Networking strategy - Part16

Establish a strategic marketing plan

1- List of targeted companies

Your source of information can be:

- Chamber of commerce. I got in touch with UbiFrance and FACCI

- Industry directory: as a Microsoft specialist I'm using  www.pinpoint.microsoft.com 

- Professional groups: on LinkedIn I joined groups related to Talent acquisition and Social media. Make sure to join the ones with the highest number of members

- Business association: RCSA, AHRI (Australian HR Institute), AI (Australian Institute of Management) etc

- Event organiser: Australian Talent Conference, Social Media strategists etc

2- LinkedIn as a directory

Search for the company in the search tab. From the home page, on the right hand corner click on the drop down menu to select "Companies".

You can take advantage of being there to follow the company. Go to the "How are you connected" section to click on "see all".

This gives you a list of targeted persons to fill your directory listing.

A trick I discovered is to sort by "members". Those persons you can directly message them for free: You don't need a Premium account for that!

Go to the section "Tips&Tricks" of my blog to the post "how to save Inmail in LinkedIn"

3- Identify the mutual connections

Associate your targeted contact with potentials introducers from your networks. This will help you:

- realize how close you actually are from people you would never have thought it could be possible

- identify the key persons within your networks by sorting out how many occurances they get from their role classification

- clarify your approach. Instead of sollicitating your 1st degree connection for an introduction at every single time you want to reach at a new person, you will have all the targeted contacts associate to this 1st degree connection. Thereby, you will be able to ask all in once.

As well, you will understand the possible interactions between the members of your networks and understand how to leverage them in a smart way.

In fact, you have to make as easy as possible to the person that offered to help you. Having a big picture will allow to highlight some networking interactions your 1st degree would not have thought about. You can then suggest him to take a particular action.

4- Involve your 1st degree connections

Even if you can reach directly at your targeted contact, let your 1st degree connection, at least, know that you are going to do so.

Might be that he would:

- regeard you to someone more appropriate, which will save you time

- offer to promote you at your target contact

- be in touch at the moment with your targeted contact and you would not like to interfere and embarass him with discovering on the spot that you are chasing in its networks

- be at odds with your targeted contact. That also can happen. I let you guess how "efficient" it could be to start your message mentioning the name of your 1st degree connection.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Networking strategy - Part 15

As I said in my previous post, direct application to job ads won't take you far and will only hit the tip of the iceberg, where there is a fierce competition which, in the end, delivers little to the bottom line: jobs that are advertised are more likely to be the ones previous HR means was not able to fill.

Be savvy!

Avoid hitting the wall by circumventing it. 

We might tend to think that the only way out is to go through. We get caught up, maybe just because we are too close to the wall. Step back and you might find a detour.

The blue ocean strategy

"Blue Ocean Strategy suggests that an organization should create new demand in an uncontested market space, or a "Blue Ocean", rather than compete head-to-head with other suppliers in an existing industry." - Wikipedia

People are fighting hard for a desired position at a well-known company. Well, good on them. Just let them concentrate all their efforts into proving that they can be the best of the best to a limited number of companies. The rest is all yours! ..and it is virgin. (Yes, I do like Virgin Group!)

Find an alternative solution

You know your market and have in mind and idea to leverage it. But, it is too difficult, or premature ...

Consider the syaing that goes "They did not know it was impossible, so they did it" - Mark Twain

Employers are looking for people that will bring solutions to the table. If you come up with an interesting idea and even better, a concept, worth being developed that could enhance the industry and thereby generate a profitable business, then why not? Why wouldn't you be hired!?

You will need to think outside of the box

"Going along with the crowd is rarely a good choice" - R. Branson. How would you then identify the issues and think of an original solution?

Offer a value proposition

When you land it, you have to lead it. "Be sufficiently courageous, visionary or perhaps plain crazy enough to establish a brand new business sector" - R. Branson

Because it is innovative, it is new and does not exist yet or just partially. That is why you are more likely to develop it by yourself. Jump into the "Blue Ocean" (with calculated risks)! This will be your contribution to the community.
You will have something to offer to people struggling at their daily tasks. Thereby, you will instigate curiosity and raise interest.

Consider having a pro-active approach

Networking is a secular way of doing business. With the Web 2.0  we got all connected. With social media we are empowered with actively spreading our networks and articulate connections to generate business opportunities.

Networking will not only be an effective way to break into a specific market reaching out targeted contacts but also spread your reputation out of a stuffy private circle in order to raise awareness of your talent!

Bear in mind, that is has to be strategic. I'll develop in my next posts the tactics, tools and strategy I'm using in my job search 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

The hidden market - Part3

SECRETS REVEALED IN SIMPLE FACTS

Where are the jobs ?

 I think it says it all..

