on your profile page. Your contacts can't see it as it's only visible to you.

Today I hit 270 profile views in the past 90 days. Three weeks ago I was at 190. As I started engaging more, I could see the number rise each day. I hit the wall at 260 last Thursday. I had been climbing at up to 10 - 20 views per day. This week I could only squeeze out 1 or 2 more per day. I suspect that I must have had a great week 90 days ago and as those numbers fall off, it definitely reflects upon your current number.

How did I grow my engagements to 270 per 90 days?

• Writing articles
• Posting short notes
• Sharing articles
• Liking others articles and posts
• Commenting on others articles and posts
• Viewing profiles of authors of articles and posts (the curious will then view your profile)
• Congratulating connections on new jobs, birthdays and job anniversaries
• Sending a variety of messages to contacts
• Handing out business cards
• I learned some tips in a webinar and employed them. All of a sudden, I see more views by recruiters.

Why is it important to engage?

It's not just the views. The engagements must be meaningful. Not every engagement will be meaningful so it's important that you connect with those who may have something to offer you. What could they offer?

• A job
• A potential client
• A connection to someone who might offer you a job or who might be a client
• Advice

More information in the next post about Targeting the right companies and people with whom to engage.

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Engage and Engage Some More!

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Define the word, Engage.

According to Google, Engage means

“participate or become involved in.”

But more importantly it means

“cause someone to become involved in (a conversation or discussion)”

How many connections do you have on LinkedIn? It doesn’t really matter unless you Engage with your connections. For two reasons:

1. MindShare - You must achieve MindShare. Your connections need to know who you are, what you do, and what value you have to offer to a prospective employer, client, or affiliate. Are you a Subject Matter Expert (SME)? Your LinkedIn profile should reflect your expertise, but when you Engage with others over coffee, on the phone, or through messaging and email, you will be on Top of Mind when opportunities present themselves.
2. Identify – When you Engage your connections, you learn more about who they are. One of the goals of Networking is to meet and Engage the people who will lead you to your next job, client or opportunity. When you Engage, you’ll identify the people who are connected to your target industry. These are the people who you should concentrate on. Also, identify those who respond in a timely manner. Those people practice Networking as a part of every day life and will be most valuable to you.

So, how do you Engage?

1. Meet your connections in person. Schedule a coffee date with someone you’ve just met. Ask how you can help them. Follow the 10 Golden Rulesof Networking. If you’re in an employment transition, you should be meeting with at least one person per day.
2. Turn on your LinkedIn Notifications. LinkedIn will notify you when your connections have birthdays, start new jobs, have job anniversaries, or update their profile. Don’t just like their update or use the canned message, “Congratulations on your work anniversary.” Make the note personal. Write something that will encourage them to respond. Start a conversation. Schedule a coffee date.
3. Follow Networking experts on LinkedIn. Read their articles. Ask questions. Ask for their opinion. Many experts offer advice for free. Take advantage of that generosity.
4. Find a Mentor or Coach. Most universities and colleges have mentor programs for students and alumni. Talk to the career center to see what your school offers.
5. Join an Alumni Association. Connect with those who have been through what you’ve been through. Treat your fellow alumni as allies not competitors. More on this in a future blog post.
6. Get out there and Network! The more people you meet, the more likely you are to find others who will lead you to your next opportunity. You’ll find those with who you need to Engage. Search EventBrite for professional Networking events. Join Toastmasters and visit other chapters. There are over 300 chapters in Southern California alone. In Southern California, you can also attend a Laguna Niguel Connectors mixer and the Coffee and Networking Meetup.

So, here’s the plan: Meet, Connect, Identify, Engage, and Engage some more! 

This blog post in #2 in a series on Networking and why it's important and valuable. More here.

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Networking Works!

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Define the word, Network.

According to Google, a network is 

"a group or system of interconnected people or things."

A simple explanation, but why is this important to you?

