Off Topic Career Advice
A little off topic from my normal blog roll, I know a lot of people are worried about their jobs in today’s economy, and Brandon Gutman laid out his advice on the matter
Connect Your Way to Your Next Job 10/07/08
Advertising Week in New York City was, once again, a fantastic meeting ground for hiring managers and job seekers. Every industry assembles together at least once a year, and these gatherings are prime spots to advance your search agenda. Events like IAB MIXX and the Relay Sports Sponsorship Symposium were loaded with some of the industry’s best bosses. Here are some tips on maximizing your networking ability to land your next position.
Brandon took this a little farther than he expanded on here, as he hosting a network event at this conference that I attended. he goes on to expand that the best strategy is to build a plan, engage early, get introduced, follow up and give back. I think this is all good advice.
I’ve heard others echo this as well….not so much to get a new job, rather to be a bringer of success in rough times. Last Friday I attended a Smith Barney event in Atlanta representing StreetFire to a panel of Southern entrepreneurs. It was organized by my good friend Michael Louie who told me after the event that when times get tough, he has always found success by reaching out to his client to better understand whats keeping them up at night. Much like Brandon, this is firming up your network and establishing yourself as someone that provides relief in tough times.
To put a third point on this, (because I like triumvirates) recently I read a book that codifies both of these practices into a way to make yourself successful by attending to the success of those around you. The book, “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann, lays out in principle that you will find your greatest success by providing value to as many people as possible, influence by how aggressively you service the needs of others and the tool you use to do this is yourself. I highly recommend it, as the principles it advocates are practices the successful people in my life all employee. (book on Amazon)