There's a Right Way to Do Online Networking
After getting his M.B.A. from the Collegeof William and Mary, Chris Perry knew he'd have to venture beyond Williamsburg,Va., to find a good job in marketing and branding.
The best jobs in his field are in big citieslike New York, and industry recruiters weren't coming to his university. So,through the career website LinkedIn he started reaching out to people whoworked at companies that he had an interest in. His first few introductionsdidn't get much response. Mr. Perry acknowledges that his notes were cordialbut may have sounded too self-serving. So he softened his approach.
'I'd put in the title that I was a recentM.B.A. graduate looking for advice, ' says Mr. Perry. 'I'd focus on talkingabout them during informational interviews and I'd mention any accomplishmentsof theirs that I may have read about.'
He also participated in LinkedIn industrygroups that allowed him to communicate directly with contacts he couldn't havereached without a chain of introductions.
One fellow group member worked for ReckittBenckiser, a British consumer-goods company with a major office in Parsippany,N.J. The contact agreed to speak with Mr. Perry on condition that he not askfor a reference. After a pleasant conversation, the contact ended up forwardingMr. Perry's résumé to the HR department, which helped him get an interview anda job. He's now a senior leader on Reckitt's e-commerce team.
Social-media websites like LinkedIn havemade job hunting easier by automating many tasks. But one-click networkinginvitations fall short when trying to reach people, say experts. Instead, jobhunters need to engage other professionals on a more personal level. Thisincludes getting introductions to people outside of your network who can helpyou with your career. The trick is knowing how to ask.
Focus on your first- and second-degreeconnections. The former are contacts that have already accepted your invitationto join your network, or vice versa, and the latter are contacts known to yourfirst-degree connection. Third-degree connections require more than oneintroduction and can be difficult to reach, as you may not have a mutualacquaintance.
Consider whom you want to get anintroduction from. Do research on LinkedIn, Google and even Glassdoor to findout what kind of employee your chosen first-degree contact is, says DanSchawbel, a workplace expert from Boston and author of 'Promote Yourself: TheNew Rules of Career Success.'
'You really don't want an endorsement fromsomebody that's not liked at work or who has a poor workplace reputation, 'says Mr. Schawbel. 'How much do you really know about that person that youconnected with at that trade show?'
When asking for an introduction, make iteasy for your first-degree contact by mentioning how you'd like to beintroduced and the reasons you need help, writing out the introduction to beforwarded and providing something in return for the effort. Networking worksbest when both parties can offer the other something useful.
You should also give your contact an easyway out in case he or she isn't comfortable making the introduction, says NewYork career coach Melissa Llarena. 'Always be gracious, since at the very leastthey might offer useful advice or a referral to somebody else that can help youwith an introduction, ' she says.
Groups are one way to contact second- andthird-degree LinkedIn members directly. But don't join a group and startcontacting individual members without making an earnest attempt to participatein community dialogue. You could get ejected from the group by the moderators.
Answer some questions and start new topics.Go beyond 'liking' updates by making thoughtful comments on new posts or bysharing relevant links. You want to show regular engagement, says Mr. Schawbel.That includes answering any network requests promptly.
Preface any requests with regular statusupdates to show that you're active. It will also give you and your contactsomething to reference. Just don't share the same personal updates about yourcats across all of your social-media accounts. Try to keep your LinkedInupdates on a more professional level.
You'll get a much better response if yourprofile is up-to-date and includes a photo. That includes making your profilerelevant to the job that you want to get, says Ms. Llarena.
Once you've established a regular dialogue,take the relationship offline as soon as you can. Ask for 30 minutes and treatyour contact to coffee or lunch.
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