It's more important to reach the people who count, than to count the people you reach. Networking is not a numbers game.

-DAVID PERRY

At the core of every job search lies one individual who will determine your success-You. You are at the core of everything that goes on in your life, no exceptions. You are at the core of everything that goes on in your life, no exceptions.

You and you alone are responsible for the failure or victory of your job-hunting mission. n.o.body cares more about you than you-not even your mother. Job hunting is all about you and what you do for yourself. You can count on other people, but you're the one that counts. Too subtle?

GUERRILLA NETWORKING

The world of work has changed dramatically over the past 5 years. Isn't it ironic, then, that most job hunters still depend on the same old tired ways to find a job? Traditional networking ultimately relies on having a fundamental belief in the kindness of strangers. At its core, it preaches that job hunters must have faith that they'll find a job through a friend of a friend of a friend. This is largely a myth.

Although I've heard that this strategy yielded great results in the past, it's not enough today. With the constantly changing marketplace, there is more compet.i.tion for fewer leads. Traditional networking is much like casting your fate to the wind. It is too pa.s.sive to rely on. Moreover, there are 3 flaws in traditional networking: 1. You need to have a network at hand when you find yourself out of work (by the way, being out of work is not the best time to start building a network).2. It requires you to be at least a little outgoing because you need to talk to strangers.3. There's no way to guarantee the jobs people refer will be ones you'll excel at, much less be interested in.

Today, networking can either be the shortest route to your dream job or to a lengthy series of unsatisfying lunches-the difference lies in how you approach it. Let me show you how a guerrilla networks.

Focus all your networking at the tip of the spear; the companies you have already identified as being the Tier 1 buyers of your product-you. Anything else is a waste of your time, energy, and money. Target those companies where you know you can help solve a problem. We've been preaching target, target, target, for a reason-it works. Target with laser precision.

HOW TO NETWORK LIKE A HEADHUNTER

Headhunters network every day out of pure necessity. More often than not, they will have an a.s.signment for "X," whatever "X" may be today, even when they've never recruited an "X" before. That doesn't stop them from completing the mission. Instead, there are tried-and-true methods for locating, identifying, and recruiting candidates. The following 4 steps show you how to do that for yourself.

Step 1: Locate Your Target Companies

Determine which companies you want to work for, how you can add value, and why they should hire you. If you've read up to this point in the book, you've already done this work.

Step 2: Identify Who Runs the Department

Find out who is in charge of the area you want to work in. This generally means identifying a vice president or general manager. For companies with less than 50 people, it may mean the owner or president. You can get this information by calling the company and asking, "Who's responsible for X" or by looking on the firm's web site to find the person in that position. Several methods for doing this are outlined in Chapter 4.

Step 3: Research Referrals

Find people who worked at this company in the past. Call them on the telephone and get information about: * The person you are targeting* The department the person runs* The company

Be sociable and ask these people how they liked working there. Watch for any hesitation before they answer. The pause may be a clue that they don't want to answer negatively and are framing a safe answer.

The reasons for asking most of the following questions should be obvious. Having said that, keep the following select questions in mind even though it may not be immediately clear why you need to ask them. This exercise will help you prepare for an interview at a later date.

You should ask the following questions in the order they are presented here:

