Career Change & Executive Coaching

Most successful job seekers land their dream jobs through contacts that they've previously made and assiduously kept up. John Price, Operational Director at GEC Druck got his last several jobs through contacts and says that he doesn't understand why people don't go the extra mile to stay in touch -- particularly when they're not looking for a job.

"The main thing is not burning bridges," he says. After he has left his previous jobs he has made a point of stopping by and saying ‘Hello.' Once he heard about his current role his former contacts spoke highly of him.
 
But what if you've just learned of a great job at a company where you don't know a soul? You're just not going about it in the right way. "People who say, 'Gosh, I don't know anyone' are not thinking about the six degrees of separation."

Once you've identified a contact who knows somebody at the company, ask him what it's like to work there and for names of people in the department you're targeting. Talk to as many people as possible. The result? The more people you get buzzing about you by the time you go in for the interview, the more it will seem like destiny that you work there. 
 
Buy a three-ring binder to plan out your network strategy. Start taking notes about people you might call. Call key people who you know respect your work or friends who you know would lend advice or help out.