Networking for Career Change

Career advisors tend to sum up all their advice in one word: "networking."

Too old? Too big a resume gap? Bypass the hiring process through networking.

Inevitably my clients groan: "Networking? I knew you were going to say that. I hate to network."

Frankly, I don't blame them. The realities:

(1) In my experience, people who have strong networking skills will reach any career goals faster than people who don't.

(2) You need two kinds of networking. You can network for information and network for contacts. Sometimes one evolves into the other: you attend an industry meeting and someone says, "I've been looking for someone with your skills. Since you asked..."

(3) Networking for information means asking people in a field, "What do you do? How do you do it?" It's not about asking, "What would you recommend to someone like me?"

(4) You network for contacts by crystallization: starting with someone you know and moving outward. You find someone who knows someone who...

(5) These days it's hard to get an appointment with anyone who doesn't know you. And you almost always have to pay mentors. See
Mentoring for the 21st Century

Forget what you learned thirty years ago, i.e., People are flattered when you ask for information. These days everybody has read the Parachute book and they're more likely to be annoyed.

The Apprentice Los Angeles Finale: The Big Yawn

By the time the Finale rolled around, did we really care? Did we ever get a clear decision about who wrote the best commercial for the final task?

On the positive side, I think Stefani deserved to be the winner. I was afraid Donald would cave in to demographic pressure. We've had winners who are male, female and African-American. It would be so tempting to balance with an Asian-American -- and such an appealing, genuinely nice guy, too!

But Stefani remained a calm, quiet presence. She was the only woman on a team of four and she conducted herself with dignity. She got the work done without stepping on egos.

Is she a leader? Frankly, I'm not sure that matters. Her first year will be mostly about learning, not leading. At the end of the year, she'll be well-positioned to take a position with a law firm, specializing in real estate and construction, earning as much as she will get from serving as The Apprentice.

I hope Trump finds room for Frankie somewhere else in the organization. He's got so much heart (and he could get a little polish along the way.)

I've always enjoyed The Apprentice but this year, I get the feeling NBC says to The Donald, "You're fired!"

Apprentice Los Angeles Ends With a Whimper

Apprentice Los Angeles is down to the Final Four. The last task was fairly mundane - nothing like the previous finalists who had to run major public events. Here they just completed a fairly bland advertising task.

We can't get excited about any of the candidates. Nicole hasn't emerged as strong and certainly hasn't been a leader. The Bronx guy won't make it: too down to earth. It's down to Stefani and James.

My money's on James. Stefani has quietly emerged as a leader. She's calm and she appears to have influenced James's success. James has gotten calmer and more sensible. As a team, they're effective. But we haven't seen either of them alone, as we would if they'd been assigned to a big benefit.

Of course, after the last few seasons, what benefit would turn a major event over to an Apprentice wannabe?

Trump seems frustrated. He's been rude and insulting to the candidates. The tent business seems to distract us from the weaknesses of the show.

Sadly, it's time to give The Apprentice a decent burial.

Networking -- for everyone?

I like this blog entry - David St. Lawrence says we need to think of networking as getting to know people - not
necessarily asking anybody for anything:

http://www.making-ripples.com/2007/04/finding_work_at.html

Energize your career by going live

When I lived in a small New Mexico town, I had lots of time to work on my business as well as my writing. There wasn't a lot to do in the evening and certainly networking was not an option in my small town.

Now that I'm in Seattle, I've launched a networking campaign. I started tentatively because "you're supposed to do this." Being an extravert, I now have to hold back. In fact, I just dropped out of a couple of groups.

My biggest surprise is the impact of networking on my Internet activity. Just being around lots of people changed my energy. My ideas are better. Because I'm in contact with my target market, I pick up their vibes. I wish I weren't stuck with some things I started in New Mexico: changing a brand and image has turned out to be harder than expected.

In her book The Artists Way, Julia Cameron wrote about the way creativity feeds on being with people. Although readers have become more skeptical about Julia Cameron's messages (especially if they read her memoir), her ideas are sound. Arists paint each other. Writers talk.