A recent survey by Lou Adler reveals that 85% of jobs are found through networking. 

That's a simple stat that lends to the notion that if you want to get a (new) job, you need to network.

But how should you network? 

Connect with as many people as you can, but how should you connect?

I'll try to answer these questions but also tackle the most important part of networking; what to do after you've connected.

It's also important to continue to network even if you have a job. Yes, even a very good job. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average stay at a job is 4.4 years. You need to keep your network maintained and growing so you are always prepared for the unexpected. Consider it insurance.

To keep things simple, I'm going to focus on the most important and most valuable networking; growing and maintaining your network when you are out of work, also known as "in transition".

How to Connect

Fortunately, there are many ways to connect. You connect with people every day. If you venture from home at all, you see people everywhere you go. Some encounters are valuable, some are not, but it's important to look for places to network that will put you in contact with those who can help you maintain and grow your network and help you with your ultimate goal of finding a job.

Where to go?

• Starbucks - It's not very productive to use this as your primary method. Concentrate on the most valuable. You'll use Starbucks to meet your connections for Informational Interviews once you've started to connect.
• Industry groups - Connect with people that do what you do. Those people may be in the companies that are hiring and will know about the hidden jobs.
• Alumni groups - Connect with those who went through what you went through. You share a comradery and the whole point of alumni organizations is networking. 
• Church groups - Connect with people who worship as you do. Many churches have career coaching and counseling ministries.
• Community groups - Service organizations. Give back to the community and meet the local business leaders who just might be looking for someone like you.
• Groups setup specifically to network - People who are proactively growing their network. There are many local networking organizations whose sole purpose is to network and assist in your job search.

I'm networking, now what?

The important thing is to not just to connect, but to engage.

Look through your contacts in LinkedIn. Are there a few names you don't recognize? Those are the people who you have connected with but have not yet engaged in meaningful communication.

Engagement will bring you MindShare. You want to be the first person someone thinks of when an opportunity presents itself. Your connections should know who you are and what you do. If you have engaged, you'll be the person who comes to mind when someone hears about an open position.

In Practice

In the past few months I've established a number of connections through the list that follows. I'm not an expert at connecting and engaging. As I study the subject, I'm learning a lot and am working on applying what I've learned.

• Industry groups - I find that many of the IT industry groups I've connected with are all about helping vendors find customers. Not very valuable. I have connected with TENG in Orange County but the meetings are infrequent. 
• Alumni groups - I've joined an alumni group and am now serving as VP of events. My goal is to schedule events that promote, develop and measure success of networking events. So many do not know how to network at an event. I'm hoping to teach a few how to do it.
• Church groups - If you're in Orange County, California, come to Saddleback Valley Community Church on Monday nights for their Career Coaching and Counseling meetings. There are workshops to help you manage your job search and connect with others. You might ask, "Why should I network with people who are unemployed like I am?" 1) Someday they will be employed and may learn about positions that might be right for you, and 2) Not all are unemployed. Some are there to continue their networking and connecting in preparation for their next change.
• Community groups - I've joined Rotary Club, volunteered for City committees, help my HOA with technology and social media (and write a newsletter), and I am a Lead at Nextdoor.com. I've met a lot of people and engage on a daily basis.
• Groups setup specifically to network - Laguna Niguel Connectors is a local group that was formed to facilitate networking in Orange County. The founders still attend and help facilitate more formal networking exercises. They're experts are networking with the right people and engaging.

To execute a successful networking strategy, do this

• Find at least one local career networking group.
• Start attending meetings and start meeting people.
• Connect with those people on LinkedIn.
• Ask them who they would recommend you talk to.
• Ask for 1/2 hour Informational Interviews over coffee or lunch. (If you invite them, you pay their tab.)
• Ask them who they would recommend you talk to.
• Start writing and sharing articles or blog posts (like this!) on LinkedIn.
• Comment on other's articles. Look at articles your connections like and comment on and start connecting to the authors of those posts.
• Congratulate connections on job promotions, new jobs and wish them Happy Birthday.

