CH 10. Moving From Networking to Interviews and Job Offers

Commentary: This is the final chapter in the series of chapter reviews of Orville Pierson's book 'Highly Effective Networking'.  The ultimate goal is to interview then land a job, not just any job but one you really enjoy. 

You network to gather information and get your message out. You do not network to get a job, you interview and get job offers to land a job. 

Follow up, Follow up, Follow up

Commentary: Some time ago I had a post called 'The Art of the Follow Up' Part One and Part Two. I encourage you to read these posts in addition to this posting.

Once you have made contact with decision makers, it is very important to stay in contact regularly. Unless, they create a position for you which does happen, you are now in waiting. The competition is slim since you arrived early and with some luck you will be the only candidate. You should also be doing this with many organizations.

The networking process is not about networking. It is about what you do at the end of the process. Your follow up should be on a cycle of a couple of weeks or what is comfortable for the relationship. About every three weeks is about right. Studies have shown that follow up is the one activity that accelerates the search. If you fail to follow up you will get crossed off the list. 

Meeting the decision maker is a victory.  So follow up to shore up your victory. Exactly what you say is not as unimportant as the fact that you follow up. 

Interviews and offers

During the interview, your research and information gathering pays off. Review prior to the interview. Do the formal follow up in writing. If lucky enough to have a sponsor, you may be able to obtain ongoing information feeds on the decision process. Once you have the offer, your networking efforts will make this go much friendlier. 

Starting the new Job

When you arrive at your new job through networking, the early days of starting will be more relaxed. You’ll continue to build relationships. 

Commentary:  Please read my blog postings regarding the first 90 days. For the complete list of all postings; Posting List

Remember to say thank you

• Thank everyone
• Tell them you were successful
• Give them your new organizations name and job title

Thank everyone! Be specific and personal in your thank you in order to be most effective and powerful. This means personal emails and phone calls. You want your professional contacts to know where you are, that you are successful, you should get your new business card in their hands. In your new job you will be very busy, so prepare in advance.

Commentary: This completes the review series on the Orville Pierson Method. I will now in the next posting offer a check list detail the process cycle. I hope this will speed the process for many you.

References:

Pierson, O. (2009) Highly effective networking: meet the right people and get a great job. Career Press. NJ.