Leads are just leads until you bring them to life. Every networking session should end with, “Who else should I meet?” and, “Is there anything else I should be doing, or doing differently?” I was asked on many occasions during the job-seeking process if I knew a particular person. If the answer was “yes,” I would set up an appointment with them. If the answer was “no,” I asked if we could be introduced. Most times, I didn’t try to keep it to a single business area or even try to determine how close the connection was—it didn’t matter. What was important was that leads were being offered and it became my responsibility to do something with them. We have an opportunity to go beyond our immediate friends and past colleagues to tap friends of friends, long-lost relatives, and every other person who comes across our radar screen. If you have a lead, take advantage and send out requests to network. The ability to ask questions and find ways to connect the dots of your growing web of a network can be intriguing and fun. You might surprise yourself at how fruitful it is to be curious and pull that string all the way through.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Maybe the word predator is a little strong. I don’t consider myself a
full-blown sales and marketing person, so maybe I am a little more
sensitive to this type of business. Immediately after I lost my job, some
of the quickest responses I received from people with opportunities were
from individuals involved in sales and marketing positions. Many were
heavily commission-based with a bonus when they signed on new people.
I remember years ago when a close friend of mine tried to get me involved
in selling water purifiers. We agreed I would support him and go to one
meeting; if I didn’t like it, we would stop talking about it. I attended one
meeting and instantly knew it wasn’t for me. It was a business that worked
well for him and taught him skills that would make him an eventual giant
in the sales world. I knew it didn’t match my skills or desires, but it was
my first experience with multi-level marketing.

There are people with sales and marketing experience who would be
perfect candidates for this type of position—people with an entrepreneurial
spirit of independence who enjoy the adrenaline rush of knowing
their success is purely contingent on the next sale. The number of instant
responses I had from people in this type of field who were instantly on
my calendar was amazing. Staying true to my mantra of casting a broad
net, I listened objectively and asked enough questions to get a good feel
for what was being offered. As I’ve mentioned before, it is important to
stay open to all opportunities. I am being a little tongue-and-cheek with
the chapter title, because I was doing something similar in trying to sell
and market myself to others.

One of the key teachings was to be assertive enough to say “Thanks,
but no thanks” if I was no longer interested. I found that persistency is a
common trait in successful sales and marketing people. When I was pursuing
jobs, I appreciated when someone said to me that they needed more
time to think about it, or in some cases, that my follow-up in some cases
was too much. Most professionals get it and will move along. I connected
with many great people in what I found to be called the “level marketing”
field, and respect the amount of time and effort it takes to really make it
in that field. I also learned about persistency, assertiveness, and the drive
to develop strong personal relationships in my own job search. Every connection
can be a learning moment.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

I’ve just written that you should be open to feedback on your résumé.
I’m not contradicting myself when I also note that it’s yours to make
the final decision on how it looks and feels. Some of the feedback I received
was negative. After taking in all that feedback, even though it was
not always pleasant, I did listen to it. I then had to determine how much
of it was related to style as opposed to influence and how much of an impact
it would have on the decision makers who read it. People providing
feedback is a gift—it is also an opinion. Many people base their thoughts
on their own template. There is no perfect formula for résumés. Even
when I teach résumé writing, I clearly have to articulate that my own
résumé is a guide, and that their own résumés don’t have to be an exact
replica.

You should be conscious of the jobs you are applying for and ensure
that your résumé meets the target and alignment of that job. However,
there is no right or wrong résumé. To prove this, go to any search engine
and put in the word “résumé” and see how many options pop up. The
last time I did this in Google, more than 73 million results came back.
You will find many varying opinions on résumés. In the end, you have the
final determination of how you want your story told—and you must be
comfortable with it.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

You don’t want to create an overflow of pity, but you can glean lessons
learned from others who have been through it. Within three days
of the infamous call, I was having lunch with someone who had been
unemployed the year before and had landed a great job. Even as simple
as him telling me to have lower expectations for contacting people in
July due to vacation eased my mind about the process. With advice such
as, I don’t have to accept the first job offer, I was beginning to grasp the
number of choices and the control that I had with the swirl around me.
The level-setting discussion made me a little more “go with the flow” and
patient during the summer months, while making sure that I knew my
true value so I didn’t get low-ball job offers. There is no need for you to
reinvent the wheel. With millions of people who are or were out of work,
you are bound to know someone who is going through it or has recently
been through the process of finding a new job. In addition to the empathy,
you will find insight from mistakes they may have made and can give
you specific and actionable insight to run with.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com