A Networking Success Story
February 26, 2010
This morning, I had the opportunity to speak with someone who was featured in the Detroit Free Press, Sunday, January 3, 2010. I’d like to share that article with you and then let you know how she and I came to meet.
Network to ask others for help
Career counselors say it’s the single most important thing you can do when you are looking for a new job: networking.
And Mary Ann Tindall is a networking success story.
After she was laid-off last January following a 23-year career at Ford, Tindall, 45, of Bloomfield Hills networked with enthusiasm and optimism.
She estimates she met and passed out her business card to 400 to 500 people at events ranging from Inforum meetings to church-based job support groups to college workshops. She went to as many as 10 events a week.
“I was probably the happiest unemployed person you met because I was going out and meeting people,” says Tindall.
She went golfing one day with the chief financial officer of Arvin Meritor, on an outing sponsored by Inforum. Other days, she was talking to entrepreneurs trying to make a living from crafts.
“I wasn’t expecting a job from them,” says Tindall. “I was expecting them to tell me who they know.”
That’s what happened one day.
A woman she met remembered Tindall a couple months later when a job opened up for a supply-chain manager. That led to a job at Valley Towing Products in Rochester Hills, where Tindall has worked since August as the inventory and logistics manager.
So, what did she do right? She made networking a positive experience. She set realistic goals — she didn’t expect a job offer, but she did expect to meet people who might know other people who could potentially hire her. She saw as many people as possible in a diverse array of settings.
Ever here the saying that the harder you work the luckier you get? Mary Ann worked hard at networking, and that made for a lucky encounter with someone who could refer her to a hiring company. Wonder how she and I met? She won a raffle prize (a free behavioral assessment) I had donated to a community group whose meeting she attended.
Kudos to you Mary Ann for showing people that “Yes! You Can Land a Job Even In a Crummy Economy.”
Church Career Ministries Understand Collaboration
February 17, 2010
Last night, I had the pleasure of facilitating a meeting of the leaders of career ministry groups from about 20 different metro Detroit churches (ironically, held at my patron saint’s parish, St. Therese of Lisieux!) I was struck by the commitment of this group to help our area’s unemployed build the skills necessary to conduct an effective job search. Their track record is respectable – success stories were shared that demonstrated that – but what struck me most was their desire to collaborate to get our region back on track. You see, the whole goal of this meeting was to share best practices and establish a more formal means of communicating among groups who are engaged in the same mission – to get their people back to work!
Yes, Michigan is in a world of hurt. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Our people have spent many years on autopilot, especially when it comes to their careers. Now, faced with the challenge of conducting a job search in the worst possible economy, these folks are feeling everything from discouraged to desperate.
But there IS hope. We can get out of this mess. We can do it by working together. Last night was a testimony to that. Last night, that group of leaders realized that by working together, they can harness some amazing power (and resources) that will translate into enhancing their groups’ effectiveness and accomplishing their shared mission.
I applaud this group, and I challenge them to keep the momentum going. I challenge other community groups to align with these church ministries: coaches, speakers, job search resources like libraries, and schools. You all have something to offer to the people of Michigan who need help.
And remember that change isn’t an event. It’s a process. Let’s dedicate ourselves to taking the next step together, and I KNOW the next step will be revealed.
Job Fair at Motor City Casino
February 11, 2010
Yesterday, I participated in the Employment Guide/FOX2 Hire Commitment Job Fair at Motor City Casino. Hundreds of people braved the snowy weather to meet with employers…hoping to land a job. As I talked with jobseekers who visited my booth, some things emerged for me that I’d like to share.
The biggest thing that people are missing is not how to dress (although there were people who were inappropriately dressed) or how to write a resume (yet, there were people taking advantage of the free resume critiquing services) or even how to give your 30-second commercial (but, really no one had a definite pitch to give when they approached me.) What’s the biggest thing people are missing? It’s the right attitude. And I’m not talking about the power of positive thought.
If you want to have a positive job fair experience, you need to go into it with a “success attitude.” How do you define what a success is? How will you know you have had a successful job fair experience? What will you walk away with from the fair that will tell you that your time was well spent? If your answer is “a job,” you’re setting yourself up for failure. You have NO control over whether or not you are hired by someone at the job fair. But, what DO you have control over? Here’s my story.
I use to think success at a job fair meant that I’d sell lots of books. But you know what? I had no control over that, and when I didn’t sell ANY books or just a COUPLE books, I left a job fair feeling dejected and even blaming people for not wanting to invest in their success. I would spend my time focusing on what DIDN’T happen, and lost sight of the opportunities that were all around me. I realize now that much like someone looking for a job, I had no control over who bought my book at a job fair. But I did have control over making every job fair I attended a positive and profitable experience.
My last few job fairs have been extremely positive experiences because I’ve stopped focusing on selling books and started focusing on two things: connecting with people with whom I can collaborate and helping as many people as possible understand how to conduct a meaningful job search by exploring how they might be getting in the way of their own success.
It’s been an amazing epiphany. I’ve connected with colleges, universities, and community groups who want to spread my message that YOU CAN LAND A JOB EVEN IN A CRUMMY ECONOMY, and I’ve gotten to talk with people about how they are looking for a job and helping them see the possibility of going at the same game using new tactics to get better results.
Let me tell you, I have left these job fairs feeling hopeful. I see opportunity. I hear ah-hah’s. It’s a great feeling!
So if you’re going to a job fair, and you are leaving feeling worse than when you walked in, ask yourself what your goal was. Was it something you have no control over (like landing a job right then) or was it something that was more within your reach (like connecting with people that can help you or people you can help)?