People get busy. Let’s be honest with ourselves—most networking sessions
and conversations with people about possible jobs are more important
to us than the person with whom we’re talking. I heard many offthe-
cuff comments such as, “Call me in a couple weeks.” While I know
most of us may give an instant response similar to, “Will do,” I felt I
was differentiating myself and ensuring action when I immediately put a
follow-up appointment on my calendar. As with the last chapter, I wasn’t
going to be a pest, but I was diligent in making sure that I took full advantage
of all leads. I couldn’t afford to be skittish in my follow-up, and I
found most people did not seem offended by someone who stayed on top
of what we had discussed. Keith Ferrazzi notes in Never Eat Alone, “Don’t
apologize for being persistent.” Persistency does pay off. Additionally, if
you tell someone you will do something, such as sending your résumé
or marketing plan, do it right away. You don’t want to earn a negative
reputation as someone unable to follow instructions or follow through
on a task.

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

Obviously, everyone in our network has an important role to play.
While it’s important to avoid rash judgments about one contact
being more important than another, I will tell you that if you have the
choice between being in touch with a recruiter or a hiring manager, lean
toward the hiring manager every time. The recruiters are there to screen
applicants and determine who is best suited to move on to the next level
of interviewing. While it’s extremely important to have a strong relationship
with them, if you have the contact information for the hiring manager,
then use it. If you don’t have his or her information, then do your
due diligence and attempt to get it. I’m not condoning being pushy, but
I am encouraging assertiveness. The hiring manager can provide exact
expectations for the role, including the unwritten description. A hiring
manager can provide insight as to what successful, and not so successful,
people have done in the role in the past. Even if a hiring manager holds
back some information, they now know who you are beyond your résumé.
The contact also establishes a relationship that could be critical if
there are equally qualified candidates applying for the same job. In that
case, the hiring manager may even appreciate the extra effort you took to
learn more about the job.

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

Do you want to be on the frontlines with customers? Do you want
to be a manager? Do you want to be VP of Marketing? Do you
know what level is the lowest point you’re willing to start in a new position
and what future growth potential is available for the jobs you are
seeking? With over twenty years in the financial industry, I knew clearly
that I didn’t want an entry-level position. There is nothing wrong with
entry-level, but it needs to make sense with your background, tenure,
and competencies. Also, not everyone wants to be a manager of people.
Is the career path associated with the job you’re looking into leading to a
management role? You need to be clear in what you want—this includes
the level.

The name of this chapter may seem redundant based on the rest of this
book. To an extent, it is—but there are a number of aspects you need to
be clear on when applying for a new job. If you rely on the assumption
that you and your prospective employer are on the same page, you may
well be disappointed. Within days of first losing my job, for example, I
was offered a position with a local company, but it didn’t match the role
and level I was chasing.

In addition to the type of role you may want, you need to know what
level you want. Being in the banking industry, SVP means different things
to different people, including recruiters and hiring managers. Some companies
hand out the title like it’s candy while others limit it to only the
highest levels. Looking from the outside in, it became obvious that my
former company handed out SVP titles closer to the candy version. Don’t
get me wrong, I was proud of my promotion, but I was also proud of the
many peers who also had the same level and title. One of the changes that
I made on the résumé included removing that title.

As I mentioned, I was proud of my past accomplishment, but ultimately
it didn’t carry much weight on my résumé. Some prospective companies
simply didn’t have any of those types of roles open because they
were few and far between since people in that position typically oversaw
significant operations or employees, for example. I had that title when I
managed many people; I had the same title when I was managing projects
with no direct reports. I had to start speaking the external language of the
companies I was pursuing, not the company I’d just left. That meant extra
diligence in laying out what I wanted. The changes had to occur on my
résumé, my marketing plans, my strategic plans, and in the conversations
I was having. All forms of communication had to be moving in the direction
of my laser-focused desires.

As a previous executive, I was still open to senior manager roles in order
to get in the door, knowing I would put in the effort and attitude to
get to the next level eventually. I needed to put that to paper so that everyone
was on the same page. For example, on one of my marketing plans, I
listed the following as my potential roles and options I was seeking:

Senior Risk Management Leader
VP, Operational Risk Manager, or
Executive SVP, Business Control, or
VP, Business Control Senior Manager

There was no question about what I was looking for and what opportunities
could be presented. That description made it very clear what I
wanted specific to the level of employment I was seeking and the type of
role I was best suited for.

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 was fascinated by the networking conversation I had with John
Brubaker, author of “The Coach Approach: Success Strategies From The
Locker Room to the Board Room.” He and I had many common interests
and hit it off right away, sharing notes about professional development.
John turned on his coaching charm and we found instant connections as
he shared his own stories of triumphs and tribulations when he was in a
similar situation. He left me with the following information to chew on:

• Know your ideal job in the perfect world.
• Recognize your unique talents and passions. Pursue ways to ensure
they are part of the job-search process to marry them with what
you’re looking for. You will be more motivated to follow a path of
something that drives you.
• Figure out whom to get in front of to help you pursue these ideal
jobs, unique talents, and passions.
• Know your strong general skills that can be carried with you and
emphasized regardless of field.
• Sell the abilities and competencies that make up these skills in a
targeted approach by aligning it to the jobs you’re interested in so
you don’t come across as a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
o The jack-of-all-trades and master of none comment got my attention.
I would ask people who knew me well and people I’d
just met for their opinions of whether my story made me seem
like more of a generalist or a specialist, and made appropriate
adaptations based on their responses.

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