So when a business or career gets stalled, I now recommend getting out and talking to lots of people. Not the boring, dreary, must-have networking, but being around stimulating people and events. Not just shaking hands, but listening to live performances in theatres, concert halls and bookstores. Screens just don't generate the same energy, even if they're big.

Apprentice Los Angeles: Who's responsible?

Watching The Apprentice Los Angeles this week, I was reminded of a conversation about a seemingly unrelated subject: football.

"Larry" had played football in high school and college. When he watches a game, he says, "I would never boo a player. Sometimes one guy seems to make a mistake - but he was doing his job. Another player wasn't following the game plan."

And that's what happened here.

Kristine - the competent-looking lawyer with the rimless glasses - teamed up with Nicole to create a promotion for some new condos in Las Vegas. Of course, Kristine's game plan was a little shaky: she wanted to get out from under the shadow of Heidi, whose competence shown on most tasks.

But as Kristine worked on the brochure, Nicole decided to take a nap. Kristine decided to let Nicole sleep. After all, she reasoned, Nicole had been useless on this task so far.

So Kristine decided to write the whole brochure herself. She attempted to do the work of 2 people.

And she came close...except that she got one phone number wrong.

True, in marketing, that's a very serious mistake. On my own articles, getting the contact information wrong means, "What's the point?" If they can't find me, why bother to advertise?

But if Nicole had been doing her share of the work, Kristine might have had time and energy to pay attention to those little details. If they had worked together, they might have proofed the brochure more accurately.

So who should get fired?

In real life, hopefully you wait to collect more data to establish a pattern. But someone else's mistake can make you look bad, in football and in business. You weren't supposed to be on the receiving end of a catch, but it comes to you anyway...and you miss. You weren't supposed to handle this part of the job...but the other person disappears.

Almost always, these situations tend to be lose-lose, once you're caught up in them. Best to prevent them from happening in the first place. Football players don't always have a choice but professionals can make a concerted effort to hang out with winners, even if they risk being overshadowed.

A controversial call, either way.

Relocation Tips for Creative Moving With Cats

Moving with cats? I get a surprising number of questions with this subject line.

So I absolutely loved this story:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-ODD-Taxi-Move.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The TImes reprinted an Associated Press report: Retiring to Arizona, a couple needed to move themselves and their cats. As long-time New Yorkers, they don't drive. And they didn't want their cats to fly.

So they negotiated with a New York City cabdriver. They'll be driven across the country in his air-conditioned SUV, in style, with the cats stowed in carriers in the back. Their furniture will follow separately.

Even if you drive, you may not want to. Imagine you're moving to a city where you've never lived. You don't know how to get from one street to the other. And you're looking for a place to rent while you decide where (and maybe whether) to buy property.

The solution? Negotiate with a taxi driver or car service. Get a driver to take you around. She'll drop you off so you can check out a place while she circles the block or hunts for a meter. He won't lose an hour by taking the wrong freeway exit.

Expect to pay a flat or hourly rate plus tips, parking and tolls. You'll save hundreds (perhaps thousands) of dollars by choosing a place that's perfect for you...and maybe lower cost, too.

Moving with cats? They won't fly in summertime...which takes up most of the year in Arizona. My 18-year-old cat has flown twice and she's done just fine.

I discovered all this while doing research for
my moving book.

Opt-Out Revolution: Lose the myths

In the Columbia Journalism Review, EJ Graff reviews a book about the so-called opt-out revolution: the belief that women with kids decide to "opt out" of the workforce to stay home and be full-time moms.

The link is here:
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2007/2/Graff.asp

According to Graff, women don't really opt out. The current infrastructure gives them few options. With unforgiving companies and school systems with hours based on long-ago farm life, it's just about impossible to combine roles. The media focus on upper-class, educated women with working spouses.

I would refer readers not only to this excellent article (I like articles that reveal media distortions of reality) but also to Bella dePaolo's book, Singled Out. When schedules get adjusted to help parents cope with their responsibilities, often it's the single people who get asked to pick up the slack.

