Farzana was the small, shy, thirtyish HR lady in one of Dubai’s biggest bakeries, and she was helping me to dismantle the AV equipment after a seminar on Organisational Change.
Over coffee in the canteen, she confided that she had been wanting to move jobs for some time.
“I check all the vacancies every week in the paper and in the trade magazines. I sometimes get shortlisted, but I never get selected.”
I told her that she was following the traditional route, without realising its limitations.
“Farzana, most good jobs don’t get advertised. They are either located or created by good job-seekers taking the initiative.”
I told her some of the job-finding stories from my own clientele, in Dubai and elsewhere. The air-conditioning engineer who simply approached the management of every company moving into a new office building, knowing that they would be needing someone of his qualifications. The group of temporary secretaries and PA’s who would exchange lists of key contacts at each of their many jobs. The advertising agency chief who found out that a top client was playing in a certain tennis tournament, entered for it himself, and managed to get on court with him.
In other words, networking is today’s way to jobhunt. And I gave her my three rules of networking.
First, make sure people remember your name, and explain your role and job-function with particular clarity.
Second, be a good guest at functions – a good listener, and pleasant to the less interesting or charismatic people. You’ll get asked back.
Third, always return favours, as this will mark you out as someone to do business with. Which is, after all, the whole point.
Want to book Motivational Speaker Carole in person?
Phone +44 (0) 20 8954 1593 or email [email protected]
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