I heard someone calling to me from the parking lot driveway Tuesday as I was making my way to the main entrance here at the Workforce Development Center and County HR Offices in Indio.  A young woman in a car with engine running was asking me if I worked in that building, to which I said I did. 

She wanted to know if there were any jobs available, “in there?”  When I began to suggest that she come in and sign up for job search assistance with the State and County Workforce Specialists, she stopped me saying no, no, and asked me if there was a web site or something she could just look at?  In reply, I said if she had a piece of paper handy, I would write down the County Human Resources web address.

As I was writing she told me that she had been working in a bank for a number of years (I guessed since High School) which was now closing. With a certain note of dejection she explained that it was difficult to find a job paying $17.36 an hour with only a high school education.

If you were in my place, what impression would you have of someone who stopped you like that?  Expanding on the obvious, I believe that I can point out what went wrong in that (real life) encounter.   First of all, she presented herself as a “victim” who didn’t have the confidence in her own ability to see her way out of it.  She didn’t even want to make the effort to go into the building; because she was already sure there either wouldn’t be any jobs available, or ones that had a comparable salary to what she was making now, given the limitations of her education.

How could she have turned all that a round you ask?  Well, it requires remembering that when you are going through an employment transition you must be constantly networking for job leads and personal referrals, even with people you talk to in parking lots, at the supper market, in church, or at your dentist. 

The young lady I came across probably wouldn’t have had any problem six months to a year ago saying very confidently that she worked for Acme Bank as an accounting manager in a certain division, and then to go on to explain why it was a superior bank for all you investment needs, including their financial planning products like savings accounts and IRAs.  The reality is when you are in an employment transition you no longer have a company or product or services to sell.  You are then in the business of selling yourself. 

So, when you meet people you should talk about your skills and abilities and business strengths. You should focus on your professional background as it relates to what you want to do in the future. As appropriate to the encounter, you should also invite questions or comments on how you can improve your transitional processes.  To introduce yourself you should develop a 30-second promotional speech. 

Had the young lady I met in the parking been prepared with her 30-second speech, the encounter would have gone more like this… “Thank you for taking time to speak with me…  For the past 5 years I have held increasingly responsible positions with a local financial institution in which I gained valuable experience with a variety of accounting duties related to the maintenance and review of accounting, financial and statistical records.  I have successfully provided operational support services in the maintenance and processing of these financial and statistical records, which were part of a complex company-wide recordkeeping system.  Do you think Riverside County would have any positions that could benefit from my experience?” 

My answer would have been, “Why yes, of course, the County has Accounting Assistant II level positions used by many departments here in the Desert.  The salary goes to $18.59/hour, and it only requires two years of related work experience.  You can take the assessment test for this position on line, and hear is the web address.”

All of your networking opportunities won’t be with an HR person, or someone who knows of a job opening that minute, or is as receptive as some people might be, but you can always come across as a person who is a Victor from their accumulation of business knowledge and work experience, versus a Victim.  Before I close this blog entry here are two more (what started out to be) quick suggestions that could be useful in different networking situations:  (1) Develop a story to share; and (2) Carry business cards 

1.  One of the biggest challenges you face when you deliver your self-introduction is breaking the preoccupation of the person with their favorite topic: themselves. It sounds harsh, but psychologists will tell you that people think about themselves first, last and always. Even when they think of others they do so from their personal experience with that person.

Telling a story is one way to get the person to listen to you. While people want to think about themselves, they also love to hear stories about others. When they hear stories they can picture themselves in the story They can relate to the characters. They think of people they know that are in similar situations. They begin to live the story. 

Unavoidably, your self-introduction revolves around you. Who you are, what you have done, where you did it and how you did it. Is it any wonder the people you are speaking to fail to remember this drivel? The person you are holding captive is asking one simple question. "Where am I in your story?"

Storytelling is said to be one of the oldest forms of communication. To share information people have always told stories. A well told story gives life to the subject. You too, can make your knowledge and abilities come alive with a work related success story.  When you do this be sure to name names and give colorful details, your listener wants to hear these things.  Oh, and practice on close friends and family to perfect your story telling before delivering it to strangers. 

2.  Although you are in the transition process and do not have an employer to represent, you are in a position to build and promote your personal brand. I would encourage you to have business cards printed that allow others to get in contact with you. Your cards should include your name, professional affiliations and designations, degree/school, postal address, contact number, personal website, and email address. This will indicate that you are professional, focused and always ready to communicate.

I have to caution you don’t do like I do; all business cards should be carried in a separate business card holder, rather than being creased and stained in your wallet or loose and coated with something from the bottom of your purse.  (I hate that when it happens, don’t you?)   And if you are not aware, proper etiquette for a business card exchange is with the right hand with the card face up.

With the information above I hope your transition process will be significantly shortened.  Before I let you go, remember we pay our County employees to be “talent scouts”, so you have some 18,000 networking opportunities right there… +2,500 of which will tell you how great it is to live and work in the Desert.