When thinking about networking, many professionals are too narrow minded. We often keep our various circles segregated.  Sometimes, this is wise, but other times it is not. When I lost my job in June 2013, a meeting of the minds of my blended networks helped me build my confidence, came up with a creative–and diverse–game plan, and pointed me in the right direction.

Circles of friends and colleagues often differ. We have a circle of friends with whom we may like to talk sports, others may discuss politics, and others may be strictly about business. There may be some overlap, but we sometimes build protective cones around many of our circles. However, blending these circles can mean benefits for you and others. Your network is only as good as the work it is doing for all participants, so if there’s an opportunity for crossover within some circles, take advantage of it. You may create the introduction for someone within your own circle to meet someone in your extended network. Or, you may ask if someone you are talking with knows someone in a particular field of interest that’s outside the immediate circle.

The web of a network should have key members in it. When discussing networking, we often think of going straight to the top. Instead, it’s important to make sure we are connecting with various levels within an organization. When we cross-pollinate our network and are not narrow minded in our approach, that network becomes more balanced, including friends, co-workers, former colleagues, doers, leaders, support staff, and even some fun personal network contacts.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Even if you’re deep into the job search, it’s still not too late to put
together your recommendations. You may have to make up some
ground, but keep the effort moving forward. If you’re poking around to
see what’s available on the job front and you’re not on a full-blown job
search, or you’re simply looking for a promotion that needs character
validation, now is the time to figure out who will recommend you. You
don’t want to be in the middle of filling out an application and get to the
section about recommendations or referrals and be stopped cold because
you don’t know who you plan on selecting. I had several people in mind,
but in some cases, it had been awhile since we last interacted. If you don’t
know the answer to the question, “Do I know who will endorse me?”
then it’s time to start writing out the list immediately.

After you finish the list of names, send a note or call the potential
group of at least three to five people and ensure that they know they may
be contacted. This may seem obvious, but I found that I didn’t have complete
contact information for a couple of people I wanted to use. I might
have had an email address or phone number only. On some applications,
name, address, email, and multiple phone numbers were requested. Be
prepared. If you’re building an online profile with a company that’s general
in nature, it may be okay to stop the process here.

As you start to narrow down the positions you are seeking and get to
a point where a recommendation may actually be used, help the person
providing the recommendation by giving them specifics about the job
and the individual or types of skills the company may be looking for.
A targeted approach with the person doing your recommendation can
potentially help the employer gather more meaningful information about
you.

Finally, the personal and professional relationship you have with
someone isn’t the only criteria you should pay attention to when making
a selection. Do you have connections that are brutally honest in all of
their assessments? While that can be a great quality, you don’t want all
your strengths and weaknesses laid out on the table for your prospective
employer. The person you select for a recommendation is an important
part of the job search process; that person shouldn’t spend the majority of
the time talking about your less desirable qualities. A balanced approach
is good, but you need to know ahead of time what’s coming. Coach that
person, if needed. I once went through a 360 feedback process where
I included direct reports, managers, peers, and business partners in my
feedback process. I was able to select them myself, so I picked the people
I was closest to, thinking they would only sing my praises. In actuality, I
had picked the people who knew me the best and were looking out for
my best interests by providing critical feedback. Although this is not a
direct correlation, understand that the people closest to you do care the
most about you, but also know you the best. Additionally, it’s important
to be cautious about seeking recommendations from people who can only
provide personal character responses. You want a balance of character information
with business accomplishments.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Friends and family are obviously strong connections—at least most
of the time. Did you notice I didn’t include colleagues? I have separated
them because your strongest professional connections will change
over time. Ask yourself who those connections were five or ten years ago.
Chances are many names are not the same. When building your network,
it’s important to understand that fluctuations happen—players change
over time. How important each one is to the other will also change over
time. You need to either accept that reality, or make every effort to work
on the relationship to ensure that it stays productive for both parties.
Inevitably, some relationships may not stand the test of time, and that’s
all right.
In the meantime, you need to know who your most reliable connections
will be, regardless of the business cycle. When the world’s crashing
in, who will pick up the phone for you? This section is very important
to me because I made some assumptions about people who proved to be
more fleeting network connections than the stable rocks I expected. To
avoid that, I should have invested time building a deeper relationship
with the people I wanted to be among my strongest connections. I had
to imagine the receiver of my phone call or message when I absolutely
needed something. I needed to be convinced that the call would get answered
and the support would be there. If there was any question about
the strength of that connection, I had some work to do.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

