Q: I have heard a lot about networking. What is it?

A: Many studies have shown that a majority of jobs in the United States are filled through a process called networking. What is networking? It means building contacts with people who can help you learn more about a job or industry and can also help you identify jobs when or even before they become open. As contacts lead to more contacts you develop a network.

Q: Whom should I try to meet? Why would anyone take the time to speak with me?

A: It's a good idea to think broadly about the people you would like to meet as you're building your network. Anybody who has a job similar to the job you want, works for a firm you're interested in, or is in the same industry could be helpful to you. But why would they spend time talking to you? One reason would be a sense of professional obligation - to help a colleague in the industry move on to their next step. By the way, someday you might be able to return the favor to them.

A second reason is social obligation. If you were somebody's relative or neighbor or friend, people feel a sense of social obligation to help out.

Q: I don't know anybody in the field I want to enter? How can I develop a network?

A: Some people say, "Gee, I don't know anybody in the field I want to enter. How can I start building a network?" One good way is to speak to family, friends, neighbors, the friends of neighbors, the neighbors of family members. These are people that have a kind disposition to you, they have a sense of social obligation. If you extend from your family and from your friends and your neighbors, you'll find at least one person who's doing the kind of job that you want.

A second source is professional associations. People in professional associations are usually very willing to help somebody who wants to join in their profession. You can get information about the professional associations in a good reference library.

A third thing you can do is read your local business news. If somebody's name is mentioned in the paper you might want to drop a note to them, reminding them what you read about in the paper and saying that you'd like to discuss the issue in greater depth.

Q: What should I ask at an informational interview?

A: When you go to a informational interview it's important that you bring some very good questions with you. For example: Can you tell me how your career has developed? What skills are necessary to be successful in this profession? What do you enjoy most about what you're doing? What do you enjoy least?

Q: I just want a job. Is all this networking really necessary?

A: Some people have said to me, "You know, I just want a job. Is all this networking really necessary? Well, first of all, do you mean a job, or the best possible job for you? Secondly, since the majority of the jobs filled in the United States every year are through networking, it's a good idea to use this process even though it's a little less direct than you might be used to.

Q: How can I evaluate a job offer to determine if I really want to accept it?

A: Congratulations! Someone has offered you a new job opportunity. Should you accept it? The first thing to do is ask yourself, "What do I really want in my next job?" Then take that whole list of things you want and rank order them. What's the most important, second most, and so forth? Once you've made a list of what you want from your next job, you can compare that to what you expect to gain from the offer.

If most of what you want is going to be met, you should seriously be considering saying yes. If you find that there are some things important to you that are lacking you should seriously be thinking about giving a polite no.

Q: What ethical issues are involved in the job search process? In accepting offers?

A: There are some important ethical issues for you to remember in a job search process. First of all, pursue jobs in which you have a reasonable and sincere interest. Secondly, make sure that everything you tell an employer is honest, whether it's on your resume, in your cover letter, or at your interview. Third, if an offer is extended to you, and you say yes, make sure you're going to live up to that acceptance. Also, you should notify other employers that you need to withdraw from the job search process.

Q: Why do you suggest a follow-up visit once I have a job offer?

A: When a new job has been offered to you, I strongly encourage you to visit the firm for a follow-up visit. That is, I suggest that you spend at least one day at the firm, watching people work, seeing how they relate to each other, getting a sense of the atmosphere.

It's true that you've been to the company before for the interview process, but then you were nervous and tense and you were trying to sell yourself. At a follow-up visit you can make observations and ask about things which may not have occurred to you before. That way you can confirm or question your initial impressions of the company.

Secondly, peace of mind is very important. When you make a decision you want to know that you've taken into account everything you reasonably could know about the job, about the company, about your own feelings of comfort or discomfort with that situaton. By making the follow-up visit you'll know that everything you could possibly learn about that company, you have learned.

Q: In what way has technology changed the way people look for a job?

A: Advances in technology can provide you with some additional ways to look for a job. For example, traditionally you would send one resume to every employer of interest to you. That's fine, but now you can also send your resume to very reliable databases that employers access when they have a particular need and that way your resume is available to more employers and it's available 24 hours a day.

Another great advantage for you is accessing information on your own computer, or on a computer in your reference library. Rather than running from book to book, you can now sit at a terminal and access information in a matter of minutes that used to take hours to collect.

Q: How can I use the Internet in my job search?

A: The Internet can be a useful tool in your job search. Let's look at some ways. Many professions today have a bulletin board on the Internet. It's a good place to find out who's involved with your profession. What are the current issues? What are people talking about?

Second, many firms today have a home page on the Internet. You can learn a great deal about a company just by turning to their home page.

Third, the Internet has turned all of America and, indeed, a good part of the world, into one big convention. You can do some long-distance networking just by using the Internet.

