Executive Recruiters Book, Work Your Network! Part 4…
Be sure to get involved in groups that will allow you to network with people who are ahead of you, that they might lift you. Mentors by their nature will be ahead of you so they may be a better source of the right networking groups for you to join. But, in the information gathering stage use all sources to get to know the universe of networking options.
If you don’t have a mentor, you can tap into the advice of someone ahead of you like this. Find someone who has your dream job, 5-10 or 20 years out. Ask them, if you will buy them lunch, will they give you some ideas to enhance your career. Then at lunch ask them for suggestions on good networking groups you might join. It will be easier for someone to say yes to lunch than to agree to be your mentor, which sounds like a huge commitment. You can follow up with another lunch and another and before you know it, the person IS your mentor.
Make sure you are clear about what you want to get from your networking. Time is money so you want to join the right groups.
Here are some examples of the networking groups which I have attended meetings or been a member of. I am still active in many of these. I have been President of a number of them:
Association for Corporate Growth
BayCFO
California Association of Personnel Services
Chamber of Commerce
ClubSport
Golden Gate Sport and Social Club
Institute of Management Accountants
Rotary
Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group
TEC
The Alliance of Chief Executives
The American Payroll Association
The Bay Area Council
The Boy Scouts of America
The Churchill Club
The City Club
The Commonwealth Club
The Compass Society
The Financial Executives Networking Group
The Healthcare Financial Managers Association
The Institute of Internal Auditors
The National Association of Executive Recruiters
The National Association of Personnel Services The Pinnacle Society
The Society of Human Resources Management
The Sports Club/LA
The Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization
The World Entrepreneurs’ Organization
Toastmasters International
World Trade Club
Young Presidents’ Organization
Join a few groups and get going. My friend Ken Sheppard says arrive early and ask, “How can I help?” Just reach out your hand and say, “Hello, I’m Joe Pelayo,” or “Joe Pelayo, good to see you again.” Most great actors follow a script and it’s very much okay for you to have one. Think about the questions you might be asked and write your script. You can always change it, add on, or edit it but a good plan today beats the perfect plan tomorrow.
What’s your name?
What do you do?
Where do you live?
Where are you from? Do you miss it there?
Are you married?
How did you two meet?
Do you have kids?
What do you do when you’re not working? Etc., etc., etc.
As for the conversations they always seem to take care of themselves if you have the courage to just say, “Hi.” After you have found a group you really enjoy networking in and that you feel you can grow in, it’s time to be aggressive! You’ve gotten to know a number of the players, now you simply invite yourself onto the board.
I was asked the other night at a networking event, “Joe, do you really feel that you have really gotten to know people in this organization at these meetings? “Some,” I answered, “But most I have REALLY gotten to know by being on the board.”
Now you simply ask someone, “I really like what this organization is all about. Is there something I can do on the board to help out?” Believe me, they will find a use for your enthusiasm. I know that sounds like an aggressive approach and perhaps Miss Manners would wait for an invitation to be on the board but this is not for you. You are not Miss Manners; you are a Power Networking Machine.
Look, you’ve bought this book to grow your network, right? To do so you need to be more aggressive. Better to be aggressive and rich, than polite and broke. Webster’ s defines aggressive as: “marked by driving forceful energy or initiative.” Here’s another: “strong or emphatic in effect or intent, energetic especially in pursuing particular goals, bold self-confidence in expression of opinion.”
Speaking of aggressiveness, here is the true story of Vic Torres. Vic came to see me when I worked as an executive recruiter at General Employment in 1987. Vic had worked as a writer for a newspaper in a foreign country and wrote candidly about the country’s corrupt Dictator. One day there was a knock at Vic’s door. When he opened the door armed guards informed him that the Dictator didn’t like his column and wanted him to either stop writing altogether, or find something nice to write about the Dictator. In Vic’s opinion and in the opinion of most of the country there was nothing nice to write about this Dictator. Vic continued writing his column the way he saw things.
