My Dad is a Genius (Alternately TItled: The Best Kept Secrets To Finding a Job!)

I guess I should have written this Sunday for Father's Day, but it didn't occur to me then.  My Dad has been encouraging me for a long time, and he often says very wise things for his age (hehe).  Whenever I call him to talk about life (and he really doesn't actually like to talk on the phone), he listens to me cry about whatever hard things are going on, and then he says "You're the woman, baby."  And I think he really believes it.  The sky's the limit for me according to my dad.  While he believes that, most of the time I don't (thus all the crying phone calls).

This week I'd become a little discouraged because the job search just didn't seem to be going anywhere. I called Dad, and he gave me some genius advice. And, you know what? It's working!
All the looking on sites like monster.com (and I even desperately searched the Houston craigslist) haven't had remotely the impact of taking my dad's advice over the course of the last 48 hours.  I know I have quite a few friends on the market for a job, so I'm happily passing along my dad's secrets to you.  Just so you know that he has some credibility, my dad's been in the corporate world for thirty years.  He's been actively involved in the hiring process for the companies he's worked for. He knows what they're looking for and he knows how you ought to go about it.  So here are his tips:

1) Assess your friendships and professional connections to determine some folks who can connect you to possible opportunities in your search area.

I happen to have some professional friendships with former colleagues at Teach for America.  I contacted a friend from there who gave me the name of someone she works with.  This friend of hers connected me with the Managing Director of Alumni Affairs all the way in Houston, Texas! Score!

2) Reach out to your network base by email or phone and ask them if they can connect you to anyone that has possible openings or can connect you with those who do.

The ideal situation is for your connection to provide you with three or more names of others you can contact.  You'll want to ask your connection if you can use his or her name in a cold call to the names he or she has provided.  If you're lucky, your connection will communicate your name to the other parties directly.

Just recently I made a connection just like this.  As soon as I contacted her looking for some help in the Houston area, she rattled off three names and provided three job descriptions for me.  She directly contacted two of the three and was actively researching the hiring manager of the third so she could contact him on my behalf. (My Dad says that this kind of thorough response is pretty rare, but I'll take it! Usually you're lucky to get one name and personal contact.)

3) Recognize that the connections you  make provide two possibilities in the job search.  These people who you have been referred to can either represent a possible job OR they can provide you with yet another level of networking connections to lead to more opportunity. 

Think QUANTITY here.  The more people who know you're looking and who feel a personal connection to you, the better you will do. So when you are communicating with folks, always ask if there's anyone else they would recommend that you talk to.

4) If the names you've been given fizzle out, don't be afraid to reconnect with your prior contacts.

The Alumni Affairs Director in Houston actually told me of a job available on his own team the second time we talked.  I'm now applying for that position.  Good thing we talked again! My Dad suggests waiting about 45 days, and if you're still looking, to reconnect with older contacts to keep lines of communication open and to see if they've heard of any new leads.

5) Seek out opportunities to meet contacts in person or at the least talk over the phone. 

Like I said above, you want people to feel personally connected to you.  This isn't about schmoozing, it's about making sure that the job is right for you and that you're right for the job.  Relationships are a big part of making sure it's a good fit.  If people are going to hire you, a personal recommendation goes a long way. 

So, taking my dad's advice, here's how things having been going for me: In the past 48 hours I have sent in one application to a job for the which the person who will be my actual supervisor I have already personally spoken to several times.  I have three other jobs I'm interested in for which one of my contacts has recommended me.  I have plans to connect with the folks doing the hiring for these jobs as well. My contact has provided me with their info. My Dad says that puts me ahead of the game! Time will tell!

Thanks Dad! YOU'RE the man! :)