About the Potential Boss 1. Did you work directly for [insert name of potential boss]? 1. Did you work directly for [insert name of potential boss]?* If the people you question did not work directly for the person, they may not be able to answer the questions 100 percent accurately, but their feedback may still be of value.2. How long did you work for [insert name]?* Longer is better.3. What is [insert name] like?* What they mention first will be a dominant characteristic. You may need to push a bit to get the response.4. What kind of person is [insert name]?5. What kind of manager is [insert name]?6. What does [insert name] look for in an employee?* How does your experience compare to that of the people they normally hire?7. How is [insert name] positioned in the company?* This is a crucial question to confirm that you are targeting the right person.8. Is [insert name] on the way up or down?9. Does [insert name] have the ear of the president or owner?* You need to know whether this person has the capability to hire you and can get the president to sign off.10. Is [insert name] political or a straight shooter?11. What is his temperament?12. Where does he get his good people from?13. What type of people does he hire?14. Is [insert name] forward thinking or reactive?15. Is he aggressive or laid back?16. How's his ability to pick winners?* You need to know now if this manager can easily recognize talent. This will dictate the amount of effort you may need to put into your approach.17. Will [insert name] go to bat for his staff?18. What was his biggest accomplishment?19. Does he seek professional growth for himself? (If not, it will be difficult for you to grow on the job.) About the Department 1. Is it growing or shrinking? 1. Is it growing or shrinking?* Either way, the information will influence which of your skills you emphasize.2. Is the department under pressure from compet.i.tors?* How is it handling this?3. What are the department's biggest issues?* Can you solve their problems?4. Is the department respected by the rest of the company?* This determines whether it can get another hire in the budget.5. Is the department seen as adding value to the company or is it viewed as just another cost center?6. How's the department doing compared with other departments in the company?7. What's the biggest thing the department needs to do to be successful?

About the Company 1. What new products or services are they looking to build or offer in the near future? 1. What new products or services are they looking to build or offer in the near future?* How can my experience apply?2. How are they doing financially?3. If there's one thing they need to do better than their compet.i.tors, what is it?4. What do they do better than their compet.i.tors?5. Who are their best customers?6. Who would they like to have as customers?7. What do their customers think of the company?8. How's the turnover?9. Can you think of anyone else I should talk to?* Get referrals, if you can, to people who currently work there to help cement your position even before you come in for the first interview.10. Would you work there again?11. Why did you leave?* Asking this directly is a good idea, especially if the person has made negative comments about the individual, department, or company. A person who won't or can't return to a former job may have a beef with the company that makes any opinion of doubtful value.12. Does the company have a clearly stated vision? Do people in the company know what it is?

Your All-Important Last Question 13. 13. "If I decide to talk with them, can I say I was speaking with you?" "If I decide to talk with them, can I say I was speaking with you?"* You ask that question for 2 reasons: (1) If your questions with the former employee result in positive answers, that employee's name may help you later in securing a meeting with the hiring manager; (2) the former employee may decide to phone his old boss and tell him about all the background due diligence you're doing on the company. That's a great thing.

Your Icebreaker Question

Here's your opening line-pick up the phone, dial the number, and say:

Hi, my name is . I'm doing some research on XYZ Corporation and I know that you used to work there because [explain how you found the person's name]. I'm thinking of applying for a job there. Can I ask you a couple of quick questions to see if it's worth my time and effort? I know this is an unusual way to do a job-search but...

Now be quiet and let the person answer yes or no. In my experience, most times they'll say, "Sure, what do you want to know?"

If they say "No," ask: "Do you know anyone who I can talk to about the company because I'm really interested in finding out as much as I can before I approach them?"

Either you will get a referral with your second attempt, or the person may decide to answer your questions after all. Someone who had a good experience at the company will answer your questions without hesitation. If it was a bad experience, the person may tell you as well, but it's unlikely. If you don't get anywhere, move on to the next person on your list.

Expect results! With a few minor variations, this is exactly how headhunters network to find candidates.

Ask whatever you think is important for you to know before contacting the next person. You will be amazed by how much you will learn. Further, you may be stunned by what people will disclose about former employers-if you just take the initiative to ask.

The compet.i.tive intelligence you gather is valuable. Now you can a.s.sess how your accomplishments fit with the employer's needs. After doing 3 to 4 of these interviews, you'll have the inside track. You will be able to a.s.sess which of your accomplishments might be of most interest to the employer.

When you approach the company, you will know far more than any other job hunter before you've even had your first interview. You might be able to decide if it's even worth working there. How powerful is that? That's how a guerrilla job-hunter networks.

Step 4: Refer Yourself

Instead of relying on someone to refer you, take the initiative and refer yourself. The rejection rate will be very low if you use the following script exactly as I have written it. There is powerful sales psychology at work here-too much to explain in this book-just do it. Trust my 20 years of experience.

The following words are what you should say. The text below each statement briefly explains why you are saying what you are saying and what the employer's response is likely to be.