#JobSearch #Friday NETWORKING! WHAT DO I SAY? “HERE I AM!”

By RecruiterGuy | December 10, 2021

“I do not want to Network. I don’t know what to say…” I have heard these words thousands of times over 26 years of coaching and speaking to groups of Career Seekers. Today, I will reveal the Secrets of what to say to my audience, meaning YOU.

In all three of my books, I coach Career Seekers on how to approach network connections. My third book, EXPECT SUCCESS! THE SCIENCE OF THE OVER 50 CAREER SEARCH, will be released in January 2022.

Developing what to say is very personal. No two “Here I AM!” speeches are the same. Your “Here I AM! speech is yours, and yours only. You may have heard it described as a “one minute commercial” or “elevator speech.”

How Is A “Here I AM!” Speech Structured?

Your “Here I AM!” speech should be 2 minutes or shorter. “Wow, my entire career in less than 2 minutes?” Yes. You should be proud of your accomplishments. However, your networking connection only needs the short version.

The first of 5 segments is the high level discussion of your experience in 45 seconds to 60 seconds. During the second segment, you spend 15 to 20 seconds describing any appropriate accomplishments to the person you are speaking – one or two accomplishments are plenty – make them count!

The third segment is very simple and only takes a few seconds – “The reason that I am looking now is…” It may be our company laid off 900 people, I have no place to grow, or some other reason.

All segments are important. Getting the next two segments right is critical.

The fourth segment begins with, “What I would like to do next is…” This is your opportunity to help your network connection frame who they would like to suggest that you contact next – or Maybe even introduce you!

Many people ask the wrong question at the end of their “Here I AM!” speech. This is the fifth and very important segment. They ask, “Do you know of any jobs?” I am RecruiterGuy, and generally, I say No. I do not know enough about you yet.

This is the BEST question to ask your connection. “Who do you feel I should contact next?” Now you will receive their knee jerk reaction – and it is probably the best person for you to speak with. Ask them for that person’s phone number.

Do you what is better? If they suggest that you contact someone, ask them if they would be kind enough to introduce you? If your contact knows your work experience and work ethic, they may be happy to introduce you.

You now know what to say to your network connections. Feel free to script it out – remember to speak normally when you read your script over your phone (no monotones allowed here!). After a while, you will not need your script because your “Here I AM!” speech became part of you. It is fine to tweak it as you go along. This is natural.

I am proud of you for taking the time to read this blog. This may be daunting initially but do you know what? People always want to help other people. There may be a couple of jerks, but they are probably sorry after they hang up. Just move on to the next person on your list. Networking provides a unique opportunity to meet people that otherwise, you may not have met.

As a recruiter, I network all of the time. There are people that I met while networking in the 1980s who are still friends.

You can do this!

Networking is the best practice to find a new career! I wrote my books to duplicate my efforts to assist you in your search. My expert experience as both a Recruiter and Career Coach gives me a perspective few professionals have. My Salary Negotiation script solves that pain point for most career seekers. To accelerate your #Jobsearch, please immediately click on this link to my recent book, Employee 5.0: Secrets Of A Successful Job Search In The New World Order – http://amzn.to/2D9w39f My book contains the 12 Steps to find a new career in a nice, orderly fashion that follows your sales process. According to a newspaper review, “It is refreshing to find an author who speaks With you and not At you!” It also has the stories of people who did well – and some who did not. You may learn from both sides.

Coming in January 2022, my third book on Finding A New Career – Expect Success! The Science Of The Over 50 Career Search! If you would like to buy a copy before its release, contact me at Bill@RecruiterGuy.com.

If you feel the need for professional Career Coaching, my business has 3 different packages. I work closely with Professionals in all three packages. The primary difference is the time and personal requirements.

My Talent Attraction business model is to work with one company at a time and charge a flat monthly fee. This enables me to become part of a company’s team for short or long periods. Therefore, I know what is going on behind the curtain that candidates and authors outside of my field cannot see.

I am here to help you further each week. Feel free to click on Follow US and Share at the bottom of our blog.

See you on Fridays!

Bill Humbert is available for Speaking, Talent Attraction Consulting, Career Transition Consulting, and Training contracts.

https://recruiterguy.com/ Bill@RecruiterGuy.com 435-714-4425

https://www.espeakers.com/marketplace/speaker/profile/23767/Bill-Humbert

USA 01-435-714-4425 Bill@RecruiterGuy.com

Content is licensed CC-BY-ND (Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0) The right to reprint is hereby granted if the copyright notice and contact information remain with the article.