Written by: Jim McVeigh, SJN Member
The sun comes up most days in Arizona.
That’s something to look forward to and something to feel good about even though you’re in a job transition, according to local networking guru Dave Sherman, featured speaker at the Scottsdale Job Network meeting on Nov. 25.
Dave gave an inspirational and animated presentation full of both practical tips for job seekers and a message of encouragement. He opened by saying that we shouldn’t let the doom and gloom of economic news get to us – and that we should feel lucky that things aren’t worse. It’s all a matter of attitude and how we adjust our thinking in light of the world around us.
“The first thing you need to do is to stop talking about the bad economy,” says Dave. “The economy is not bad, it’s ‘challenging.’”
When it comes to the economy Dave’s advice is: “Turn off the news, don’t look at the stock reports … watch more sports – it focuses on success.”
Keeping a positive attitude is essential in networking and a job search. And, Dave stresses that it’s critically important to understand there are many things outside your control – like the economy – that are “not your fault” so you shouldn’t be down on yourself but focus on your career path.
“It’s taking the beautiful drive to Flagstaff – it usually takes about 2 ½ hours. But if it snows you may have to put on chains or take a detour so it may take 6 or 7 hours. There’s nothing wrong with the path, you just had to make adjustments,” Dave said.
Finding Common Grounds
Another important point of Dave’s talk centers on what he calls the most important element of networking and a job search – commonality.
“The keys to networking and getting your next job are likeability and commonality. The way people connect is finding something in common – it’s hard to connect when all you talk about is the work you do and what kind of job you’re looking for. Once you create a bond through commonality you can begin to work on the other elements of connection – likeability, trust and dependability.”
Other tips from Dave:
- When you are at the point that you feel “What do I do next?” … Do something. Don’t do nothing. Keep moving forward.
- Comb the Phoenix Business Journal – especially the Networking Calendar, People on Move section and the Events Calendar. Attend the networking events and meet people.
- Don’t let your pride get in the way of networking. If you feel embarrassed about meeting people – get over it.
- This time of the year is networking season. The holidays are the perfect time to meet and greet people and talk about more than just looking for work.
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