Doing a Good Job Inside the Box (before you go outside) Michigan Comprehensive Employment Services Grant May, 2012 Decide to Network Decide to network Use every letter you write Every conversation you have Every meeting you attend To express your fundamental beliefs and dreams Affirm to others the vision of the world you want Network through thought Network through action Network through love Network through the spirit You are the center of a network You are the center of the world You are a free, immensely powerful source of life and goodness Affirm it Spread it Radiate it Think day and night about it And you will see a miracle happen: the greatness of your own life. In a world of big powers, media, and monopolies But of four and a half billion individuals Networking is the new freedom the new democracy a new form of happiness. Robert Muller 2 May 2012 CONTENTS The Michigan Comprehensive Employment Services Grant as a part of the implementation of the Michigan Strategic Plan for Employment Services has gathered materials to create a print and web tool kit for persons with disabilities to define and implement networking strategies for finding a job, including the use of social networking methods. Included in this version are the following topics and resource articles. Decide to Network ........................................................................................................... 2 CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................................ 4 What is a Network? ......................................................................................................... 5 Networking Skills ............................................................................................................. 7 Who Is My Network? ....................................................................................................... 8 9 Tips to Improve Your Networking Skills ...................................................................... 11 Networking Tips for Workers with Disabilities ................................................................ 12 Diagram Your Network .................................................................................................. 14 How to Address a Disability on a Resume ..................................................................... 18 Should You Disclose a Disability on Your Resume? ...................................................... 20 How to Use Networking to Get a Job Interview ............................................................. 22 How to Create a Great Elevator Speech in Minutes ...................................................... 24 How to Give an Elevator Speech ................................................................................... 25 The Art of the Elevator Pitch .......................................................................................... 28 Elevator Speech example .............................................................................................. 29 Find a Job Through Social Networking .......................................................................... 30 10 New Websites for Your Job Search .......................................................................... 35 How to Network to Get a Job ........................................................................................ 38 How To Use Your Network To Find A Job ...................................................................... 39 Successful Job Search Networking ............................................................................... 41 You Can Get Hired by Approaching Your Job Hunt as an Entrepreneur ........................ 45 Summary Outline of Material in this Collection .............................................................. 47 From Pity to Pride: Why Disability Matters .................................................................... 53 Proud and Powerful Definitions ..................................................................................... 55 Note: the materials included in this collection are from a number of different sources and authors. We claim educational free use of these materials under US law. This material is funded under the Michigan Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Award Number: 1QACMS030532/01 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services received by the Michigan Department of Community Health. However, the material does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Community Health. May 2012 3 INTRODUCTION: This book is for persons with disabilities who are seeking employment. It contains material from many authors who published articles about the use of Networking Skills on the internet. The intent is to take advantage of the process that determines who gets hired for a majority of the job openings that are filled. This process is the informal referral and sharing of information about job openings and deserving job seekers that is known as networking. It’s simple, if most jobs are filled by informal networks of communication, then learning about how to participate in these networks makes sense. One of the outcomes with gathering the material from this variety of sources and authors is that the reading level of the material is higher than we would have liked for this audience. The title Using Networking to Find a Job and the sub-title, DOING A GOOD JOB INSIDE THE BOX (before you go outside) are about the three steps in using the Networking process that are included here: Diagram, Plan and Request. The importance of using all three steps in order cannot be stressed enough. It is important to identify networking opportunities by making a diagram of network resources available to you. Planning on what to say to these individuals so that your message is clear is also important. But the final step is perhaps the hardest. Requesting that your network resources assist you by tapping into their network on your behalf is the critical step and requires that you ask for their help. It is only at this distant level of networking that it is possible to expand the network beyond our own contact to a much larger group of people. This material is based on the belief that you can define, develop and utilize a personal network to find a job. The Key Messages are: x 80% of jobs are found via networking. x Following networking steps and developing networking skills is possible and not that difficult. x Dealing with our internal barriers to asking for help is a barrier that can be overcome. 4 May 2012 What is a Network? http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html I bet you have a network that you don't even recognize. According to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of network is "a usually informally interconnected group or association of persons". These associations can be personal relationships with friends, family, and others you meet in an informal gathering. They can also be business relationships you develop with vendors, customers, supervisors, subordinates, and even competitors you encounter during the course of your career. In her article, Everyday People Key in Job Networking (Denver Post, March 30, 2003), Kelly Pate wrote that "Friends, friends of friends, a barber, a neighbor and former co-workers are often the best resources for job seekers, especially in a market with far more people out of work than job openings, job placement experts say." Your network is only limited by the company you keep, both on and off the job. Just don't think the only time you are networking is during a job search. You are networking when you... x attend professional meetings, conferences, or conventions x visit with other parents during your child's sporting or music events x volunteer for "clean-up" day at the park x visit with other members of your social clubs or religious groups x talk with your neighbors x strike up a conversation with someone else waiting at the veterinarian's office x search out friends (current as well as former) on Facebook x re-connect with former colleagues on LinkedIn x talk to sales persons visiting your office In Terms of a Job Search, Networking is the way to Go! Networking is consistently cited as the Number 1 way to get a new job. You know how everyone says that "80% of the jobs available never get advertised? This is how you find them and get them! According to CareerXRoad's 9th Annual Sources of Hire Study (Feb 2010, PDF) "referrals make up 26.7% of all external hires (new employees hired from outside the May 2012 5 organization). [...] The yield for referrals is one hire for every 15 referrals, making this category the most efficient source by far." (Since I know you will ask, "Hires attributed to Job Boards represent 13.2% of external hires.") Those who make the actual hiring decisions would much rather talk to someone who has been recommended by someone they already employ. This is your first reference check, which saves the hiring manager considerable effort sorting through all the resumes and phone calls an advertisement will generate. My Own Networking Story I am where I am now because of networking, especially networking online via mailing lists. When I was ready to make the transition from university librarian to private consultant, it was my network that presented