Career Articles

In this article, Nine Biggest Mistakes When Networking, Ross shows where even seasoned professionals can miss the mark when networking.

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View Carol's Networking Naturally Program

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With many people looking for work right now, what’s the best way to find a new job? Is it the classified section of the newspaper, career web sites like Monster and CareerBuilder, or maybe working with a employment agency or “headhunter”?

In this article, I show you how to use your time productively in a down economy so that you come out on the other side with more — more energy, more tools, and more opportunities...

There is a time for everything. When business is slow, budgets are tight, and anxiety is high, what is it the
perfect time for? Read on to find out.

1. Make new connections. Invite someone interesting to coffee. Find a networking event that resonates with you. Create your own gathering. Get on Twitter.

Except for a few committed extroverts, networking is not most people’s favorite activity. Indeed, they avoid it religiously. It was easy to let your contacts cool off between 1995 and 2000 when networking seemed unnecessary. If you wanted a job you applied. You got an offer. You accepted or negotiated. The end. Not now. In every business downturn, people who haven’t contacted anyone since the last recession decide to rev up their networking. Because they dislike it, most do it badly and often alienate more people than they motivate to help them.

Everyone is talking about how dismal the job outlook is. “It’s a new Depression, worse than the Great Depression.”  or “The unemployment rate will go to 14 percent.” or “A flood of college graduates will hit the market in June.”

Most new college grads have the challenge of offering more potential than experience. But with a well-written resume and sound self-marketing techniques, you can position yourself to be the ideal candidate and launch your career.

I’m currently working for a $150 million company where I’ve been told that I’m in line to become a general manager in two years. I’ve been happy with my employer thus far, and I have no reason to doubt that the general manager position will be mine in the future (although I do not have a written guarantee). But recently I was contacted by a headhunter to become the general manager of a $30 million company. My dilemma is whether to stay where I am for a future opportunity or to move to a new company to reach that level now. Both firms are very solid, although quite different.

I’m currently working in a large division of a major corporation, and, compared to all of my previous jobs, I have never encountered such a quirky organization! Each company division has a very distinct culture, which makes it difficult to define the overall corporate culture. Within my division, the culture is very unhealthy and, after talking with some other colleagues, I know I’m not the only one who perceives this. The problem is the Division Vice President (my boss’ boss), who is obviously very intelligent, although his emotional intelligence is probably quite low.

Your resume is the often first impression you make on a potential employer or business associate--and first impressions are important. That first minute read of your resume decides whether your resume gets pitched in the circular file, or whether you’re perceived as a six-figure candidate who can add value to the organization and called in for a meeting.

Professional networking sites work two ways: they make it easier to connect with new contacts and colleagues, and they increase your visibility to everyone online—including recruiters and hiring managers.