The question of all questions that must be asked in every networking
session is, “Who else should I meet?” Think about the math. If
you ask this question of three people and you get three names from each
of them, you’ve expanded your network to nine. This easily turns into
twenty-seven new connections, and the growth continues to expand. The
opportunities are endless if that question is asked every time.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

In previous writing, I noted that we may be too close to our inner circle.
We must reach beyond our inner circle and immediate colleagues so
that all our eggs aren’t in the same basket. We can maximize our network
and strengthen our prospects by broadening and diversifying our reach.
The most effective individuals also engage and target family and friends,
along with professional groups, social circles, and even parents of children’s
friends, when possible. We want a sound and expansive platform
from which to work, but there are inevitably whole populations of people
we overlook in forming that platform. For me personally, I know I have
blind spots and so must sit down and consciously think about who has
been left out as I work to create the most far-reaching network possible.

Where are your blind spots? It’s not an easy question, so ask the people
in your circles specific questions about how to expand your network
if you feel that it is too narrow, or you’re missing people who should be
included. Here are just some of the many potential questions to ask:

• Have I reviewed all of the business cards I’ve accumulated over the
years?
• Have I gone through all of my current email contacts in detail?
• Are there people you know you’ve run into but can’t remember his
or her name, but remember someone who will know?
• Have you asked, “Who else should I connect with?” at the end of
each conversation?
• Have you made your business colleagues and partners aware of
your situation?
• Have you reached out to past mentors and mentees?
• Have you contacted current and past groups of interest? Personally,
I instantly scoured my Toastmasters International and National
Speakers Association contacts.
• If you have children in school, have you contacted the parents of
their classmates? How many times has one of my kids come home
and mentioned a job of one of their friends’ parents. School directories
and local phone books may be at your disposal.
• Review your social media contacts in-depth; review the recommended
connections and start making requests to build your network.
• Do you have access to past meeting notes or to other communications
(e.g., emails, memos) that may include the names of key contacts
of people you’ve dealt with in the past or subject-mater-experts
that may benefit you by setting up a meeting?

Even this tactic may not be as fruitful or productive as you expect if
you are only asking the question of your immediate network—they too
may be too close to you to see the big picture. We surround ourselves with
people like us, which can be a blind spot in and of itself. There are more
questions that you must ask:

• Are there ways to diversify your network? For example, have you
found yourself talking to mostly men?
• Do you associate primarily with people in one industry?
• Have you stayed local in your networking efforts? Even if your desire
is to remain local in landing a job, it shouldn’t hold you back
from talking with people outside your geographic area in order to
gain a fresh perspective and expand your network.
It may be time to analyze what is missing from your own network.
In addition to normal brainstorming techniques, I suggest putting your
name in the middle of a piece of paper and from there jotting down
streams of people you want to meet, asking the questions mentioned
above. In addition, take a good look at your personal marketing plan to
determine whether you have connections that align with your goals. If
you don’t, there is work to do to achieve your networking goals. Work
is opportunity waiting to be unleashed. It’s time to invest the time and
effort to allow it to blossom and do some work for you.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

