I love it when people can tell stories that make a point – like Aesop's Fables… My father was great at this – unfortunately, I'm not. For this homily, let's borrow from Seth Godin and his "The Panhandler's Secret."
Seth's post is a simple story that reinforces a truism of sales training – talk features and benefits. Career changers and job seekers are selling themselves – selling their unique value proposition – their brand.
So be sure you know the features and benefits needed by your target organization – be sure what they need is in your "tool bag."
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Karen,
I haven’t said ‘hello’ in a few weeks, so I stopped by to read your latest post. I’m glad I did — I hadn’t read that particular post from Seth before, but I loved the story.
Just yesterday, I had a complete stranger reach to me on LinkedIn. She was trying to expand her professional network and at the same time, look for new employment.
I was honored and thrilled to help her. Turns out, she is an amazing person and I am better off because she reached out to me.
I bring this up to make the point that we have more social networking sites and online information about networking than ever in our history. Why is it that so few people know how to reach out and connect professionally?
Joseph-
Thanks for your comment and observation about networking. Seems like a process that people spend a lot of time talking ABOUT; less time doing it… I believe people would experience far more success in their networking if they approached it with a healthy helping of respect and manners.
So glad that you have maintained our connection, born out of social networking tools. I look forward to hearing more about you path… Best…