Transcript Networking Like a Pro ND Women Connect September 28, 2011

Networking Like a Pro
ND Women Connect Chicago
September 28, 2011
By Linda A. Weaver
Part I:
How do I find the contacts I need???
• LinkedIn
• http://mynotredame.nd.edu
• CareerShift
The Power of LinkedIn
I have 25,482 new people in my network since September 25
Your connections can introduce you
to 8,771,600+ professionals —
here’s how your network breaks
down:
Your Connections
Your trusted friends and colleagues
1,107
Two degrees away
Friends of friends; each connected
to one of your connections
276,500+
Three degrees away
Reach these users through a friend
and one of their friends
8,493,900+
Total users you can contact
through an Introduction
8,771,600+
Last week I went to New York to network with my attorney network. Friends invited us to an art show
opening (Andy Warhol) on Friday night. They were going to dinner with another couple afterwards, and
invited my husband and me to join them. When I met the gentleman, his name sounded familiar and I told
him so. We tried to think of how we might know each other. He had lived in Chicago, but had moved to
NYC several years ago. Finally, we realized that we were 1st connections on LinkedIN. We had e-mailed
together before! He was the owner of the Catholic Lawyer LinkedIN group. That is the power of LinkedIN.
LinkedIn
•
LinkedIn is the best way to find contacts in general. Typically, the information is fairly up to date although
that’s not necessarily true. It’s a great start.
•
It’s also a great way to keep track of people and informed as to what is going on in their professional lives.
•
It is the best way to find others who are really interested in networking.

Note how many connections they have. If they only have a few, they may not really be that
interested in networking.

If you get an invitation from someone you don’t know, check how many connections they have. You
could have been invited by mistake. Last week a priest (ND Alum) was setting up a profile and hit
the wrong button sending out an invitation to connect to EVERYONE in his address book.

If you send someone an invitation to connect, don’t use the option that says you are a “friend”
unless you really are. Don’t say you have “done business with them” if you haven’t. If you have no
real basis to send someone an invitation, see what groups they are in, and if appropriate, join one
of the same groups. Then you can choose the “group” option. (The options are: Colleague,
Classmate, We’ve done business together, Friend, Groups, Other, I don’t know X.) Use “Other” if
you know their e-mail address. If you hit “I don’t know,” it won’t let you send an invitation.

If you have no choice but to use the “friend” option, then in the message include something to
remind the person who you are, such as, “Hi, we met last week at ABC Networking event. Please
accept this invitation to connect.”
•
The most important thing to remember: LinkedIn is not Facebook!!!!
My view on Facebook: If you use FB for personal reasons (as opposed to purely business reasons) do not
invite a business contact to be your friend unless you have a bond that makes you think they want to know
when you clean your house… You never know what kind of picture your kids or friends might tag you in.
http://mynotredame.nd.edu
Alumni Directory Search
• If you cannot find an alum in LinkedIn, check the Alumni Directory. This is
what used to be called IrishOnline.
• Even if you can find an alum in LinkedIn, you may find additional
information not available to you on LinkedIn-- like phone number or e-mail.
• The information in the Alumni Directory is not always up to date. It relies
on alumni to update the info. Make sure your info is updated! (This is
how you get the club newsletter.)
• It is a good way to find categories of people.
http://mynotredame.nd.edu – Home page
Get a Username and Password if you do not have one.
Sign In or Sign Up
Then go to the Directory Search Tab
How might a Directory Search help you?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
You know a ND alum but have lost track of him or her.
You want to find ND alums in the Chicagoland area.
You want to find alums in a specific industry in your city.
You want to find the decision makers of companies in your area.
You want to find alums about your age in your city.
You want to find alums at a particular company.
You want to find alums at your church.
You want to network with ND women in your area (zip code).
Simple Search Screen
Advanced Search Screen
29 Search
fields allow
you to search
for a broad
category of
alums
or a very
narrow group
of alums.
