Working It 6. Network, network, network: Think of it this way— the person that will hire you next is out there somewhere. Your mission is to encounter that person in a way that reflects well on you—ideally a warm introduction from someone who has met you in person and not as a resume in a stack. This means that it’s a numbers game and the more people you can meet and the more effective you can be at meeting people likely to be connected and influential, the better your odds and the shorter your search. I highly recommend the book “Never Eat Alone” as a great practical guide to networking. 7. Give to get: The best way to make yourself valuable as you network is to help other people network. I always ask people I meet how I can help them and sometimes I really can. It builds your karma bank account and makes folks much more likely to extend themselves in helping you. These favors may be repaid long in the future, but this is a lifetime thing. I’m still making introductions on behalf of people I met once in a coffee shop years ago. 8. Don’t be needy: This is one of the main risks to avoid in search. Needy people are off-putting and paradoxically almost never get what they are asking for. Instead, project confidence, energy and a positive outlook. Always behave as if you are doing great and are more interested in helping than being helped. That will be much more appealing and you will get help. Corollary: ask for introductions or references, never ask for jobs. Asking directly for a job puts people on the spot and will trigger a negative reaction. 9. Don’t be generic: This is the big risk of the job searcher. The idea is that you are willing to do “anything”. The generic job searcher is not very interesting and very difficult to assist. Think of it this way—you go into Nordstrom and say that you’re looking for a pair of shoes. The sales person asks you what kind of shoes and you answer, “oh I can use any pair of shoes you may have”. Ridiculous? Yes, but that is exactly what happens when you meet a very well connected person and tell them that you have lots of skills and can do lots of things.
11. Follow up: Your time scale in search is vastly different from that of your potential employers or your network contacts. In my experience, busy people actually appreciate you taking ownership of following up on the email, voice mail, or past due promise. You will think you’re being a pest but it’s almost never true. Don’t let more than 2 weeks pass without trying again. HOME STRETCH 12. You don’t have to make a decision until you’re offered a job: It’s easy to filter your opportunities before they even know that you exist. You may be reluctant to apply for a job at a company that you don’t think you want to work for. The fact is that many companies and jobs that you hear about are not what they seem. I once applied for a director job at a cool company even though I was trying hard not to accept a job lower than VP. As it worked out, I’m now the CEO of that company. 13. Don’t stop looking just because you have a good interview: Getting hired takes a long time even when it goes well. If you start counting on getting that offer too soon, your search loses momentum and the trail goes cold. Keep going right up until you start. How can this person help you? What if instead, you say that you have specific customer-facing project management experience in engineering product development involving wearable microelectronics with low power RF connectivity? Will that limit your ability to get a PM job on the Seattle downtown tunnel? Yes, but you weren’t going to get that job anyway and if part of that detailed description makes a cognitive connection with your referrer, then you’ve got a connection of real value. Rule of thumb: be as deep and narrow as possible and avoid at all costs generic qualifications. You will have fewer opportunities but a vastly better shot at winning the interview and the job. 10. You won’t get a job by applying but apply anyway: The odds are very long but sometimes you get lucky. I’ve only gotten one job by applying to a blind ad, but it was a President/COO job that I found on Craigslist. Go figure.
Hospitality News / National Edition / Oct 2026 / Page 55
Powered by FlippingBook