Are you tired of applying to 100 jobs and not hearing back? Maybe you’re nervous about reaching out to other people and talking about yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard about networking from a lot of people, but you’re skeptical about the way it can actually work for you.
As a career coach, I have distilled the targeted networking approach of finding jobs into a five-step process, each of which I will guide you through. Every three weeks, we will address another piece of the puzzle through an interactive workshop.
In Part 1, we reflected on what exactly you want out of your next job and why, and learned how to tell your story in an elevator pitch and rehearse it so you are comfortable sharing your story with others in as little as one minute.
In Part 2, we discussed how to start by finding 5-10 organizations that you want to work at, now that you know what you want to do next. We talked about how to figure out what opportunities actually exist for you in the market, using both online (LinkedIn, virtual communities) and in-person (networking and industry events) methods.
In Part 3, we used your existing networks to find people who do the work you want to be doing and ask them for coffee chats so you can learn more about them, harnessing your curiosity and concerns to learn about what they’re doing, their workplaces, and how you can break into this organization or field. Our focus was on figuring out if a good fit exists and also creating a good connection and relationship with that person, not asking for a referral.
In Part 4: Maintain Your Network, we will:
- Review the results of creating new connections, and revisit your target organizations and network building process.
- Learn to stay active on LinkedIn, through email, and industry events, and be patient with yourself and trust the process.
Part 5: Use Your Network to Apply (July 31)
By the end of the process, you will be fully prepared to use the targeted networking approach to find a job, and more importantly, you will be closer to a chosen job and career that helps you live a purposeful, fulfilling life.
Each workshop will include exercises that we will work through together, and I will answer questions. While you can attend any workshop as a one-off, it can be very powerful to attend the entire five-workshop sequence. If you want more personalized support as you go through the job search process, sign up for 1-on-1 coaching sessions with me!
This workshop is appropriate for:
- Students and early-career professionals who are not sure how to get started with the internship or full-time job search
- Mid-career professionals who are looking to pivot into another industry or find a job after a career gap
- Anyone who wants to become more adept at networking and use it strategically