When we talk about networking, we instantly think in professional terms.
However, I believe we should reframe that to include our inner
circle and the people we hang out with the most. Adam Grant in his
book “Give and Take” and Keith Ferrazzi in his book “Never Eat Alone” both
reference the fact that our inner circles may be too close to us and too
similar to us for us to depend on them solely to land us the Big Job. We
often surround ourselves with people who have the same interests, have
like-minds, have an emotional connection, and live geographically close.
I found the same thing was true for me. However, that doesn’t mean we
should avoid social situations and stay in our cave until we find a job. If
we feel comfortable enough with those in our social circle, that translates
into more in-depth conversations that may give us valuable insight
into our situation going forward. In addition, our inner circle may not
give us direct contact to get us the job, but I truly believe in the “Six
Degrees of Kevin Bacon” theory, where a friend of a friend of a friend,
and so on, will finally connect the dots for us. These types of conversations
from within your social circle balance your approach and become a
good starting point for your job search, while simultaneously providing a
solid home base and support system, as needed.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Lunch may not always come with a networking session, but if you
can make it happen, you should take advantage of it. There is value
in meeting people face-to-face if the opportunity presents itself. It shows
a more human side and builds deeper connections. I’ve found a large
number of people sympathized with my situation and offered to take me
to lunch. You don’t have to ask me twice. In addition to getting out of
the house and escaping the monotony that sometimes comes with job
hunting, those lunches gave me an opportunity to meet new people and
hear interesting stories and propositions. The power of an actual handshake
in building trust and establishing deeper connections is also not
lost. Interestingly enough, most of the in-person meetings had very little
chance of leading to a job, but served to further emphasize the need to
have a wide range of people and professions within my network.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Keep all options open and cast a broad net. You may think you know what you want. In fact, I started this book telling you to make sure you know what you want. I wasn’t lying, but I’m also realistic enough to know that that isn’t always easy. It’s acceptable to keep a somewhat narrow focus based on what you want or need, while at the same time keeping an open mind. In some cases, options may be restricted based on your established limitations, such as location. As you pursue these wide-open options, keep a narrow focus so that you’re not drifting aimlessly, as that wastes time. For example, I had some conversations with companies in Boston, which is almost four hours away from my home. A commute would not be feasible for me, but I kept the conversation going until the companies said that there was no option to work remotely (work from home). Continuing down that path would have wasted precious time and energy. However, it was only after I confirmed the company’s corporate policy that I gave up on that possibility. I include this example because I heard about another company that didn’t allow people to work remotely. After doing some digging, I found that wasn’t true. The ability to trust but verify, is an important tool in your arsenal. There is a difference between working desperately and working smart.

In casting your broad net, it’s very important to market yourself to align with the specific job you are applying for based on the job description, the information provided on the application/job posting, and the details obtained from your due diligence. For example, as a speaker, trainer, author, coach, and banker, it became too difficult for prospective employers reading my information to decipher what role I really wanted when I applied to a new company. Although my answer was, “just about anything,” that did come across as a bit desperate. I didn’t feel desperate at all, but on paper it looked that way. I have always been able to find a way to enjoy my job and maintain a positive attitude, regardless of what I was doing. Over the years, I have learned the importance of being accountable to change what I don’t like in my life or my work. But, how would anyone be able to get all that from my résumé? In some cases, even talking through it, I would laugh at how ridiculous it sounded without context. I might as well have just said, “I’m a people-person,” and left it at that.

To avoid that kind of confusion, I had to align what I wanted with what I was going after. For example, I had recent experience overseeing banking risk. I know that the business of risk in banking is very important after the economic downturn in 2008 (or even earlier in some cases). My success in this type of role depends on my ability to be strong enough to come in with an objective point of view to push back, persuade business partners, and communicate effectively to identify and mitigate concerns. I made some changes to include more risk-based language on my marketing plan and résumé. I also built up the ways in which my side interests in speaking and training strengthened my ability to influence others when I had no direct power, while simultaneously refining my written and oral communication skills.

Although I had specific risk responsibilities with my former employer, I did cast the broader net to include operational risk, business controls, and even audit and compliance when applying for new jobs. My immediate goal was to get my foot in the door with prospective employers so that I could demonstrate how my diverse background would enable me to have an impact in the future of their company. I was able to do that enough to determine that the business of banking risk went beyond simply identifying issues, and was more about building strong relationships. Even though I had known that from past experience, I’m not sure how quickly I would have used it in networking sessions and interviews if I hadn’t been dabbling in the other areas that weren’t part of my direct expertise.

