Never Apply for a Job Again!: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest (17 page)

What most people consider “networking” is merely telling family, friends, and neighbors, “I’m looking for a new job, so if you hear of anything, let me know!” Granted, that method is better than locking yourself in a closet, but only slightly. It makes you look like someone willing to hear about or take “anything.” Plus, it fails to powerfully tap into the real knowledge and connections you have right at your fingertips through these people.

Human beings tend to get comfortable in their relationships with each other—friends, family, and neighbors—and assume to know each other well. They fail to keep deeply
exploring each other’s lives, activities, and changes. How you initially met someone has shaped the content of your knowing them…and you have considered that you
really
know them when now, today, you
really
don’t. Yet, were you to creatively design a research project for which they would be an only-person-on-the-planet-who-could-answer-your-questions target, then you’d have a basis for connecting with them in a completely different way.

The point is this: The method you’re learning right now about reaching out to meet new people based on research projects, setting up those meetings, and what you’ll learn about how to conduct those meetings
is the same method to be applied to the people you already know!

You may say, “But that’s weird! I already know them. How do I conduct research with someone I already know?!” I’ll show you how when I describe the “Approach Letters” you’ll use to make contact with both unknown targets and friends. For now, just realize that your current close connections have information, knowledge, contacts, and relationships right now
that you are unaware of
, and only when you learn to harvest from your own fields effectively will you hit those pockets of new possibility. Plus, working the “system” on these old-time contacts gives you your sea legs for working it on those you don’t know at all.

CareerGuy Tip: A stealth approach to your current contacts gives you practice for approaching those you don’t know…and gets you goodies!

Let’s come up with a list of contacts from which to begin building your stealth campaign. Best-selling author Harvey Mackay wrote a book entitled
Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty
, which is all about building and nurturing relationships. I want you to consider that you have put an entire
lifetime
into making connections…and your job now is to simply remember them and put them to good use!

Pull out your Career Transformation Insights Journal and let’s do an inventory of the people you know…both the warm and fuzzy close contacts and the more distant, barely remembered ones. Then we’ll look into the many and varied folks that you can
get to know
based on your research projects.

F
INDING
Y
OUR
W
ELLS

Studies have shown that the average person knows approximately 600 people. That’s just average. Many people know many more than that…into the thousands.

Here are a few exercises to help you become aware of the vast amount of individuals you already know, as well as the limitless folks whom you
can get to know
by using these stealth methods.

Locating Your Networks

First, realize that you are part of a multitude of networks, some that come to mind quickly and some that you don’t usually think of as networks. Merriam-Webster.com defines a
network
as “a usually informally interconnected group or association of persons.” For us, we’re going to define a
network
as any group or environment in which you may readily recognize another or be recognized by another. In your journal, write out the categories of the networks you belong to down the page…leaving about two inches after each one.

Some of the first networks you might come up with are:

Friends

Family

Neighbors

Former coworkers/supervisors

Former customers/vendors

Corporate executives

Alumni associations

Educational settings (professors, deans, children’s schools)

Professional/trade associations