To continue from last week, I am sharing my job search progress with you so that we may support one another in this journey 🙂
So What Did I Learn?
With Practice and Preparation, Networking Can Get Easier
To illustrate, as one of the items on last week’s “to do” list, I had to make a follow-up call to a former colleague whom I had sent an email to asking for some career advice. I must confess that I felt a bit anxious about making this very first follow-up call.
It has been a few years since I have made these types of calls and I felt a bit rusty. However, as Wendy Gelberg states in her article Networking Nugget: Face Your Fears, that Susan from @JobHuntOrg shared recently, it helps to face your networking fears because you gain more confidence the more you network.
To assist me in this endeavor, I decided to write out on a piece of paper what I would say in case I got the person’s voicemail (it was a script that would also basically apply if the person answered the phone).
Having this script in front of me helped me so that I would know what to say. This eliminated some of the pre-calling anxiety I felt which, in turn, enabled me to make the call. I made the call and thankfully, it went very well. In fact, that person was exceptionally nice by giving me two possible leads.
I thanked my contact both orally, as well as via email after we finished speaking. Having had this successful attempt made my trying to reach out to the second person at this year’s placement not as anxious an event. Similarly, once I had sent out my first email, writing out the second email was easier.
In short, even though I am only at the beginning of this job search/networking process, I already feel my confidence and ease with the process slowly beginning to return, thereby indicating that you will start to feel more comfortable once you pass the initial hurdle of making the first few phone calls.
Now, let’s briefly review my goals for last week:
- Follow-up with the two people I had emailed last week ( (if I haven’t heard back, to call and find out if they received my email; if I have heard, to thank them)
- Send out an email to a third person at this year’s placement
- Send out emails to 2 or 3 people from last year’s placement
- Put together a basic cover letter and ask one of my professors to look it over
- Write out rough draft answers to some potential interview questions
So how did I do? I achieved some of my goals.
- Reached one of the two people I tried to follow-up with (that person gave me two potential leads); with the second person, I just kept getting his voicemail
- Item 2 was accomplished
- Sent out emails to 2 people from last year’s placement but one email bounced back. I then tried calling that person only to find out that he is no longer employed at that firm. I then tried to locate him on Linkedin and sent an invite to connect to the person whom I think is him but I’m not 100% sure.
- Have not started to put together cover letter
- Item 5 was accomplished
This Week’s Goals:
- Follow-up with the unreachable person from last week
- Follow-up with the third contact from this year’s placement
- Send email to third person at last year’s placement
- Send an email to one of my professors with the purpose of setting up a meeting
- Put together a basic cover letter and ask one of my professors to look it over
- Put together a list of job sites on which I should put job alerts
Helpful Tool: One tool that you may find helpful is this network index sheet (or some variation of it) to keep track of who referred you to whom, as well as key information about that person.
Network Index Sheet
This is something that I’ve used in the past based upon an earlier edition of Martin Yate’s Knock ’em Dead 2011: The Ultimate Job Search Guide
Alternatively, you could use an online organizational tool such as JibberJobber to keep track of all your contacts and job search activities.
What would you like to add and/or share?
Updated July 5, 2015.
Photo Credit: rebelwriterX
Wow Dorlee, you are very busy!! This is a great way to approach looking for a job and making contacts along the way.
I will be attending a social work conference in Tampa tomorrow and Friday and they are holding a job fair as part of the pre-conference events. I plan on attending this and hope to get a better feel for the job market here in Tampa…resume in hand 🙂
Keep up the good work!!
Hi Sharon,
How wonderful that you will be attending a social work conference that includes a job fair!
That gives you both the opportunity to meet people who are looking to hire as well as to network with people while you are learning about interesting social work related topics.
One post that you may find helpful with regards to networking is:
3 Questions Every Networker Should Ask Someone @InterviewAngel http://bit.ly/iERADB
Hoping you have a great time!
Thanks so much for your kind feedback 🙂
You’re off to a great start, Dorlee! I really like the idea of having a script written out-it makes those hard calls MUCH easier.
Now that you have some momentum, it should be easier to keep moving, especially when you are so good at setting those specific goals.
I wonder about looking for some professional meetings/workshops to go to, such as NASW, or continuing education workshops on topics that interest you. If you go, please make yourself some business cards that include your key contact information (including LinkedIn profile), so you can hand them out there. Also, some resumes, but the cards will be good when you feel a resume isn’t quite appropriate. And then you should keep some of these cards with you at all times.
Thanks so much, Nancy 🙂
Finding and attending some professional meetings and/or continuing education workshops sounds like a great idea.
Actually, now that you mention it, Dr. Courtenay Harding is giving a talk this Saturday on “Inspiring Stories and Recovery Research: Hope and Resilience for Clinicians” that I could go to…
I also love your suggestion of my making business cards including my URL for my linkedin profile.
Your encouragement and sage advice are most appreciated,
Dorlee
Hi Dorlee….I’m just coming up for air as it has been very busy the past few weeks. I’m glad to see that you are making great progress. I really like the way you are sharing these very personal steps you are taking in your job search. I have a feeling people will really be able to relate to what you are doing and I suspect it will inspire them to take more similar actions on their own – no matter what field they are in! What a great service you are providing. Wishing the best as always. I know you will be successful on your journey.
p.s. I’m going to sing a song about it!! (private joke) 🙂
Terry
Hi Terry,
Thanks so much 🙂
It is not easy sharing these steps. Sometimes I find out disappointing news.
For example, I found out that I did not get the internship that I had hoped to get but this is the reality of a job/internship search; you win some; you lose some.
Looking back, if I had been able to seriously plan ahead for a summer internship, I would have never have put all my eggs in one basket but as luck would have it, I really had no time. The opportunity that came up was literally by chance and then it fell through.
Looking at this positively, maybe this was meant to be… By my not having the internship, I will have more time to do what I need to do this summer (at a reasonable pace).
With much warmth and appreciation for your encouragement and song :),
Dorlee