Most Useful
Fields
1. Home ND Club
2. Employer
3. Job Title
4. Field of Work or
Specialty
The advantage of
the Home Club
Search is that you
get a larger
geographic area.
For instance, if you
choose the Chicago
ND Home Club, you
do not just get
alums in “Chicago,”
but also in the
surrounding
suburbs.
Advanced Search Fields Cont.
If you have degrees from two universities,
you can even search for alums who went to the same two schools.
CareerShift
You have three options for getting to CareerShift:
1. Do a Google search for “CareerShift.”
2. Bookmark this website: https://www.careershift.com/Default.aspx?sc=notredamealumni
3. From within http://mynotredame.nd.edu follow the 4 steps on the next few pages.
Sign up once you get to the web site using the third method.
1. Click on Career Services
2. Then Click on Onward, either in the menu or within the page.
We are still making our way to CareerShift…
3. Now click on JOBS.
4. Click on CareerShift in the page below.
We are going through these steps because CareerShift is not on any menu –
side, bottom or top & you cannot get to it through the Search Box.
Woo hoo! We made it!
Now Sign In or Sign Up for CareerShift
(it just takes a second…)
Now You Are In CareerShift!
The two most important tabs for finding contacts are My Jobs and My Companies.
If you have non-ND friends and family you want to help, they can go to this
link to see if their school participates. https://careershift.com/customers/
Company Search:
Simple v. Expanded
Search for
• A specific company
• Companies in a certain industry
• Companies in a certain
geographic location
• Companies by size or revenue
• Companies of a certain ranking,
• Or by Keyword
A search for “Motorola” pulled up 12 companies in the My Company tab.
The first entry is what I was looking for. Now I can:
1. Check to see if that company is hiring (Company Jobs)
2. Find contacts at the company (Company Contacts)
3. Get more information about the company (Company Details)
Now I pull up a list of more than 1500 contacts! I can scroll down to find, for example: the CEO,
the Director of HR, the person I would need to talk to about a joint venture, the Purchasing
Manager or the Director of Philanthropic Relations…
Pulling up “Contact
Details” gives you a
lot of info about the
person quickly,
including work
phone, fax, education
and affiliations.
Consider this a
beginning – and
consider that the info
may not be
completely accurate.
Check this info
against LinkedIn.
Also, if the company
website has a search
box, search for the
contact’s name there
to verify and gather
additional info.
Contact Info Continued….
This is followed by a
compilation of articles
collected from internet
sources about the contact
or mentioning the contact.
This could pull up articles or
information that might be
more sensitive than what
you will find on the
company web site or
LinkedIN Profile. It might
give you a clue as to topics
to steer away from in an
interview.
This info could be
particularly helpful if you
will be interviewing with
the person or trying to sell
him or her on you next
great idea!
AGAIN
Do not rely on this info as
Gospel!!!
Finding contacts in the Jobs Tab
(I actually prefer www.indeed.com for finding jobs, but this search engine has one advantage:
When you find a job posting, the posting links to contacts at the company.
Doing a search for jobs at Motorola within 50 miles of a downtown Chicago zip code, gave me 48
jobs with a link that will help you “Find Contacts at this Company”
and you get the names and info of 476 contacts.
Using www.Indeed.com, I pulled up 160 postings at Motorola in the Chicago area,
but many of those had been posted more than 30 days ago.
Limiting it to jobs posted in the last 15 days, I got 61.
Some Advantages of Each Tool
LinkedIn
1.
2.
3.
Find someone who wants to
network
You can find out a lot of
personal info from a
LinkedIn profile. This is a
great help in preparing for
an interview or meeting.
•
Other LinkedIn groups
•
Interests
•
Connections
Photo! (Great help in
matching business cards
with bodies…) Get a
professional looking photo
on your profile!
http://mynotredame.nd.edu
1.
2.
3.
4.
Find alums who might not be in
LinkedIn- a broader base of
alumni contacts.
