Focus on People Before Your Resume
Resumes are necessary; your network is far more valuable. Commit to maximizing it.
Ten years ago, I was catching up with a mentor in the P&G HQ cafeteria when the subject of resumes arose. I told him I was considering taking a job with another company. P&G was underperforming, but that wasn’t why I was exploring new adventures. At some point during our conversation he threw out an overly used phrase, in my opinion: It’s always good to keep your resume up to date.
You’ve said it. I’ve said it. Nonetheless, it misses the mark. Resumes are nothing more than career table stakes you hope not to rely upon in finding a great career adventure. Keeping your network up to date is far more important, whether you are looking for a job or not.
The Resume: A Questionable History
Resumes are needed in some form. We’ve been using them for hundreds of years. In fact, Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with creating the first resume. (What didn’t this guy do?!?) A resume is nothing more than a summary of your experiences. Da Vinci’s resume was simply a letter to the Duke of Milan summarizing his accomplishments. Resumes became “the way” in the 1950’s. LinkedIn emerged in the early 2000’s. Yet, the resume still falls short.
Only about 25% of resumes are ever seen by a human eye in the application process. Makes you think twice about spending a ton of time perfecting yours, right? 95% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking system (ATS) to make filtering resumes more efficient. I would. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people apply to a single job. Reviewing resumes is a more effective way to put ya to sleep than eating turkey at Thanksgiving. Hiring managers would rather get a warm recommendation than keep reading your summary of accomplishments. They all glaze over at some point and would rather have someone tell them who to interview.
Networking: The Adventurer's Path
Don’t spend too much time on your resume! Networking is a far better use of your time, both within your company and outside. Networking provides exposure. It’s an opportunity to learn. There is only so much you can learn from reading job descriptions. Why not hear more about other people’s paths directly from them.
I started my career as a golf course superintendent. I loved golf, but it wasn’t the right long term career for me. So, at 22, I decided to see a career counselor to help me “figure things out.” It was one of the best career decisions I made.
My career counselor taught me to network at an early age. Everyone should see a career counselor at some point. We completed a number of activities. The most important one was creating a networking strategy. This has paid career dividends.
He imparted this key insight: Your next job is more likely to come from who you know not from a random job application. I still agree with this twenty years into my career. While I’ve found jobs via resume drops, most have come from building my network. Two thoughts that resonate with me today are:
If you are seeking a job…Target 5 informational interviews per week.
If you have a job…Target 2 informational interviews per week.
The point: connect with people. Learn about them and what they do. This will help you home in on what you might want to do. Plus, you’ll create more potential advocates when the right opportunity arises. Sometimes you’ll find that a great job hasn’t been posted and you become the only candidate. My career counselor always said, Your objective is to secure your next job without ever needing your resume. He recognized that this is a tall order, but worthy of attempting.
3 Successful Career Adventuring Networking Tips
Networking is hard. It requires effort, vulnerability, discipline, and most importantly, extra time. I get it, you can’t afford to dedicate the time. You have a family, a job, a workout schedule, and a show to stream. Bollocks!!!
You can’t afford not to network. You never know when your stable employer will summarily dismiss you. (One of mine did it with an impromptu 8:00 am meeting I was asked to join via text message at 7:30 am! Another story for another time.) Plus, you might be missing high potential opportunities because you are nine-to-fiving it feeling more miserable every day. LinkedIn is a good tool, but commenting on posts is a starting point. It doesn’t replace connecting face to face with humans. These tips can apply both externally or internally.
(1) - Find or Create a Group - Easiest
Find a new group. That’s the easiest thing to do. I recently joined CincyAI Meetup for Humans which was formed by
and Helen Todd. It’s great. I get a chance to meet new people and to reconnect with friends each month. Plus, it fuels my intellectual curiosity which feeds my work. Next harder is to start your own group.**Caution** - Be sure to put yourself out there and meet new people. You will likely bump into someone you know. Resist the urge to just speak with them.
(2) - Set a Networking Quota - Harder
Set a networking SMART goal. Do this especially if you are looking for a job. Start with an objective of meeting someone new each week. By the end of the year, that would be 52 new people in your network. A former colleague of mine I recently interviewed for the Career Adventurer Podcast set a goal of 10 people per quarter. I loved hearing this because most people do not set a quota. I guarantee this will pay dividends in your career. You will not only discover other opportunities, but also perform better in your current job. Most companies are really bad at bringing outside perspectives inside. People tend to talk to themselves in an echo chamber. Networking helps bring in outside views. (I plan to talk more about how to manage your quota in a future post.)
(3) - Ask for More - Hardest
The referral ask is the hardest part. It’s also one of the best ways to quickly amplify your network. Imagine you are nearing the end of your 30 minute intro coffee. The conversation has been great. You’ve talked about what you are looking for and what you like. You’ve listened attentively and have a good view on her career. Your urge will be to wrap things up and recommence your day likely slogging emails in front of the devil machine (i.e. - computer). But, you really want to nail this networking thing. Your future depends upon it! Now is the time to ask for more.
Ask for introduction to two people in her network whom she thinks would be good contacts. If you are in sales, this is likely second nature. When it comes to our career adventures, we’re all in sales and marketing. Remember, Heather Christman, Ph. D said this exact thing on Episode 2 of the Career Adventurer Podcast. Most people want to help you. If you provide enough guidance for the types of people you want to meet, many will happily oblige.
One More Great Reason to Network…
Overworking your resume keeps you from connecting with people, where the real value lies. You need a resume. Don’t over invest your time into perfecting it. Invest in building your network. It will help you find community.
Today, more of us are lonely. We live amidst an epidemic of loneliness. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently discussed this. For a variety of reasons, people can feel lonely even when there are seemingly many people around. The health toll of loneliness is high:
“the physical consequences of poor connection can be devastating, including a 29% increased risk of heart disease; a 32% increased risk of stroke; and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.”
So, get out and network. Find people you’d love to talk to with LinkedIn. See if you have mutual connections. Join a group for something that interests you. Set a networking quota as if it’s one component of your job not something additional to your work. Last, ask for referrals. This is how you find meaningful adventures and evaluate if they are worthy of further investment. Plus, it’ll help you connect with other like minded people and feel less lonely.
Thanks for Reading!
Paul
The Career Adventurer