7 Dumb Career Mistakes Made by Smart People

I was inspired to write this post after reading about a former flight attendant who made a whole bunch of these mistakes. Don't look now but a lot of smart people make at least one. Dumb Mistake #1: Posting a photo of yourself in a provocative pose on the Internet. Dumb Mistake #2: Wearing a company uniform (or carrying an emblem of the company, standing outside company HQ) while performing Dumb Mistake #1. Dumb Mistake #3: Writing a blog about your company "for therapy" and insisting it's for you and your friends. Dumb Mistake #4: Using the company email to send a personal message. I get dozens of queries every year: "Hi Cathy. I hate my job. Can you help?" All written on the company's message system. Dumb Mistake #5: Thinking your boss, the HR department or the recruiter is your friend. Dumb Mistake #6: Expecting free help. Yep, every year I get calls from senior execs who ask if we can "just talk" for an hour or so. Dumb Mistake #7: Working extra hours to help your current company when you've been given notice: you're going to be laid off in six months or less. Recognize yourself? I sure do. Why do smart folks make dumb mistakes ? Secretly they hate their jobs and are into self-sabotage. They're brilliant at career success but not career change. They're nice people who expect others to be nice too. (So far it's worked) All of the above. P.S. If you really hate your job, check this out.

MBA for a Midlife Career Change? Why not? Why yes!

Midlife career change often begins with a move to education.

So I wasn't surprised to find an article in the Wall Street Journal(Tuesday, March 27, 2007, page B10) featuring a Q&A around the question, "Should I get an Executive MBA after 50?"

Frankly, I wonder why the question even comes up. The real question is, Should I get a new educational qualification? From where? And why?

(1) Instead of asking "Am I too old," ask, "What do I need now."

For an under-30 student, a traditional MBA can be an express elevator to the executive suite. For a midlife career change, you're more likely to use your MBA for networking, starting a business, or jumpstarting a new career.

But will you get a lower return on your investment, with fewer years remaining in your career?

Who cares?

Five or ten years after completing your degree, you're facing a brand new career with technologies that weren't invented when you started out. Or you realize you've outgrown your career.

So these days any degree, at any age, has a ten-year life span at most. Midlife career change happens more than once in a lifetime.

(2) Education programs offer unparalleled networking opportunities.

As columnist Ronald Alsop points out in the above article, you can use a graduate degree for career change. It's a unique way to network without feeling pressure, bypassing informational interviews.

Your fellow students will have information about other companies, industries and professions. Professors at business schools (and other specialized degree programs, such as psychology, engineering and even music) often maintain a network of contacts.

Once I taught a class for an executive MBA program. Shortly after entering the program, student "Meredith" lost her job. Her resume landed on the desk of her classmate "Rodney." Rodney recognized her immediately, as they'd been on a class project team together.

(3) Degree programs give you new ideals.

You'll meet people and take classes on subjects you'd never consider otherwise. Most career change comes from serendipitous encounters, so you'll raise your chances of finding the best opportunity for your next move.

(4) Choose a program that's right for you.

The Los Angeles Times just reported yet another story of the perils of attending marginal schools. Your program could lose accreditation and you face raised eyebrows when you present yourself as a graduate. Read the story here (you have to register with the Times -no cost and minimal hassle):

One technique: Does the university have an alumni program? If the answer is "no," don't bother applying. If yes, attend a few meetings as a guest. Talk to alums about their success, experiences and their memories of academic rigor.

(5) For any educational program, set realistic goals and decide whether you can meet them.

Signing up is easy. These days, you'll find a warm welcome at universities, certificate programs, coaching programs - just about anything you might consider.

Figuring out the benefits? That's the hard part. Let's say your local university offers a certificate program in Human Resources. It sounds great: just four courses and you get to write on your resume, "Earned HR certificate from Local U."

How will future employers regard your certification? That depends on the reputation of Local U, the experience you bring to the table and the qualifications of your competitors.

Any of those factors could change overnight. So entering Local U with the goal of "a career change to human resources" may not be realistic.

But your certificate can pay off through networking opportunities, an extra edge if you change jobs, even a jump start to your bored professional self.

Bottom Line: You get my favorite answer. It depends.

Learn more from my ebook: Back to school for a Midlife Career Change. Download now and start moving to your dream career.