Whether you’re just kicking off a job search or feeling stalled in the midst of one, it’s always good to be thinking of who might be your next best resource, contact, or referral source. I’ll share two ideas with you:
Fellow college alumni — Alumni love to help each other. Tap your college’s alumni database and ask for advice, recommendations, or suggestions. One tip for success is to not ask directly about job opportunities, but to ask about who they may know in a certain field or at a particular company.
Parents of your children’s friends — Ever notice how you fall into a pattern of politely not ‘talking shop’ with the people in your social circles? When you do start talk business with them, you may be pleasantly surprised at who they know. People like to help others, and if you are good friends, they will want to help you if they can. You just have to let the conversation “go there.” So long as you don’t overdo it, you won’t be bothering them.
Think outside of the box when you start to assemble a list of potential networking contacts. You never know who may be one or two degrees away from a valuable contact for you.
