I just finished reviewing the revised edition of A Foot in the Door – Networking your way into the hidden job marketby Katharine Hansen (Ten Speed Press) for the Career Planning & Adult Development Journal and wanted to share some highlights with you.First of all – two thumbs up! At every point, the book provides scripts and breaks down examples of how to network effectively. Rather than just saying “Network!” it says “Here’s how to effectively network.” Five things I took away from the book —
- Conducting developmental networking vs. strategic networking (and the reasons for both)
- Preparing different networking pitches. The author defines what she calls a sound bite, a commercial, and an infomercial
- Creating a concise personal branding statement that describes “the attributes that enable you to deliver value”
- Analyzing informational interviews depending on one of three goals: by interviewee (if expanding your network), job type (if exploring career paths), or company (if identifying companies for which you’d like to work)
- Turning data received from informational interviews into a needs-fulfillment cover letter
A Foot in the Door was updated to include networking in a Web 2.0 environment and would help anyone looking to take their current job search up a notch. For young professionals, it’s a comprehensive primer on how to effectively network. For mid to senior level professionals, it’s a valuable refresher and may provide a new outlook or technique.
