HIRED LEARNING: Home Sweet Home… NOT!!!

By Joe Himelfarb
When I got laid off, I made a conscious decision to attend at least one networking event a day. And at each of those events I would meet two to four people I did not know. Not everyone, just two to four strangers.
My rationale for this strategy was twofold. First, because I love selling it was important that I remain on my game by being able to step out of my comfort zone and strike up conversations with total strangers. But more importantly, since everybody I met knew 250 people that I didn’t know, I hoped that these networking contacts would remember me in future discussions they would have with friends, families, and colleagues at barbecues, on the sidelines at their kid’s sporting events, around the water cooler, in meetings, on line at the supermarket, etc.
My hope was that if someone happened to mention that they knew someone that was looking for a salesperson, that my contacts would remember me and either share my contact info with their friend or contact me and let me know about this lead.
Within four weeks that is exactly what happened. Someone I met knew someone I should meet, who knew someone else. And four weeks after that I had a job offer.
On your job seeking continuum, the worse that can happen is nothing. At the other end, the best that can happen is you get the job offer you’ve been dreaming about. Your home may be sweet, but that’s not where you will land a job.
Get up, get out, and mingle.
Thanks again for the opportunity to share.