How to Tell Your Network Youre Looking for a Job

How to Tell Your Network Youre Looking for a JobHow to Tell Your Network Youre Looking for a JobIf youre job searching, youve probably heard that one of the most effective things you can do is to use your network of connections to find job leads and make connections with hiring managers. But how do you actually reach out to your network, and what do you say? Here are five keys to doing it right.1. Contact people individually, notlage en masse. It might be tempting to send out a mass emaille, letting everyone know all at once that youre looking. And realistically, if thats the only way youre going to get it done, then do that, because its better than not contacting people at all. But it will be far more effective if you send individual emails to people instead of one group email because people are generally much more inclined to help when they feel like youre reaching out to them directly.After all, think about how you feel in similar shoes If you get a mass email from a friend askin g a group of people to, say, donate to a charity shes supporting, you may or may not spend much time thinking about her request. But if that friend instead reaches out to you personally, you will probably feel more responsible for really thinking over the request and maybe acting on it. When people see that theyre one of many being asked, theres a diffusion of responsibility, a feeling that others will be taking care of this, so the urgency is lowered. So if you can, do individual emails people will feel more invested.2. Be clear about exactly what youre looking for. Too often, job seekers ask for job search assistance without being clear about what theyre looking for. Dont leave anything open to interpretation say that youre looking for work explicitly, and be clear about what types of roles youre interested in.3. Ask directly for what kind of help youd like. When you ask for assistance, dont say something vague like let me know if you hear of anything because many people never p ay attention to job openings around them. Instead, be more specific people are much more likely to help if you give them something concrete they can do. For instance, you might ask your neighbor if she can connect you with a hiring manager at her former company, or you might ask your old manager if shed advise you on the companies youre considering. You can also ask people to think about whether they know anyone it would be helpful for you to talk with, and tell them that youd be interested in connecting with people even if theres not a suitable opening right now.4. Contact everyone in your network, even if you dont think they would know of any appropriate job openings. Too often, job seekers are hesitant to reach out to people in their network unless theyre a hiring manager or connected to a particular company with openings. But its worth reaching out to your full network, because you never know who might be able to tell you about an opening that youd be perfect for. (And your chan ces of being considered for a job go up when you have someone connected to the job saying, Hey, you should really consider Jane, because ___.)5. Dont forget to include your rsum. Sometimes people think it is too forward or presumptuous to include their rsum right off the bat and that they should wait to be asked but in fact, attaching your rsum will save your contacts from having to write back and request it. Dont be shy about sending it the first time.Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. Shes also the co-author of Managing to Change the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.