Job search from a candidate's perspective
The least you can do for someone taking time to network for you is to buy them a cup of coffee. So don’t worry about having enough cash, get a coffee shop card that allows you to automatically reload the card.
Just takes out one less thing to worry about.
You will be amazed by the stack of business cards you will accumulate. You will want to keep them organized, as you may want to go back to them often.
I used a Business Card holder as I often carried them with me, so I could allow the person I was meeting with to look through them to see if there were any connections of interest. This was especially useful for fellow candidates.
Many people use business card scanners which pull the relevant data off a card and put it into electronic contact data. This is a great way getting that data to your contact lists, phone, etc.
Many people do not carry a Blackberry or smart phone, so once they leave their home pc the access to information can be limited. So here are a couple of tips regarding your calendar.
1. Print out your calendar for two weeks and carry it with you. Allows you to easily schedule a meeting if someone calls while you are away from your pc
2. Put your network’s cell number in the meeting description so it’s handy in case you are running late. When you print a calendar it usually just prints the description of the meeting, not the ‘notes’ section.
3. Write down on your calendar who introduced you to this contact (trust me, it’s embarrassing when you cannot remember!)
You rely upon people to book a meeting on their calendar, since you are generally not sending a meeting invite. Therefore, the day (not evening) before, I’d recommend the following:
1. Confirmation e-mail
o Confirm meeting time and place
o Provide your cell number
o Specifically mention that you have attached your resume and marketing plan
2. Prep any referrals/contacts that you can offer
o People that you know that could help build this person’s business, enable their search, etc.
o If you are tracking your contacts, take a glance through them to get ideas for good connections of value
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