Turn Your Job Search into a Networking Opportunity

When it comes to networking in a job hunt, a lot of shrewd business people are making some damaging mistakes.

Few executives realize that networking is a two-way street. Havenít we all received that call from a former colleague or old business school buddy, pleading for ìjust a minute of our timeî and pushing for ìjust one moreî contact we can recommend? The process is usually uncomfortable for both parties. And, in the long term, too much of this kind of pestering can destroy a network very quickly.

There is a straightforward solution: by following a few simple steps you can turn those awkward networking calls into value propositions for both sides. Following are six secrets for a successful networked job hunt from Marc Cenedella, President and Founder of $100k job website TheLadders.com:

Youíve got the scoop; share it: The people youíre calling spend their days doing what youíd like to be doing: working at a great job. In todayís economy, those contacts are most likely over-worked. How much time do you think they can dedicate to gossip and keeping their ears to the grapevine? Not as much as theyíd like! If in your job search, you see that Big Blue is hiring in your specialty out in California, or the new division of that European company is looking for a marketing head in Boston, your contacts would sure want to know. Wouldnít they?

Do your homework before calling: Old contacts are not career counselors nor are they mind readers. You canít expect to call someone and simply say: ìGot anything for someone like me?î You have to narrow the focus. Before calling anyone, do some intelligence gathering on the Internet. Find a job posting or target a specific spot within your contactís company. Then use that information to make a networking call an easy favor: ìHi Jane, your colleagues over in the Consumer Group are looking for a VP at my level; whoís the real decision maker there?î Targeted questions will generate a much more enthusiastic response.

Ask yourself the tough questions and choose a path: Like the Robert Frost poem, every change in your career is a decision between divergent roads. As youíre deciding amongst them, use the job postings you find to learn about specific job requirements and ask yourself smarter, determinant questions: Whatís the difference between becoming a specialist and staying a generalist? Do I want to become a manager or remain an individual contributor? While some of your closer contacts may feel comfortable sharing their own answers to these questions, they are just that: their answers. You need to make the best decision for you.

Donít abuse the network: A lot of career experts recommend a ìwhat else can you do for me todayî approach to networking, suggesting that job hunters should chase down one additional contact from every contact they speak with; but would you really put that type of person in touch with your friends? Would you want this person being bluntly aggressive with your contacts? These people are your allies. Treat them like stepping stones and they wonít be there the next time.

Ask for the reference, not the job: This is the single most important piece of advice for any job seeker tapping into a network of contacts, which we cribbed from our old friend, John Lucht, author of Rites of Passage. Instead of calling up, lunching with or cornering your old classmates, colleagues and friends with a plea for a job, ask for a simple reference. You achieve everything you set out to do: let them know youíre available, get them thinking about what great work youíve done in the past and have them keep their eyes open for the next great opportunity for you. And youíve done it without compromising your relationship.

Keep a mirror on your desk: Your tone is critical when you make calls to your contacts. Are you out-of-work and feeling worthless? Are you so desperate to move on from your current position that youíll take almost anything? These moods translate very clearly through your phone voice, particularly to people who know you. The solution: keep a mirror on your desk; smile at yourself before you make a phone call; and watch as your entire outlook gets transformed for the better. People tend to get happier and more energized when they see their own reflections. And thatís a state of mind that opens doors in any career.

Now reaching over 260,000 readers and featuring over 4,000 new $100k job listings each week, TheLadders.com is the largest online job search service catering exclusively to the $100k market. Marc Cenedella founded TheLadders.com in July 2003 after a tenure as Senior Vice President, Finance & Operations, at HotJobs.com, ultimately shepherding that companyís sale to Yahoo, Inc. (NASD: YHOO) in 2002. In May 2004 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by award-winning marketing newsletter, MarketingSherpa, which cited TheLadders.comís unique business model as a key to its sustained growth.