Q: What are the risks associated with using technology in a job search?

A: Technology can be a useful tool in your job search, but there are some things to be careful about. One is your own attitude. Remember there is no such thing as a magic bullet. Even with technology, finding a good job requires preparation and hard work. Second, if you submit your resume to a database, it is possible that your own employer could access it. Before you submit that resume, find out what safeguards you have. Third, as wonderful as the Internet is for meeting new people electronically, nothing should replace meeting people face to face.

Q: Some people fax their resume. Is that a good approach?

A: It's true that you can deliver your resume by fax or by e-mail faster than by conventional methods, but is it a good idea? Yes, if the employer has requested that you send your resume by fax or e-mail. Otherwise, I recommend against it. Many employers get very annoyed when their fax machines and their e-mail get cluttered with resumes that they did not request. And there's another consideration: Your faxed resume, if read by a human being, will not be on the same quality paper you would have sent through the mail. And if it's going to be scanned, the machine may have problems with the fax paper.

Q: Should I submit my resume to a database?

A: Should you submit your resume to a firm which manages a resume database? There are several things to take into account. The first is cost - it should be free or almost free to you. Second, make sure to safeguard your confidentiality unless confidentiality is not important to you. If you have more than one resume, submit only one to a database, otherwise you won't know which resume is going to surface.

With all technology, remember, you can utilize a resume database but don't rely on it. There is no substitute for your own preparation and hard work. With a database many employers will have access to your data. It's a good idea to be prepared in case you hear from somebody out of the blue. It's much better to say, "I'm very glad that you called," or "I'm very excited about meeting with you," than to say, "I just don't know what you're talking about," or "I haven't even heard of your company."

Q: Is it better to look for a new job in a weak economy or a strong one?

A: Many people wonder how the state of the economy ought to effect their plans for looking for a new job. This is my advice: you should only be concerned about things that you can influence. You can't influence the state of the economy, so forget it. What you want to do is put your energy into looking for a new job that best suits your purposes. Whether the economy is good or the economy is bad, the time to look is when the time is right for you.

Q: What personal characteristics will help/hurt my efforts to find a new job?

A: There are three personal characteristics which will help you in your job search effort. First of all, be patient, it takes time to find your next good job. Secondly, be persistent. You're going to find disappointments along the road, but if you keep on going you're going to find the job you want. Third, remember always to be polite. Sometimes our frustration or concern comes out as anger or rudeness towards people we really want to think well of us.

There are two characteristics which can be very, very dangerous. One is feeling entitled, "Somebody owes me a job." "I work hard." "I did well." "I'm a smart person." That may all be true but nobody owes you anything. You have to earn everything you're going to get.

The opposite of that is feeling endangered. "Gee, if I don't have a job tomorrow I don't know what's going to happen." Well, what's going to happen is you're going to look for a job tomorrow and the next day and if you're a person with talent you will get a good job.

Q: Can you outline the important steps in a successful job search campaign for me?

A: Let's identify some of the steps you should take for a successful job search campaign. The first step is you have to have a real desire for change. Which includes willing to put up with the stress and time and possibly expense of a job search and giving up some of what you have now if you'll be leaving one job for another.

Secondly, you need to have to have a positive motivation. The sense that you're going to something new rather than running away from where you are.

It's very important to network. You want to speak to people in your new job, or profession, or company, to find out what are the skills, and the attributes, the characteristics, that would be necessary to succeed there. You also want to identify potential new employers and job leads.

When you've done that, you're in a good position to put together your resume, a good modular cover letter and then to follow up with phone calls to those individuals you've contacted.

Q: Should I focus my job search on the hot jobs and the growing industries?

A: Some people wonder if they should focus their job search efforts on growing industries and hot jobs. Well, you should certainly include the hot jobs and the growing industries, but don't limit yourself to them. There are three reasons. First of all, what's hot today could be cold tomorrow. Secondly, if something is hot today there's going to be a lot more competition for jobs in that industry. Thirdly, there may be a growing industry with jobs that you do not find satisfying. Getting a job under those circumstances is really not a good reason.

Q: I have not been working for some time. How is my situation different from someone who has worked continuously?

A: Some people have been out of the labor force for a number of years and they wonder how their job search might be the same or different from someone else. Some things are the same. You want a new job, and that's an important part of the process. Secondly, you're a talented person. Third, you're going to need to have to have a realistic attitude about the job search process and the world of work. Some things are different. One is, your work experience is not as current as other people who did not leave the work force for any period of time. Secondly, because you've been away from the work force, you're not as well connected in any professional network. Thirdly, your age and stage are no longer in tandem. That is, people your age who stayed in the labor force probably have on the whole better positions, and more responsible positions where they've been working. If you can remember that you still have strengths, and you still have talents you can contribute, but that getting back into the work force will be a little bit more difficult, you can and will be successful.