Only 3,6% of the jobs are advertised. And the majority of the active job seekers  is applying for.

Networking is key:

1- scientifically speaking, what is under 5% is considered as irrelevant. That breaks the common assumption that:

- finding a job will be on job boards

- recruiters cover the job market

2- Simply applying is not enough. You have got to make it happen. The next career (real) opportunity will come out of your networks.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Personal branding - Part4

Self-discipline:

To be able to accustome people, you first have to do it for yourself! And, believe me, this is a real challenge! 
At starting this blog, I was thriving with great ideas, bouncy at making it happen and full of enthousiam about sharing the vision I gained from my international experience.

- That is the cheerful part-

Then, you realise that it is about more than writing as you go. You have to stick to:
- regular flow of posts, 
- sustained presence in forum/professional groups
- make yourself available to the comments/questions of your public.

The frequency of your interaction is (in my opinion) as important as the content itself.

Drive your audience

If you were able to catch the attention of your people it is, a first  great achievement. Not every blog find an audience. It means that you have people interested in what you do, keen to listen to more and may be.. liking you!

Here is your chance!

- Establish with them an even closer relationship by getting a bit more personal and offering your help to their particular case,

- Settle an habit between you and them with a regular meeting. For example, posting on the same day at the same time

- Lead them step by step. Since you have already been through, you know (at least the main lines^^) where you want to end up. 

Let your people follow you confidently by having an organised content planning. Having a clear goal of what you want to achieve will help you divide it into smaller chunks. You can then map the way with milestones, each related to certain topics.

Set an editorial plan:

Frame it with a:
- schedule
- content organiser
The same way as that of planning your job search, you can have to define how you want to gear your people to.

If you do your communication right, your people will find it simple and clear.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Personal branding - Part3

Defining your identity gives you the core: where you stand and what you pursue. Now you have to make it alive!

To exist in the mind of people you have to be more than a simple thought, but vibrant, continuously evolving and interacting with them.

Maintaining a consistant presence:

Make sure to feed with frequent publication. Your audience, by noticing you on a regular basis will come to get used to it as an habit. They will then expect an input from you.

This is a first step in slightly stettling into their mind. Moreover, you'll break into their personal sphere and thereby get a grip on their feeling. Emotion is one of the most powerful influencial tool.

A piece of you shines in

Every post is a reflection of me. And thereby participates in my personal brand. Since I want to communicate a professional, useful, effective and consistent message, my blog has to be in that way.

Thus, every single post is demanding of time and effort. What I deliver to you is the synthesis of a long and detailled research, a proven result from my personal experiment and the digest of my understanding.

The art of writting

There also comes the actual art of writing. As easy as it might seems, it took me long to find my style, the right words (specially in a non native language) and how to effectively 'communicate' ideas in simple words; and I'm still working on it. 

Particularly the first months were demanding. Now it tends to come more naturally, as I get used to it.

I'm on the way to finding my voice!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Personal branding - Part2

Building a brand

Although you can define what your brand is, the interesting aspect is that your brand evolves with your career. 
Self-reflection can bring you objectivity, which will make clearer and more consistent your decisions.

Why?

- Be responsible for it
Whether you want it or not, your "brand" goes with your reputation. If you don't want someone else to do it at your place, you would better anticipate

- Integrity 
You can align your image with who you really are and reveal you true-color

- Be unique
Crafting your brand makes you realise where you stand and what you can leverage off. You'll be objective with your strengths and weaknesses. Self-knowledge goes a long way with differentiating you from the crowd

- Be objective
Having a clearer view of your goals will help you keep focused, resilient and aware of where to put your efforts

- Be collected
Integrating all the multiple facets of your personality into one single core, will enhance your communication and identification to others. In the meantime, avoid the rise of red flags pointing misleading messages

- Protect your down side
You can have a better control of the content published about you. In our digital world this has turned to be vital. You will be fortified behind a unified and strong reflection of yourself.
That will also help you learn how and what to express yourself on; avoiding the pitfalls.

- Be strategic
You will dissociate clearly what goes along with your personal brand and could be beneficial to your career, with what could finally cause collateral damages.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Personal branding - Part1

Your image, let it work for you!

If there is one efficient, effective, long lasting, influential, valuable and core asset for your career, your image is it. You mold it with personal branding.

This series of articles is to clue you in to what personal branding is and to reveal you the secrets and relieve assumptions you may have about it.

Distinguish the "image" and the "brand"

1- Brand

Personal branding marks you as a brand: "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service" - Wikipedia

Applied to an individual, in other terms: the entire package, outside and inside, that makes YOU unique and distinguishable from the others.

2- Image
This is the perception of you that others have. The perception of your brand. All the emotions instigate, the consequences of your actions, the subsequence of your behaviour etc in other words: your reflect in the eyes of others.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet