Networking and Speculative Applications

Transcription

1 Networking and Speculative Applications With thanks to Enterprise rent-a-car for the sponsorship of this guide

2 It is generally agreed that about half of all job vacancies are never advertised publicly and employers often fill them instead with people who have approached them directly It is possible for everyone to find somebody who knows someone who can help. In fact most people are actually flattered to be approached for advice and are happy to help. To view this booklet in a larger print size, please go to our website: services/pcc/students/ finding-a-job/ speculative-applications Networking This handout aims to show you the value of developing networking skills to help you at every stage of the career planning and job search process What is networking? It is not just WHAT you know, it is also WHO you know that counts! Networking is all about building mutually beneficial relationships and talking to people with a view to discussing topics that are of joint interest. Networking is not to be confused with selling; rather it is about helping others who in turn will help you. Every time you make a new helpful contact you then tap into their network and get introductions to a new range of contacts, so you can gradually build up a large list of people who can help you. Why do it? It is generally agreed that about half of all job vacancies are never advertised publicly and employers often fill them instead with people who have approached them directly. There can be less competition for these vacancies than for those that have been advertised widely and research shows that a referral generates more success than a cold call because people usually trust the source of the information. Some people do a speculative mail shot of the same CV to hundreds of different firms. What they are effectively doing is sending junk mail to employers, with a likely return rate of only around one or two percent. Applications of this nature work, when they are more targeted and well researched to meet the employers needs. The later section on Speculative Applications will take you through the process. What can you get from networking? Networking can help you! Establishing what a job is really like Asking someone about the job, or industry they work in, should give you a better idea of what is involved in a role. In addition, your contact may be able to organise a visit to their company, paid/ unpaid work experience, work shadowing (i.e. unpaid work observation) or mentoring. Helping you look for work Your networking contacts can also give you an overview of the range of jobs within their given field and the level of competition for vacancies, look through your CV and suggest improvements, provide information on experience or qualifications and recommend other sources of information and advice, including their own contacts. They may also be able to tell you which journals and recruitment agencies to use when looking for vacancies, give you ideas of other employers to apply to and let you know about current vacancies. Researching companies and tailoring your applications Contacts, who work for organisations that interest you, could be invaluable in your research. They can provide an insight into 2 Networking and Speculative Applications 2 CVs and Applications

3 Networking and Speculative CVs and Applications company culture, recent company news, a deeper understanding of the job and possibly even information about the person who is going to interview you. Some people are afraid to use contacts. Typical comments include: I don t know anybody who could help me, I wouldn t want to bother them, My uncle could help me get a job, but I want to do it on my own, It seems unfair to take advantage of who you know. It is possible for everyone to find somebody who knows someone who can help. In fact most people are actually flattered to be approached for advice and are happy to help. In addition, there are many existing networks that you can tap into for advice. Professional bodies are a particularly useful source of contacts as they often publish lists of members. It never hurts to contact someone (tactfully) for help they can always say no. Bear in mind that contacts alone rarely get you a job you will need to prove you have what it takes. Finally, if you do not make use of networking, you could lose out to others. That s what makes networking powerful not everyone does it. What are the rules? An important concept in networking is reciprocity (or give and take). Do not only focus on your own needs. If you are looking for information or ideas from someone, you should expect to give something in return. This could simply mean sending them a piece of information, e.g. a link to an article you have read, volunteering to do some work, or introducing them to one of your contacts. You should show a genuine interest in the people you meet and always follow up when you say you will do something. You should be prepared to share ideas and the skills, ability and experience you have. Remember, even if the person you meet cannot help you it is quite likely that they will know someone who can. How do you do it? Start by asking yourself who do I want to meet and why?. You also need to be prepared and confident so that you make a good first impression, so practice describing yourself in under 30 seconds. It is vital that the person you are speaking to gets an accurate picture of what you do, what makes you relevant to their needs and what makes you different. You will need to be able to describe the key points quickly and professionally, while still keeping their interest. What do you say? This is often very personal and can be planned to some extent, but here are some ideas. If you are approaching a person you could smile and offer your hand introducing yourself clearly and confidently. You can then develop the conversation by asking relevant questions. Most people will be happy to talk and will respond favourably to someone who is genuinely interested in them. If you are approaching a group remember to check body language, if it is obvious that they are in a deep/ personal conversation, don t try to butt in, find someone else to talk to and then come back. To close the conversation and move on, you should again be polite. Share your contact details if appropriate and agree future actions before saying that you are going to have a walk around to talk to other people. Follow up When you close the conversation or meeting, ask how they would like you to follow up. Ask for their business card and write down any action points on the back. Take immediate action by sending an to say how much you enjoyed meeting them and send the information you have promised, even if it is something simple like a telephone number or a website address. You can also remind them of what they have promised you, but do remember to thank them for their offer, and when they respond, thank them again for doing it. Above all, set a reminder for yourself to complete what you have promised and do it on time. It is also useful to create a contact list of people that you meet, with a few notes about what they do and any other helpful information you have picked up about them you can use Microsoft Outlook to manage this task by producing contact business cards. Online networking All the rules of face to face networking apply online with the addition that you need to be very careful of the profile you create and how you configure your privacy settings to separate your personal and working life. Remember your profile will be the employer s Placement and Careers Centre 3 Placement and Careers Centre 3

4 first impression of you and can often be a good way to start networking before developing your approach to face to face networking. Sites such as LinkedIn are increasingly being used for professional networking online and now have a range of profile features specifically for students and recent graduates. It s not good practice to try and connect to people you don t actually know, so start with family, friends and colleagues from any work experience you have undertaken. Join groups that reflect your interests and contribute to discussions where you can, these activities will raise your online profile and lead to initiations to connect. Facebook, Twitter etc are primarily used for social networking but the boundaries are becoming blurred. Many placement and graduate recruiters are starting to use these channels as a marketing tool to encourage more applications. If you are going to engage with organisations in this way, make sure you re communications are professional and business-like and you re profile pictures present the right image. Speculative applications It pays to take a chance and contact organisations that you are interested in working for, even if they are not officially advertising vacancies. It shows you have initiative and can impress potential employers, as well as putting you ahead of the competition by finding vacancies before they reach the open market. The general approach is based on networking. Before you get started create a target list of potential employers most likely to need your skills and experience, ideal organisations are ones that have previously advertised the type of role you would like to secure or have related projects and clients. Be clear about the type of role you are looking for and why be specific in your approach and outline what you hope to gain from a post with that organisation. Find the correct contacts for recruitment, a blue-chip company may have a recruitment team that you need to go through, whereas in a small or medium sized employer (SME) it might be possible to apply directly to the management. Have your CV ready and ideally checked by a Careers Consultant. Why should I use a speculative approach? Approximately 50% of vacancies are never formally advertised. With market changes, only a small percentage of graduates work for traditional graduate recruiters. This way you access many other vacancies. Reaching your career goal may take several steps (including voluntary work, unpaid work experience or a lower level job to gain relevant experience). Finding vacancies before they are advertised puts you ahead of the competition and impresses employers. It s essential in very competitive sectors such as media, advertising and environmental work. Enquiries by letter and CV or Find out the name of the manager of the department you wish to join then direct your CV and letter of enquiry to that named person. Make the letter concise, but mention any specific experience you have that matches up with the type of company/function you are enquiring about. Target potential employers most likely to need your skills and experience. Be clear about what you are applying for and why (what you hope to gain from a post with that firm) be specific in your approach. Identify key points in your letter and refer to your CV for factual evidence on relevant achievements and experience. A CV is a selling tool and should highlight your academic achievements, interests and work experience and should illustrate your personal skills and qualities. Ideally, follow up the personalised letter with a phone call within 2-3 weeks. Enquiries by telephone Think about what you want to say in advance and be clear and direct. Are you asking about any current post they may have coming up which may suit you? Are you asking if it would be possible to work shadow an employee of the firm? Are 4 Networking and Speculative Applications 4 CVs and Applications

5 Networking and Speculative CVs and Applications you asking if you could gain some (maybe unpaid) work experience with the firm? Find out who deals with recruitment and ask to speak to them. Be prepared to talk about yourself and to sell what you have to offer. Sound positive, enthusiastic and polite. Offer evidence and examples from your CV. Enquiries in person with a CV Direct cold calling going on foot from one workplace to another, asking about employment. It requires a great deal of persistence, resilience and self-confidence in the face of potential rejection. However, you may succeed in getting jobs within the retail sector this way and in sales orientated environments where it is part of the job to be able to sell and persuade. If the person you need to speak to is not available, make an appointment. If this isn t possible ask for their name and whether to phone, write or . You may find Quintessential Careers informational interviews tutorial useful for tips on how to obtain information about an occupation or industry by talking to relevant employees informational_interviewing. html Contact employers who may have relevant vacancies and who really interest you. Think about why you want to work for them and convey your enthusiasm and suitability. Organisations with related opportunities (eg voluntary work or projects) are also useful. Researching employers Graduate employers regularly complain that students do too little research for their job applications. All recruiters expect evidence of your knowledge in both written and online applications and at interview you re unlikely to get a job without it. If you are applying to large companies and well known names, you can normally start by looking at their recruitment website, but you need to do more to be successful. With smaller organisations, you have to be more resourceful to track down relevant information. This section will show you what employers expect and how to find useful information. Understand the job What are the typical duties? What training and career development is available? What is the work environment like? Is the job affected by national or global trends? Understand the organisation What does this organisation do? Has it been in the news recently? Why? Who are its clients, customers or competitors? What are its major strengths and challenges? It is vital that the person you are speaking to gets an accurate picture of what you do, what makes you relevant to their needs and what makes you different Be prepared to talk about yourself and to sell what you have to offer......sound positive, enthusiastic and polite. Offer evidence and examples from your CV. Placement and Careers Centre 5 Placement and Careers Centre 5

6 Look at the selection of Career Options on the PCC website: ac.uk/services/ pcc/students/ career options Understand the big picture What are the issues and trends in this profession or industry? What impact will economic and technological changes have? What skills are likely to be needed now and in the future? How will your job impact on the company s performance? How does your role fit into the organisation? Information sources Try these sources to understand what s involved in a particular job: Look at the selection of Career Options on the PCC website: brunel.ac.uk/services/pcc/ students/career-options Prospects click on jobs and work experience and then types of jobs : Employers websites or those of organisations with similar jobs. Reference folders in the PCC with information and press cuttings on over 100 different types of jobs. Books and DVDs on job hunting techniques and on various occupations, available to look at in the PCC. Talk to Careers Consultants, academic staff and your other network of contacts. Information on employers and the bigger picture Prospects for sector information. Go to industry insights and job sectors for information on around 30 job sectors. Professional bodies and associations. Some produce careers literature and others provide information about member organisations or industry trends. Some associations also offer student membership with the chance to meet established professionals. Employers themselves for recruitment brochures, annual reports, publicity material and in-house magazines. Directories Graduate recruitment directories such as Prospects, TARGETjobs and Inside Careers are available from the PCC and on-line. Some cover a specific industry (e.g. Target publications for IT, finance and engineering) and others are more general. Most have job adverts and editorial features. Directories on the web, many of which are available with free search facilities. Popular ones include Kompass com/ but a Google search will list many others. Print business directories such as Kompass and Kelly s are available in the Quick Reference collection on the ground floor of the Library, near the Help Desk. 6 Networking and Speculative Applications 6 CVs and Applications

7 Networking and Speculative CVs and Applications Databases Databases contain information on companies and industries and enable searches by date and keywords. These include market research reports and company profiles such as Business Source Premier, GMID, and Mintel. Financial information is available in raw data databases, such as Fame and Thompson One Banker. Many of these can be accessed via the databases section of the Brunel Library website. Go to the Business and Management subject pages for databases and web resources including Business Source, Premier, FAME, Datastream and Reuters: services/library/subjects/ business-and-management Some other databases you may wish to look at include: LexisNexis Business; Professional and Executive database providing worldwide business news articles from a range of trade journals and newsletters. Emerald academic journals. ABI trade journal. CAROL and Northcote databases contain annual reports from UK companies. Hemscott pulls together information on quoted UK companies, including share price graphs and company news. Advice for international students All the information and job hunting resources available from PCC are very relevant to the UK job hunting needs of international students. Additional resources are also available on our website, targeted at introducing and explaining the recruitment process in the UK, helping students to work with PCC staff to develop a job hunting strategy that meets their specific needs: brunel.ac.uk/services/pcc/ students/information-forinternational-students All students are encouraged to view the wealth of online help available on the PCC website including videos which will help you familiarise yourself with and clarify job hunting processes including assessment centres and interviews. CV templates, application form help and networking information can all be really useful to understand the information required by UK employers. This information can then provide the basis for an interaction with a Careers Consultant who will provide you with one-to-one career specific advice and guidance. To view case studies and to hear top tips from international students who have found success in their job search visit our workglobal pages: brunel.workglobal.org/ Useful people and places PCC: We have lots of relevant information and we can help you track down the best sources elsewhere. We regularly visit recruiting organisations to gain up to date knowledge of graduate jobs and recruitment processes. You can also meet employers on campus at our range of events: services/pcc/presentations Our handouts on Finding local employment and Using Recruitment Agencies are also useful. Other useful resources include: British Library Business and IP Centre City Business Library via the City of London website gov.uk/corporation (a leading business information resource click on services, leisure and culture, libraries, City of London libraries ). Public reference libraries eg Central Library, Uxbridge hillingdon.gov.uk/index. jsp?articleid=8697 for local company information. Sector Skills Councils ourwork/sector-skillscouncils/list produce useful labour market and other research on their industry. Click on the contact directory link in Find your sector skills council. Placement and Careers Centre 7 Placement and Careers Centre 7

8 More about the PCC The Placement and Careers Centre is your one-stop shop for advice, guidance and support when looking for work and planning your career. You can use our service from your first day at Brunel and for up to two years after you graduate. Jobs: part-time, vacation, placement and graduate opportunities. Events: recruitment, employability skills and careers uncovered. Advice and feedback: CVs, applications, interviews and assessment centres. Guidance: career options and postgraduate study. Information: online and in our careers library. Get started now... In person 1st Floor Bannerman Centre Web Phone Connect with us... facebook.com/ _Net