Job Seekers Are Horrible Networkers

Depending on your experiences in life and in social networking circles, the title of this post will provoke a variety of reactions.  I heard this statement from a friend of mine who reacted this way when he learned what I was doing with Tim’s Strategy.

He didn’t say it with a biting sarcasm or a pompous attitude.  He said it with a laugh that told me he had a few negative experiences.  But he wasn’t trying to be a jerk about it.

We talked about his experiences and they are not uncommon.

Unfortunately, there are many people who are still trying develop good networking habits.  And there are those who are still lost in the old ways of social networking.

But my first reaction was:

Really?

Not because I haven’t met my share of job seekers struggling to communicate. Many are impatient, selfish and the like.  But because he so quickly categorized “job seekers” as horrible.

Maybe if I was a pool cleaner, he would have said “pool owners are horrible networkers.”  Now I’ll never know.

But I think he, like a lot of other fully employed and forever employed people, has this perception that isn’t going anywhere.

What’s your reaction to his statement?  Any truth in it for you?

Are job seekers any worse than accountants or insurance salesmen or financial planners?

Here’s my reality:

Despite a few exceptions, job seekers are among the best I’ve met at in-person networking. And those who’ve been through job search at some point in their career are even better (because they’ve been initiated into the job search fraternity).

This is because they’ve learned from experience. Have been humbled through the process. And understand that successful networking a lot of giving.  Not just getting.

But realize that my friend’s comment is not unusual.  Employed people expect you to struggle.  Because they’ve met a lot of people who make mistakes.  During informational interviews and other interactions.

The cool thing is that you will wow them if you become a good student of networking best practices.  You will stand out.  And get more effective results.

What are ways that you stand out from the rest?  And how can you help others do so?  Your advice?

Thanks Candida.Performa for the photo via Flickr

Written by: Tim Tyrell-Smith
Tags: habits | horrible | job | Job Search | job seekers | job seeking | jobs seeker | networker | networkers | perception | social networking | stereotypes | unfair
Categories: Social Networking