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Highly Effective Networking
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Highly Effective Networking

Meet the Right People and Get a Great Job

Orville Pierson
Career Press, 2009
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Editorial Rating

7

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Recommendation

Orville Pierson is the senior vice president of an international career services company, so he clearly knows about job hunting. He lucidly illustrates how job seekers can maximize the relationships within their circle of contacts to reach all-important “decision makers.” He also directs readers to unlikely networking sources they might not normally consider. Pierson explains that, when it comes to job hunting, the Internet is both a blessing and a curse. Although the Web may expose a job hunter to more opportunities, odds are that any given résumé – along with thousands of others – can get swallowed up in a bottomless pit. The prospects are nearly as grim with print or online classified ads – particularly when job competition is fierce. Networking, Pierson says, may offer the best opportunity to find work or career advancement. Many people have landed good jobs by initiating conversations with friends, casual acquaintances or former colleagues. getAbstract praises Pierson’s systematic, strategic approach to networking. As he says, it doesn’t guarantee results – and it does require time and perseverance – but today’s job seekers need every available weapon.

Summary

Networking Is a Way of Life

Everyone networks. Whether you’re looking for an orthopedic surgeon, an electrician or an auto mechanic, you’re likely to ask your friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations. When you approach networking as part of a job search, it requires a more structured, deliberate approach, but it ultimately boils down to talking with other people, expanding your circle of contacts, gathering information and hopefully connecting with “decision makers” who can hire you. Successful networking features these components:

1. Spread the Word

People can’t help you unless they know you’re looking for a job. Tell everyone that you’re job hunting – particularly if you’re unemployed. You may need to be a little more guarded if you’re already employed and looking for a better position. Either way, the idea is to make your intentions known.

2. Be Informed

If you’re considering a career change, you must understand the industry you’re targeting. Do opportunities currently exist? Is there growth potential? Can you make a decent living? Networking is often the best way to gather the information you need to make an intelligent decision...

About the Author

Orville Pierson, author of The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search, is senior vice president of Lee Hecht Harrison, an international career services company.

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