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, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

I soon realized that my chances of getting a job increased exponentially
when I utilized LinkedIn as a tool. The use of LinkedIn may not be the
best course of action for everyone. For example, if you are looking only
at small businesses locally, it may be easier to go into each specific organization
to set up an appointment. However, even with this example, it
is prudent to at least glance at LinkedIn to see if the owner has a profile.

LinkedIn has become so important as a networking tool that business-savvy
individuals pay content experts to assist them in creating the most effective
LinkedIn profile. A friend of mine, Donna Serdula, does this professionally
and has written LinkedIn Makeover: Professional Secrets to a Powerful
LinkedIn Profile, a great reference book to help ensure that your own profile
is the best it can be. If you’re looking for specific strategies for making an
impact on LinkedIn, I recommend checking out Donna’s book.
By going “all-in,” I mean doing more than replicating your résumé.

Use more space to make a visual impact on your LinkedIn profile. You
should make the assumption that recruiters and hiring managers will be
looking for your profile after you have made contact—this assumption is
a pretty good bet for many large employers today. If they don’t find a profile
for you, or find a quickly-put-together profile, that tells them a story.
What story do you want told about you? Among the many candidates
applying for jobs, a quality LinkedIn profile is a must to set yourself apart.

The basic free-service of LinkedIn is a great starting point and is often
sufficient to meet most people’s needs. LinkedIn does have Premium
paid-membership with benefits that include a more advanced search fea-
ture, seeing who has viewed your profile, and allowances to send more
messages. I will leave it up to your individual preferences and needs to
determine if the investment is worth it to you.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

The traditional “Rolodex” may not be the same as it used to be, having
been replaced in large part with new tools like Facebook, LinkedIn,
Outlook, Google, and other social media platforms and repositories of
contact information. That doesn’t mean maintaining—or even starting to
build—that contact information is any less important now than it ever
was. If you currently have a job, start or continue to build your network
now, using all of the aforementioned tools at your disposal. If you’re currently
unemployed, it’s time to play catch up. Watching multiple unemployed
people just starting to build their network in desperate times may
exacerbate your own anxiety on the road to employment. It’s important
to realize that the process is not insurmountable. The tools available to
facilitate the information-gathering process are critical to your success,
and make it easier than ever to begin the process of networking. It’s time
to build your “Rolodex.”

I had several traditionalists say they wanted face-to-face meetings and
phone calls. Those are fantastic if you can get them, but don’t depend
on them. Networks are built in many different ways today. There is no
set formula, but social media and email often are the most convenient
ways for the recipients of your requests to connect. It’s important to get
to know what the people you are depending on are using as their own
“Rolodex,” whether it’s LinkedIn or something else. If you need to create
new social media profiles, then do it. It’s important to adapt to new technologies
and networking practices if you’re not already there. While I’m
not typically a conformist, my own circumstances meant that I needed
to go with the easiest means of connecting. If the people I was trying to
connect with preferred one method over another, my goal was to make it
as easy and convenient as possible for them. In this case, I recognized that
if everyone else was doing it, there had to be a good reason why.

On a personal note, I know how time-consuming social media can be.
I think it can become habit-forming and has the potential to keep you
from developing real relationships. However, I can comfortably say that
more than eighty percent of my time using social media was on LinkedIn,
or working with the contact list that I’ve maintained over the years in
Microsoft Outlook. I considered this invested time crucial to setting up
the meetings that would become real conversations. The time-consumption
the question is really about productivity. How productive are you when
you’re using it? It wasn’t as important for me to view a post of what someone
had for dinner last night as to better understand what was going on
in his or her career and industry.

As you continue to reach out to people, build your Rolodex by capturing
contact information through incoming email signatures and other
means such as business cards, websites, and letterheads. Most professionals
have some type of email signature that often includes their phone
number and address. I significantly increased the number of times I was
able to capitalize on new leads by taking down the information in those
email signatures. I even found valuable opportunities with administrative
assistants’ contact information when it came to setting up networking
sessions, interviews, and meetings.

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 , eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com