If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.
~ African Proverb
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Did you know that almost 80% of jobs are landed through networking? Yet, it is the LEAST used job search skill among military affiliated job seekers! In fact, the majority of veteran job seekers are primarily connected to other veterans, who are usually looking for work with you. Because asking people for help is not a “natural” human behavior, we often try to figure it out on our own. Instead, we need to connect and network.
GOAL: Connect with 7 per week (one per day)… by 2017, you will have met 365 new people.
The most essential part of networking is simply building that habit. If you don’t naturally talk to people in social settings, you have to work on changing your behavior and simply doing the action until it becomes natural. This first phase is like when you learned to ride a bike… at first your only goal is not to fall off!
START HERE: Jump in where you are at. Opportunity is literally all around you.
Step 1: Meet people. Just do it.
Employ the 3 foot rule… anyone who is close enough to touch is close enough to meet! You go to your kid’s school events. You go to the gym. You go to local events. You go to your neighbor’s party. People are there that you don’t know; you say hi and start small talk. Try adding a little purpose to the small talk by asking probing questions.
The MOST Overlooked and Underdeveloped Job Search Skill:
Networking
By: Amy Rossi