A few weeks later the guards were back and said they just wanted to inform Vic that his friend, the other rebel writer, was a stubborn learner as well. That night on the news he learned they had killed his friend.
Vic and his family fled the country and arrived in the United States in 1982. He didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he knew he could not write. He was too scared and besides, the bad memories of his friend were too much. So he took a job in accounts payable and worked his way up to AP Supervisor and then left the company 4-1/2 years later.
Leading Executive Recruiters Book Excerpt, Part 4 continued…
So Vic came to see me looking for a new job and told me the above story in our interview! While I don’t recommend this level of candor if you are job seeking, for whatever reason it worked. I was struck by Vic’s candor and honesty, I guess. Besides, he was one of the nicest men you could ever meet. I decided to market him to a few of our client companies. Over the next few weeks I arranged 5 interviews for him but he kept getting ruled out for the same reason: “Not aggressive enough. “
Vic was one of those guys who was just “too nice. ” He was very soft spoken. I told him after every interview that he just HAD to speak up and be more aggressive. Finally I told him. “This is it. This is your last interview. We’ve been through this too many times. If you are ruled out for not being aggressive enough Vic, I cannot work with you anymore. ” Now I wasn’t going to turn my back on the poor guy but I was desperate.
I sent Vic to see Barry Segulyev at Marine Terminals
Corporation. Two hours later Vic returned to my office and
I mean he’s just walkin’ on air. He said this time he was VERY aggressive, he spoke up this time, hit it off great with Barry and he was pretty sure he had the job. I said, “Great Vic, have a seat in the lobby and I’ll give Barry a call. “
“Well Joe,” Barry said, “we really like Vic…but… well… I’m just not sure, (I just know Barry is gonna say Vic’s not aggressive enough.) I’m not sure Joe…well…l think Vic might be…a little…TOO aggressive for our group.” Can you believe it! ! !
I had some history working with Barry and I begged him to see Vic again. I told him the story, and I mean the Whole Story! I told Barry I would send Vic over again and tell him to just be himself this time. Barry agreed.
Well, I waited as long as I could for what seemed like hours. Finally I called Barry who said he was still meeting with Vic. I joked with him, “If you keep him any longer over there you know you have to put him on the payroll! ” Barry replied, “Well now that you mention it, Joe, he put me on the speaker phone and said, you were right, and Vic has agreed to join us as our AP Supervisor.”
That was as rewarding a placement as I ever made.
Many years later I got this letter from my friend Barry. I thought you might enjoy it. I know I did. Quite the character, Barry sent me one of the funniest Thank You letters I have ever received…
Good Moming Joe,
I just wanted to take a minute and thank you again for the video on job intetviewing. I met with the owner of a company called Electronics Specialties over the weekend to discuss a position with his company as Controller/CFO. Nomally I would not even consider a position like this because I’ve been an Accounting Manager so long that I’ve begun to think of myself as only an Accounting Manager. Your speech gave me the confidence in myself and I thought why not strut like a peacock and go for it. After all, what do I have to lose? I began the interview with a good handshake and thumb lock. Things seemed to go well after that. It tums out that he has had CPA’s and MBA’s working for him in the past but didn’t like the results. He is looking for an older gentleman who wants to stay with him until retirement. I told him that I have never been accused of being a gentleman before but I did qualify for the older part and it would be good if I could find one company that I could stay with until retirement. I think the interview went well as it lasted three and onehalf hours. We spent most of the time talking about our background and life experiences and a rather thorough tour of his facility. After the intetview he told me that he would hire a private investigator to do a background check on me, and if all tums out well, he would like me to meet the other managers of the company and their CPA’s before we discussed employment and salary.
Thanks for the morale booster that your tape provided. When I know something more I will be sure to let you know.
Best Regards,
Barry
You’re reading an excerpt of a leading Executive Recruiter’s book, Work Your Network! By Joe Pelayo.
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