The Networking Mistake Almost Every Job Seeker Makes
Broad positioning creates blank page syndrome. Specific positioning gives people a clear starting point for helping you.
Welcome to issue #198 of The Introverted Networker. Every Tuesday, I teach you to be a better networker. My favorite part of the week is hearing from my readers, so leave a comment or ask a question, if you are so inclined.
Most people think they need to cast a wide net when networking.
Especially when they’re looking for a job.
They think:
“I don’t want to narrow my search too much.”
“I don’t want to miss opportunities.”
“I’m open to a lot of different things.”
So when someone asks what they’re looking for, they say things like:
“I’m open to anything.”
“I can do a lot of different things.”
“I’m just seeing what’s out there.”
The problem is that broad is hard to remember.
And “hard to remember” is “hard to help.”
This issue takes about 4 minutes to read…
The C-Suite Exercise
A couple weeks ago I was speaking to a group of C-level leaders about The Connection Loop:
When we got to Step 4: Be Easy to Help, the conversation cranked up a notch.
We started talking about how difficult it is for people to help you when they don’t understand exactly what you do.
And how elevator pitches aren’t very effective at explaining it.
I gave them a simple exercise.
I asked them to explain their company using this sentence:
“I help X do Y.”
Where:
X is the type of customer they help
Y is the problem they solve
In the customer’s words.
Not internal company language.
Not a polished elevator pitch no one will remember anyway.
Just:
Who do you help?
What problem do you solve for them?
Something interesting happened.
The room got quiet.
Because most people had never forced themselves to simplify it that much before.
But once they did, everything became clearer.
Who they should connect with.
Who should know about them.
What kinds of introductions would actually help them.
And most importantly:
Other people could finally remember it so that they would know who to connect them with when they left the room.
Constraints Make Us More Creative
Last week I was listening to the James Altucher podcast where he was interviewing David Epstein.
David is the author of Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
He was talking about how constraints actually make us more creative.
He gave examples like:
Johann Sebastian Bach writing music using specific structures and patterns
Dr. Seuss writing entire books using only 50 words
How the periodic table came out of a textbook deadline
The more constraints people have, the more creative they become.
That immediately made me think about the exercise I had the C-Suite executives complete and the advice I give job seekers when I tell them to create a Target Company List.
Because most people think networking works by removing constraints.
But the opposite is true.
Constraints help people think of the people they should introduce you to.
The Pianist
Years ago, we had a pianist at our church who would ask the audience to yell out three random musical notes.
Then he would write a song using those notes.
Everyone was amazed by it.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize those notes actually made the process easier.
He didn’t have to ask:
“Where do I start?”
“What should I create?”
“What direction should I go?”
The constraints answered those questions for him.
The notes gave him a starting point.
Derek Sivers talks about something similar in his book Your Music and People when he say “Restrictions will set you free.”
Someone says, “Write me a piece of music. Anything. No restrictions. Go!”
You’re stumped. It’s the blank page syndrome.
Instead, someone says, “Write me a piece of music using only a flute, ukulele, and this toy piano. You can only use the notes D, E, and B. It has to start quiet, get louder, then end quietly. Go!”
Aha! Now that’s an inspiring challenge!
Networking works the same way.
When you’re vague, people have no starting point.
They have “blank page syndrome.”
But when you give them constraints, their brain starts searching.
“Oh, I know someone like that.”
“You should talk to this person.”
“This reminds me of someone I worked with.”
That’s the goal.
Why Positioning Statements Work
A couple months ago in Issue 191, I wrote about Professional Positioning Statements.
The idea was simple:
The easier you are to explain, the easier you are to refer.
But after hearing David Epstein talk about constraints and creativity, I realized something deeper:
Specificity doesn’t limit networking.
It guides it.
When you tell people exactly who you help and what problem you solve, you give their brain a starting point.
You create constraints.
And those constraints make thinking of people to introduction you to easier.
Most Job Seekers Are Too Broad
I see this constantly with job seekers.
They think saying:
“I’m open to anything”
will create more opportunities.
But usually it creates fewer.
Because nobody knows who to introduce them to.
Compare these two statements:
“I’m looking for my next role in operations.”
Versus:
“I help healthcare companies improve employee onboarding processes so new hires become productive faster.”
Which one is easier to remember?
Which one makes it easier to think of a person to introduce you to?
Which one gives your network something concrete to work with?
This first one is forgettable.
The second one creates mental availability.
It gives people constraints.
And constraints create connections.
Your Turn
This week, write your own version of:
“I help X do Y.”
Keep refining it until it sounds simple enough that someone else could repeat it later.
Because that’s the real test.
Not whether it sounds impressive.
Whether someone remembers it long enough to help you.
The more specific you become, the easier it is for other people to connect the dots for you.
If you are struggling to complete this statement, leave me a comment. I’m here to help and will happily work with you.
Best Things I Found Online This Week:
I talked about the Target Company List earlier, but if you aren’t sure how to create one, Jessica Hernandez shared a how-to guide for creating your Target Company List.
If you aren’t sure what to write in your messages to your connections, Dorota Klop-Sowinska created an Anatomy of A Good Networking Message that you can send.
Gina Riley builds on the message of today’s issue in “Your "friendlies" want to refer you. They just don't know what to say about you.”