Get home and business phone
numbers and e-mail addresses
for alums that you are not
connected to in LinkedIn. (Don’t
contact someone at their home
address that you don’t know.
That’s a little creepy, especially
for women…)
Find other relevant info about
the alum such as other schools
attended or even church.
Search for groups of alums by
categories not available in
LinkedIn – class year, etc.
CareerShift
1.
2.
3.
4.
Find top execs at companies,
along with their business email, phone and fax
Find affiliations.
Find articles about the person.
Caution – the articles and info
may or may not be accurate.
Unlike LinkedIn and the
Directory Search, the info was
not input by the person. EX: I
pulled up a profile of what
was supposedly a partner at a
big downtown Chicago law
firm with an office in London.
Reading the summary though,
this guy was also an
announcer for the World
Wrestling Federation. His
photo showed him in a fishing
boat holding up a big carp! I
went to the firm web site and
pulled up the attorney’s
profile. NOT at all the same
guy… So use caution.
Comparison: Searching for Contacts at Motorola
LinkedIn
In the Advanced search: Motorola &
“current” employee: 21,454 names
Add “Notre Dame” for School: 62 names
but remember some might be Notre
Dame High School.
Now limit that to within 50 miles of zip
code 60611: 43
Add word “manager” for Title: 18
Change title to “president” and you get 1
name – a VP for Sales.
Do a company search and it will show you
how you may be connected to someone
at Motorola. It shows I have 1 First
Connection and 532 Second Connections.
Do a People Advanced Search for
Motorola and limit it to my 1st
Connections, I have 11 past and current.
Limit that to current: 1. If I limit it to 2nd
Connections: 574 and I have 51 2nd
Connections to VPs. So if I want to do a
strategic business campaign, I have 52
people who can get me to Motorola VPs.
http://mynotredame.nd.edu
CareerShift
There is no way to limit to the search to
current employees. It pulls up former
employees as well as retired and
deceased alums.
In the Company Search, you can pull up
the names of more than 1500 company
contacts.
Now limit the search to ND Home Club
(about the same as w/i 50 miles of zip
60611): 28
Add “Notre Dame” for school: You get 4
names including a Sr. VP. The VP’s bio
says he graduated in 1948, but I couldn’t
find him in the MyND Directory. A a bio
pulled up on Google said he was a Sr. VP
until 1991, but had been a consultant to
Motorola since.
Add the word “manager” for Job Title:
Only 5 names (They could be different
from the LinkedIn names. Could be
deceased or retired.)
Change title to “president” and you get 2:
A President (updated in 2001) and a
retired Sr. Vice President.
It is less likely that you will find the alums
who are the President, Board of Directors,
& Sr. VPs of major corporations in
LinkedIn. Find them in the Alumni
Directory.
In my experience, it is more likely you will
find Owners, Principals & Partners of
small to mid-size companies/firms, as
well as VPs of Business Development,
marketers and HR Professionals and
middle to upper-middle management of
major corporations, in LinkedIn.
You might find some interesting
Affiliations and articles for the contacts
here, but you need to check the accuracy
of this info carefully.
The advantage to this tool for finding
contacts is that under the My Jobs Tab,
when you find a job posting, there will
also be a link to contacts at the company.
You might get some current event info
about the person with whom you will be
interviewing.
Caveats
For Job Seekers:
•
•
•
•
•
In LinkedIN, turn off your News Feed until you get your profile set up. Personally, I keep mine off. Everyone
doesn’t need to know when I sneeze…
If you are in a job search but still employed, you may not want your co-workers who are connected to you to
see that you are connecting to recruiters, joining Job related LinkedIN groups or accumulating
recommendations from people for your profile. If your feed is on, every time you do one of these things, they
will know. It won’t take long for people to guess what’s up. If you do not want everyone to know you are in a
job search, you might hide any job related groups you are in so people can’t see them on your profile.
