Make sure you aren’t networking yourself out of a job opportunity

Any master of the obvious can tell you that career networking is critical to finding new employment opportunities. Yet, one of the things that I’ve found is that while most job seekers spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to identify and locate the right professional contacts, very few actually take the time to consciously manage those interactions. In fact, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen someone successfully get a foot in the door, only to put said foot in his/her mouth immediately afterwards.

Below are four very basic principles of networking that job seekers should think about before attempting to initiate a dialogue with a hiring manager of a target company.

1) Do your homework – Time is a precious commodity for most hiring managers. Consequently, there’s nothing more off-putting to a hiring manager than someone who is looking to establish a dialogue and either doesn’t innately understand the role he/she is seeking, or (worse) has no idea what the company does. Said another way, how can you demonstrate to a hiring manager that you will ultimately be a good fit for a particular role, or even his/her organization, if you have no idea of what type of position you are interested in or what products/services the company offers its customers?

Making a good first impression is critical to building a rapport with any hiring manager. Thus, prior to any conversation over the phone or in-person, even those labeled as “informational interviews”, it’s imperative that a candidate is not only informed, but also knowledgeable. At minimum, every candidate should visit the organization’s website, read through recent press releases, and browse (if publicly traded) the company’s annual report before initiating a dialogue with a hiring manger.

2) Ask good questions – Most hiring managers want to assemble a team of intelligent and thoughtful individuals. An effective way to stand out from the crowd, and encourage the hiring manager to continue a dialogue with you, is to ask questions that demonstrate you’re well-informed and knowledgeable about the skills required to fill an open position, the specific challenges facing the company, or the cyclical dynamics of the industry. Canned questions such as “what keeps you up at night”, or questions that are obvious attempts to pander to the hiring manger do little to establish your intellectual prowess. Thorough preparation is the key to asking good questions.

3) Be mindful of your interactions –In many small and mid-sized organizations, the cost of a single bad hire can be devastating. Consequently, steering clear of a “bad fit” or “red flags” is oftentimes just as important as hiring the “perfect” candidate.

As such, in the pre-interview stage, potential candidates must be mindful about not disqualifying themselves for a particular opportunity when communicating with a hiring manager in-person, by phone, or email. Remember, every interaction with a hiring manager will help him/her assess whether your skills, attitude, judgment, and objectives are aligned with his/her organization. Therefore, candidates should always carefully consider how their words and actions are coming across, even before the official interview process has begun.

4) Be yourself – One of the biggest mistakes a candidate can make in trying to establish a rapport with a hiring manager is pretending they are someone they’re not. I’m always amazed at the number of candidates who either fabricate a story, an award, or even a personal interest just because they think this makes them a more desirable candidate.

The reality is that most organizations prefer candidates with diverse backgrounds and interests. By misrepresenting oneself, an individual is only increasing the likelihood that there will ultimately be a poor fit between himself/herself and the organization (which is a bad outcome for both parties). No matter how small the fabrication, once a hiring manager discovers that a candidate is misleading him/her, it is safe to assume the candidate will never be asked to join the organization.