In my job I make a lot of phone calls. It's what I am paid to do and it is also what makes me valuable to people. For my clients, my ability to get out there and network throughout a marketplace quickly and in a targeted manner is important to getting them talent. For candidates, the fact that I am in the know about jobs and companies that may be well under the radar or that they aren't able to break into is also of real value.
Now, when people hear "networking" they often think of meeting people through clubs or hanging out at industry conferences among other things. And while I do those things, by far the way I get the most candidates and learn about the most opportunities is on the phone. This means that I "meet" a lot of people over the phone and that is the first time they have any interaction with me. In the past, the only thing they may have known of me was that call and any follow up interaction I had with them. However, now in our virtual world, it is really easy for people to Google my name and find themselves right here at my blog.
So now that I have called you, you might have some questions:
Because you called me, does that mean I have been "identified" as a high-level candidate?
Maybe! Maybe not. Sometimes I call people and know nothing about them yet, sometimes I know a lot about them. However, by far the most calls I make are to people who have been referred by another source. This usually means that someone has thought of you as either a good resource or a good person. But it doesn't necessarily mean you are on the fast track to CEO.... yet. We need to get to know each other before I can actually tell you that.
How did you get my name?
Like I said above - referrals. But you have to remember, referrals don't always mean it's someone you know. Since I work on a completely confidential basis most people are pretty open about suggesting you talk to someone who they know is in a certain position. They don't necessarily know you are good at that position. On the other hand, sometimes I do get straight out, "this is the person you need to talk to" referrals as well.
How much do you know about me then?
So from above you can see that it really depends. Sometimes I know nothing of substance apart from a title perhaps. Sometimes I know you are a reasonably good fit for a position I have immediately, but then I still need to get to know you to see if it is something that is going to challenge you and enhance your career.
I get calls like this ALL THE TIME! Why should I even bother talking with you?
This is easy for me to answer. Because I could help change your
life. Your career is where you are going to spend the bulk of your
waking day each week day. By spending a few minutes on the phone with
me, I may be able to help you get an opportunity that could change your
life or the life of someone you know. A few minutes on the phone is a
pretty easy trade to make for the possible return.
How long before you find me a great opportunity then?
Good question. The answer is I don't know until I get to know you.
The better I know you, the more likely I will be to be able to help
you. So if I have called you and presented an opportunity to you, then
don't be shy, let me know exactly what will make you interested and we
can work from there. I can't guarantee to find you exactly what you
want, but I can make sure that if I do come across that then you will
see it sooner rather than later.
This post originally appeared here in August 2006.