Be careful about asking or accumulating too many recommendations on your profile. If you are not in a
business development or services position, it may make people wonder if you are in a job search. Such
recommendations are of questionable value anyway.
If you are in a job search, make sure your profile summary is general enough to encompass all of the versions
of your resume you may be circulating. If you apply for a marketing position because you need to pay the
bills, but really want to be a financial analyst, how will the HR person for the Marketing firm feel when he
sees that your profile says, “Experienced professional seeking a job as a financial analyst.” He doesn’t want
someone who is “settling” and may be gone in a year after he has spent time and money training you.
I recommend you do not put the link to your LinkedIN Profile on a resume, particularly if you have more than
one version of your resume circulating.
For Everyone:
•
•
Anyone can create a profile. Anyone can create a fake profile, and it happens more often than you think.
There are scam artists in LinkedIN. In the past, Non-ND people have infiltrated the ND Alum LinkedIN Group
pretending to be alums. If you have a question, double check with www.mynotredame.com to see if they are
in the alumni directory. Always be careful with the information you share.
I keep my connections hidden. You are connected with friends at your company and then you leave to go to a
competitor. Do you really want old connections to know your new leads and contacts? Maybe. Maybe not.
Do you really want one search firm to see you might also be working with another search firm?
Part II:
Surviving & Thriving at a Networking Event!
•
•
•
•
Strategy
Best Places to Network
The Art of Conversation
Dress & Related Issues
Strategy
•
Get a game Plan. What do you want to accomplish at a networking event? Your goal should
be to make a few new friends. Why? There will be very few events where you will meet the
person who has the perfect job, opportunity, or contract for you. But if you make a friend, a
month from now or six months from now, when an opportunity comes across his or her desk,
that person will remember you, know where to find you, and care enough to pick up the
phone or send you an e-mail.
•
If you are shy, make it a game. No one has to know you are the only one playing. Some books
say that over 90% of us are shy and uncomfortable networking. When I was a first year lawyer,
my firm had its big annual dinner with 400+ clients at the Chicago Athletic Association. There
were about 15 brand new associates. At the event, I noticed how my peers all congregated
together and headed for the safety of the same dinner tables. I thought, “I’ve heard that it’s
the rainmakers who make partner. How can I (a little 1st year associate) get to meet clients?” I
made up a game. I went around to the clients telling them that there was a competition
between the 1st years to see who could collect the most business cards. (I was the only one
playing…) They were happy to help, and when I left that firm, I took one of the clients that I
met that night with me. At a networking event, everyone is there to meet people. Go for it!
•
Do your homework before the event. Volunteer to help. Volunteer to be a greeter! (Best
way to know who will be there in advance and have an excuse to talk to them…) At most of
the Club networking functions you will get a list of the people attending. Come early so you
can study who will be there.
•
Arrive to the event under control. Don’t rush in at the last minute to a function. Come early;
get the lay of the land. Arriving early will give you a chance to get collected and prepared.
Strategy Cont…
•
Network with a partner. Divide and conquer. DO NOT sit at the same table. You already
know your friend… For the first half of the networking event, split up and meet different
people. Now you have twice as many contacts between the two of you. Make sure you each
understand the other’s objectives so you can help promote each other. In the second half,
you can now introduce each other to people who might be particularly interesting or helpful.
How much nicer would it be for your networking partner to then introduce you to someone
she met and say, “Let me introduce you to my good friend, Mary, who is absolutely THE best
caterer in the Northwest suburbs!” It will sound better coming from your friend.
•
Scan the room for good opportunities to introduce yourself to people:
Look for people standing by themselves – they might really appreciate your saving them!
Remember the Mayor’s Aunt: Last fall I went to a “meet and greet” for the Mayor of a
town near ND. I had never been to a “meet and greet.” I entered the room and saw a
woman sitting by herself at a table not talking to anyone. I went over to her and said, “Hi,
my name is Linda. I’ve never been to a “meet and greet” before. Care if I practice with
you?” She was so relieved. She said she had never been to one either and had no idea what
to do. She was the newly-elected mayor’s Aunt, and she was delightful! Well…. You know
what I did the rest of the night. I grabbed her by the arm and took her to every group of
people at that event and said, “Hi, this is the mayor’s Aunt ____. We’re practicing meeting
and greeting, and we want to practice with you!” Then she would laugh and so would
everyone else. We had a great time all night. Be creative. Be fun!
•
More Strategy
More opportunities to introduce yourself….
– Two people standing together face to face vs. two people in an open stance. One posture
invites others to join the group. The other says, “we are in a private conversation.”
– When you are talking to others, unless you really want to have a private conversation,
stand slightly perpendicular to each other in an open position and invite others walking by
into the conversation. They will appreciate being welcomed.
– Watch for people in a group who are looking around trying to figure out how to get out of
a conversation. Save them.
– When talking to someone, don’t be the one scanning around for a “better opportunity.”
Give your full attention to that person while you are there, and then move on.
– And of course…. The food table… It’s easy to meet people over a cocktail meatball! Yum.
Isn’t this food good! (If it’s horrible, don’t complain.)
•
Don’t monopolize people. You don’t do them or yourself any favors. I know it is safe once you
have found someone nice to talk to, but you need to keep moving and meeting people.
•
Give and ye shall receive, but don’t give expecting to receive. Some networking books seem
to encourage some kind of false friendship where you ask others what you can do for them as
an insincere pretext or excuse to turn the conversation to your needs. People will see through
that pretty quickly. Just make a few friends –real friends.
•
Be friendly & be a friend. Make time to help others, as you hope they make time to help you.
Best Places to Network
•
Go to functions where you already have a bond with the other people attending. Between two
equally qualified candidates, we prefer doing business with people we like.
– Alumni Clubs
– Professional and trade associations
– Groups formed around hobbies. A lot of business is conducted on a golf course.
– Church: if your church does not have a networking program, start one.
–
•
(Contact me if you want resources, after all, the current Chicago Club Networking Program started in the
basement of a church and has been thriving there for 8 years!)
– Volunteer – This is a particularly great place to meet upper level execs who may have a
passion for a certain cause, but really have no need to attend a networking function.
Network EVERYWHERE!
– Start practicing some of the skills we will talk about with your neighbors, the other soccer
parents, the bank teller, the grocery clerk. You don’t know what tomorrow might bring.
–
After graduating from ND Law School in 1987, we moved to Munster, so I could work in
downtown Chicago. I would regularly go into our local bank rather than through the drivethrough window. I got to know the women tellers well, and then the bank Manager, Agnes.
Agnes also went to my church. In the first week of January 1991, my husband quit his job to
start his own company. He had a partner who was the financial backer. The day after my
husband quit his job, the financial backer, backed out. My husband took his business plan
from big bank to big bank in Chicago for two weeks, but the big banks did not want to speak
to a start up. He called me on a Thursday afternoon about 2:00, rather dejected. I said,
“Honey, why don’t I call Agnes, and see what our bank can do?” I called Agnes who said,
“Come in at 4:00 to talk.” With his spectacular little business plan in hand, we went in at
4:00 and came out with a $50,000 line of credit at 4:30. That was all we needed to start. 20
years later, we have about 240 employees and 12 offices in 10 states. You don’t know what
you might need 5 years from now… or even next week. Build your net(work), before you
need it. It will surely help soften any fall.
The Art of Conversation
•
No opening lines less than 5 words. It is so frustrating to ask someone, “What do you do?”
and have them respond. “I’m an attorney,” followed by silence and often accompanied by a
blank look..…. Not even a “What do you do” in return. Puh-lease! Give me something to
work with!
•
Please do not tell me you are a “consultant” and end there. I have no idea what that means
or what you do. This is especially true for a young alum.
•
Try a three point response. Example:
– (1) I’m an insurance coverage attorney at a large insurance company,
– (2) If your business has a catastrophic loss or gets sued for something unusual, I can tell
you if the loss is covered by your policy and whether your insurance company will or
should hire attorneys to defend you and pay for the loss, and
– (3) in my spare time I love to ballroom dance.
•
Now, in a short amount of time and succinctly, you have told them
– (1) generally what you do,
– (2) why they might want to know you better, and
– (3) something fun and interesting about yourself.
Don’t rush through it, though. Give them time to digest each segment.
Now pause and give them a few seconds to ask a question if they want.
If they do not, now ask them what they do.
The Art of Conversation Cont…
•
It’s not all about you. Find out why the person you are talking to is there. I know a nice little lady that I would
love to invite to my parties, but every conversation is all about her. Every conversation becomes a monologue.
I just can’t do that to the rest of my guests… Give others a chance to talk. How are you going to find out if
they know other interesting people that might be able to help you if you don’t let them talk??? That is also
how you will find out if there a way you might be able to help him or her?
•
Listen. …. Wait. Did you hear what I said??? Listen…. Don’t be thinking ahead to what you will say next. Be
truly interested in the person with whom you are talking. (The advice in this section is also helpful for dates….)
•
Remember: The Art of the “rejoinder.” Who, What, When, Where, Why & How
What if someone blurts out, “I love green socks” at the event. You might give them a quizzical look and say,
“Why do love green socks? How did you develop a passion for green socks? Where do you find the best
green socks? How many pairs do you have? How long have you felt this way about green socks? You get the
picture.
•
Be mindful of your audience. If you are at an industry or trade association event, use your industry jargon. If
you are at a general event, speak in a manner that an every day ordinary person understands. How can I
recommend you to someone if I can’t articulate what you do?
•
Look for commonalities to talk about. How long have you belonged to this group? What other types of events
do they have? What do you like best about being a member of X? The weather, the traffic, what you liked
about the speaker you both just heard. Just start the conversation. It’s not rocket science!
•
Don’t complain or be negative. Who’s interested in that??? As you are complaining about and critiquing the
food, I’m thinking I won’t be inviting you to my next party…
Dress & Related Issues
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Dress Appropriately: Over the years, many young alums have asked me what to wear to one of our
networking functions. I advise that if you are at a business networking function, and you are looking for a
job, dress in a manner that makes it easy for someone to envision you as an employee in his or her
organization. Obviously, if you are at a tail-gater and have the potential to meet such folks, you would not
dress the same way, but you would dress “smartly.” You would want them to be able to envision you
marketing with the firm’s clients in a casual atmosphere.
•
At your own risk: Low cut blouse or postage stamp size skirt at a function that includes men and
women??? Remember, you may meet the wife of the President of the company for which you want to
work. Your card may never make it to him… There is a place and time for everything – you decide.
•
Practice your handshake. Simple, but essential.
•
Wear your name tag high on your right shoulder. When you extend your hand to shake, your right
shoulder will come forward, and the person will more easily see your name. When you greet someone
you have met before, make it easy on that person even if you think they remember who you are. Say, “Hi,
we met last year at the Bar Association seminar. I practice labor law at XYZ firm.” Now the other person
(relieved) can say, “Oh yes, of course I remember you!” You won’t have to talk with someone who has a
strange look on her face as she tries to figure out how in the world she knows you… She can now focus on
what you are really saying is new in your life, rather than who you are. You have now made him or her feel
good about the introduction, rather than bad for not remembering your name or who you are.
•
If you are writing your own name tag, write in BIG BLOCK LETTERS. CEO level execs who can hire you may
not be able to read small print… I like the first name larger on the top line with the last name smaller
below. NO SCRIPT!!!
•
Posture: Stand up straight! You will look 10 years younger and more confident. (My ballroom dance
instructor taught me that.) It is true, but takes practice and a conscious effort.
•
Smile. You’re not at a funeral!
GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS! Linda A. Weaver NDLaw’87