Handling Network Meetings

When you are meeting someone in a work related environment you should dress smartly and look neat and tidy. This may not be an interview, but you should treat it as if it was. If you are going to a public place such as a pub/restaurant make sure that you are the one facing the door and the other person has their back to the door - you do not want the other person constantly watching to see who is entering/leaving; you want them to give you their full attention!

When you are talking to somebody you have not met before it is important that you put them at ease. Do not directly ask them for a job as this will put them under pressure and they may just try and get rid of you as quickly as possible. It is far better to say that you are looking for some help and advice with your job searching campaign - if they happen to mention that they have a current vacancy whilst you are talking to them all well and good.

Most people are generally willing to help other people they know. The worst that can happen is that they say they are not prepared to help you - big deal! Just cross them off your list and move on to the next name.

If you know the person well you can just start talking to them as you normally would, e.g. asking them how their family is, etc. Talking to someone for the first time can be more difficult, so make sure you have already thought of a few work-related topics of conversation. Do not dwell too much on small-talk; get on to the subject of your job search fairly quickly.

The sort of questions you will ask will depend very much on whether the person is working in your field/industry and whether their company is the sort of company you want to work for. The following is a list of questions you might want to ask:

1. If you know the person you should ask them how their job is going. You should always show interest in the person you are talking to - do not appear to be totally self obsessed.
2. Is their company/department doing well? (There may be a job opening for you here!)
3. If their company is not doing well can you solve any of their problems? (There may be a job for you with the company if you can help.)
4. Is their market contracting, expanding or stagnant?
5. Any new emerging markets?
6. Is their company expecting to win a large order? (They may need to take on new people to fulfil this order.)
7. How well are their competitors doing?
8. Do they know of other people within their company or in another company who might be able to help with your job hunting?

It is very important that you ask for referrals to other people/companies otherwise you will quickly run out of names on your list. Try to get as many names/companies as possible from them. You should write everything down whilst they are reeling off the names, rather than relying on your memory. You need to know their name, the name of the company they work for and either home or work address/telephone number.

If the person you are speaking to is not in your field/industry, find out if they can give you the names/addresses of people who are. It is generally best to contact people directly rather than letting your contact ask for help on your behalf - that way you stay in control. However, if they agree to set up a meeting for you it might be a good idea to accept their offer. What you do not want is for them to ring up their contact and say "Do you have a job for Christopher Jones?". You need to talk to this person to obtain new contacts as well.

When you are networking with people always try to help them with any problem they may have - they may be able to repay the favour at some time in the future. Whilst you are talking to people you should ask them what they think of your CV.

4. After meetings.

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