Don't just connect, NETWORK! Get people to think of you first when those hidden jobs are discussed.

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Introduction

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I am blogging because I was told that I should.

I am blogging because I have something to say.

I am blogging because I learn by sharing information with others.

I have heard about networking.

I have done a little networking in the past.

I am doing a lot more networking now.

So, why blog about networking? There is a lot of information about networking on the Internet. I do not mean computer networking. I am talking about people networking.

Most Common Types of Networking

There are many benefits you can realize via networking. A lot has been written about business networking and career networking, and in future posts, I will be sharing what I have learned about these two.

Other Types of Networking

But there are other forms of networking that might be more difficult to execute, or certain types where the benefits are more difficult to recognize. What about networking in your city, town or village? Not for the sake of business, but for the sake of community. What about networking with family and friends? Have you kept in touch with friends and family as much as you should? There are many articles outlining the health benefits of friendship. I will cover these variations of networking endeavors as well.

I am Not an Expert...

...but I am learning. As I learn, I will share. I will not always be right but I will share my experiences and how networking has worked, or not worked, for me. What is worth pursuing and what is not. But also remember, not everything works for everyone the same way. You need to do your research, try things, analyze the outcome, and decide what works best for you.

The Networks Acronym

Why an acronym? It is a tool to give me ideas to explore. I can tell you that it is difficult to start a blog. It has been weeks since I added blogging to my to do list and I am just now tackling the task. I needed inspiration... something to write about. I had to roll it around in my mind for a while and I probably will not be happy with the name soon. My pursuit for perfection will get the best of me.

So, what does it letter represent?

Network

Engage

Target

Work

Opportunity

Refer

Knowledge

MindShare

A quick rundown. More detail in future posts.

Network

Your network is a web. Every line is connected to other lines and those connections are people. Every connection you make creates new lines to more connections. See mindShare to understand why connections are important.

Engage

You can make a lot of connections on LinkedIn, Facebook or in person, but you must Engage with those connections to achieve mindShare, which leads to Opportunities, which leads to success.

Target

You must have a Target to keep you focused on creating connections and growing your Network. If you are looking for a job, identify target companies, search for connections to or in those companies. If you are seeking business connections, identify those you would like to do business with and seek those connections. By mentioning your Targets to your Network, you will end up making connections to those Targets. Not having Targets shows your Network that you are not Engaged and that you are not Working hard enough.

Work

Networking is not easy. It is hard Work at first, but it becomes easier as you develop your rhythm. To make it easier, take advantage of the free resources in your community. I found Saddleback Career Coaching and Counseling in Lake Forest, California. This volunteer group offers several workshops to help you in your career. Also, find a group that relates to a hobby, pastime, expertise, profession or industry. I regularly attend meetings of the Cigar Night Business Mixer Group. Meet new people, connect immediately on LinkedIn, and regularly follow up with your connections.

Opportunity

What Opportunities are you looking for? Make them known to your Network. If you achieve mindShare with your connections, they will think of you when Opportunity appears.

Refer

Help yourself by helping others. Pay it forward. If you share Opportunities with your Network, your Network will share Opportunities with you.

Knowledge

Learn as much as you can about Networking. It’s 2017! The Internet has a wealth of resources for career and business Networking.

mindShare

When you Engage with your Network you will have a greater chance of achieving mindShare when Opportunities arise. You want your connections to think of you when they learn of an Opportunity. Executive Coach, Greg Johnson asserts, "It's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's who knows you!"

So, there you have it. Future posts will discuss these topics in more depth. I will share my experiences with you. As I learn valuable lessons about what works and what does not work, I will share what I have learned. I would appreciate any comments you might have. Feel free to disagree. Share your success or things that did not work out for you. Remember, everyone is different and everything will not work for everyone.

Now, get out there and Network!

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