THE MOST POWERFUL
OF ALL JOB HUNTING TOOLS
You're at a social engagement, and someone learns you're in a job search.
They ask, "What are you looking for?" Do you know how to reply
in a way that both informs your contact of your objectives and motivates
him or her to help you? Could you say it in under two minutes?
To take full advantage of networking conversations, you have to be able to
express who you are and where you're going - and do it positively and quickly.
If you can't, you're just one more face in the looking-for-work crowd.
If you have painful memories of getting the wrong reaction from network contacts
-- condescending or bored looks, uncomfortable silences, or even suggestions
that you see a career consultant (perish the thought!) -- then mastering
this absolutely fundamental career tool will give you a needed shot of confidence.
The "Skill-Based Intro," (or "SBI") is your hip-pocket
self-presentation. You always have it at the ready. A crisp SBI will engender
real interest on the part of your conversation partners, instead of deer-in-the-headlights,
or "whoops, I gotta run!" reactions. Your SBI will have three parts:
1) what you're good at; (2) an illustration; and, (3) what you're looking
for.
Part 1) What you're good at... Here you state, concisely, what you do well
and what distinguishes you from your competition. This requires some advance
self-analysis. Your number of years of experience and titles attained don't
cut it. An attorney expressed it this way: "I sift through a mountain
of evidence to find the few gold nuggets that can tip the balance in a case." One
manager said, "I create rapport with customers to discover their needs.
Then I train and supervise staff and coordinate with others in the organization
so that we provide the consistent, reliable service that keeps customers
loyal."
Part 2) An illustration... is a story. People love and remember stories.
And they'll remember you if you tell a compelling story that draws them in
and enables them to "see" you in action... Example: "When
I started in the mortgage department, everyone was busy, and had no time
to train me. No matter. I quickly learned the job on my own, and discovered
that many of the procedures were very inefficient. I took the initiative
to redesign forms and the paperwork flow, and in a short time, I was promoted
to department head. Not only did I achieve this position at a very young
age, but by continuing my flair for efficiency, I was able to handle work
by myself that used to take four people to do."
Part 3) What you're looking for... Lastly, you need to tell contacts what
you want to do next. You don't need to have absolute clarity here, but you
do need to have enough direction that listeners can sift through their "mental
Rolodex" and select the right people for you to talk to. You can certainly
say that you're weighing this option and that one, or that you're looking
for the best place to apply your skill set (the one you so clearly articulated
a moment ago) within a certain industry. But, please, don't ever say, "Well,
I'm really open." People won't know how to help you.
Once you're comfortable
with your SBI, you can pull it out
at a moment's notice to enlist a new
partner in your search campaign --
one who...
