Networking Oops and Bravo

From the Worcester Telegram | 11/29/09 | by Jim Pawlak

I spoke at a networking event a few weeks back; my topic, "Breaking
Their Ice", covered networking basics: the 30-second infomercial, it's
about them not you and getting passed stranger danger. There were over
100 job seekers and about 50 hiring managers. The event was all about
making connections, not applying for jobs, so job seekers were asked
not to bring resumes.



The non-profit organizing the event did all that it could to make
it easy for the job seekers to make contacts: Two weeks in advance, the
job seekers were provided with hiring manager names, their titles and
company names - but no phone or email contact information. This was
ample time to select specific targets by doing research on the
companies and Google the hiring managers. Yet, the 10 hiring managers
to whom I spoke after the event said that very few job seekers knew
anything about them or what their firms were doing. Oops. Job seekers
and hiring managers initially comingled at round tables to facilitate
conversation over bagels and coffee. There were plenty of "tell me
about yourself and your company" slips available for note-taking. It
was strongly suggested that the job seekers bring business cards that
indicated "who they were" and contact information (i.e. Jane Smith,
Mechanical Engineer, Specializing in Climate Control, address, phone,
email). They were encouraged to develop their 30-second infomercials
and were given online references for guidance.

At my table,
there were five job seekers, two hiring managers. None of the job
seekers had business cards. Oops. I suggested we introduce ourselves
with our 30-second infomercials. The five job seekers used their time
to talk about the jobs they wanted, not what they did. Oops. Two of the
five had no concept of 30 seconds; one spoke at least two minutes; the
other close to three. Oops.

Also, one with three bagels stacked
on his plate, paid more attention to spreading cream cheese than the
infomercials. Oops. I saw him later during the post-breakfast
meet-and-greet with a bagel in one hand and a cup of coffee in the
other. It's tough to shake hands when both hands are "occupied". Oops.
While he deftly moved the bagel from his "shake" hand to his coffee
hand, one hiring manager told me that he got a cream cheese handshake.
OOPS.

Then Patricia walked up and introduced herself. She didn't
have a business card. Oops. She had a great 30-second infomercial that
explained she organized various diversity events for General Motors and
wanted to continue in the diversity field. Bravo. She added a "Do you
know anybody who...?" at the end. Bravo. I did. I knew the vice
chancellor of a community college that sponsored many similar events
and a consultant who specialized in corporate diversity. I provided
their names and the names of their organizations. I told her that I
would send each an email outlining her background. Later that day, I
sent the email and asked that they let me know how things played out.
It's been three weeks and neither has heard from her; neither have I.
Oops.

Jerry was prepared. Bravo. The front of his business card
provided contact information and included "Construction Manager -
LEED-certified; Green Commercial Building"; the reverse side listed a
few projects and their dollar size. Bravo. His 30-second commercial
addressed how he completed these projects before deadline and under
budget. Bravo. I provided three names of commercial developers I knew
and told him I would email his information to them. As was the case
with Patricia, I sent the email and asked that they let me know how
things played out. Unlike Patricia, Jerry had followed through. All
three said Jerry had sent an email introducing himself; he sent me a
handwritten thank you. Bravo.

I gave my business card to 17 other job seekers; not one has made contact. Oops.

Recent columns:

Check Your References (Nov 22, 2009)

Undressed for Success (Nov 15, 2009)

Re-grow Your Roots (Nov 8, 2009)

Create Resume Buzz (Nov 1, 2009)

Biz Books (Oct 25, 2009)

From The Bookshelf (Oct 18, 2009)

The Victor's Mentality (Oct 11, 2009)

A Real Day In A Real Life (Oct 4, 2009)

ABCs of Success (Sep 27, 2009)

Responses To Readers (Sep 20, 2009)