We hear an awful lot of people say they’ve been networking for a long time, but it’s just not paying off. Lots of conversations, but nothing. Maybe that’s happening with you? 

If your networking isn’t working, here are a few questions to consider.

Do you have a marketing plan? 

It is important to begin with the end in mind, as Steven Covey says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Develop a plan for how you are going to market yourself. Effective networking isn’t random. Decide who you want to reach and how to get to those people. Figure out how you can appeal to and help those people. Then, develop a plan for how you are going to reach those people. 

We once met with a woman who had spent over a year networking like crazy, but had nothing to show for it. She had a good resume that showed her as an accomplished executive, she was as personable as they come, and she was working hard. Her calendar was chock full of networking group meetings, coffees, and lunches to further her job search. Starbucks was getting rich; she wasn’t getting hired. She couldn’t understand why it seemed she was no closer to getting a job after so many months of feverish job search activity.

As we questioned her to locate the breakdowns in her efforts, we discovered that she wasn’t talking to people in her industry. She was just networking with anyone she met at job search groups. In all those months, she hadn’t talked to anyone who could actually hire her.

Are you helping your contacts to help you? 

Even so, that woman might have made what she was doing work if she had helped the people she met with to be helpful. A good handbill or even a simple list of the companies she might want to work for would have helped people steer her in the right direction. Being able to articulate the types of positions desired and the kinds and types of people she wanted to talk to would have helped people to access their mental databases. People outside your industry can often be very helpful in accessing the right people, especially in this highly-networked generation. After all, we know people in our neighborhoods, religious groups, chambers of commerce, professional associations, and so on. 

Can you articulate a compelling message? 

It’s not enough to say that you’ve got years of experience as a marketing manager or a CFO. You need to precisely define the impact you make. What do you want them to know about you? 

Over the years, we’ve asked a lot of highly-successful people to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question, and found that most people say less than interesting things about themselves. They tell us about they have a wonderful spouse, charming children and a dog (and what breed it is); what university they attended—even if that was 30 years ago—and boring histories about positions held and companies that employed them.  

Instead, have a well-rehearsed two minute profile that is concise and to the point.  

1. Here’s what I do well, 
2. Here’s an illustration or story that shows how good I am. The story should have some drama to it, with challenges and/or breakdowns and how you overcame them.
3. This is what I want to do next. If you don’t know what’s next, you should be able to give them two or three possibilities you’re considering. Without those things, it’s very difficult for people to help you.

Eli Djeddah, a pioneer in the career coaching firm, said that if someone knows and can articulate what they want, we may be able to help them, even if we know nothing about their field. He said, suppose someone comes to me who is excited about playing the bongo drums. Though I don’t know anything about bongos or playing any kind of drum, I do know someone at the (name of country) embassy who would know about that. I could make that referral.

Think 2-way street networking.

Don’t be just a taker. Always be thinking about what you can do for the people with whom you network. Is there critical information you can share? Events you can let others know about? People you can connect them with? Or maybe there is nothing you can do for them at the moment, but you can offer to help them in the future. After all, many people are painfully aware of how insecure their positions are. They are eager to pay it forward, knowing that the day may come when they need help from people like you.  

If your networking isn’t working well, be sure to go back to basics and be sure you’re doing it right.

Want to talk about your job search/career? I’d love to discuss it. Here’s a link to my calendar