Strategies for Making Meaningful Job Search Connections

A concept that I think about A LOT as a small business owner is that a person has to know, like, and trust me in order to buy from me.

How does this play out in my world? As the person selling a service to someone, people need to know who I am and what I’m about, they have to like what they know about me, and they have to trust that I will deliver exactly what I say I will.

As a person who is sold to on a daily basis by various vendors, I am infuriated by people who simultaneously try to connect with me on LinkedIn or via the first-ever email AND attempt to sell me something. This happens multiple times every day.

I build know, like, and trust in my business with my podcast, informative social media posts and newsletters, and through my consults. I’m personable, genuine, and knowledgeable without being a “know-it-all.”

Why am I telling you all this? I’ve been thinking about how know, like, and trust applies to the job seeker.

To be crystal clear: When you are in a job search, you are selling a product. It may have a price tag of $100K annually – or $500K annually. That product has features and benefits, which MUST be explained and demonstrated to a prospective buyer.

That product is YOU.

I want to break down the know, like, and trust – each with strategies to help you build a sales model for product YOUR NAME HERE.

Know

Of course, a prospective employer will get to know you during the course of the interview, but how can you help them get to know you before that – so they are compelled to interview you?

1.    Make sure your resume is a marketing document, not just a data sheet or “career obituary.”

They can get to know you much better if you share your achievements and personal brand with them – what differentiates you from your competition? How have you added value to each company you’ve worked for?

2.    Understand the difference between features and benefits – and be able to explain them to a prospective employer. Here are some examples of common products’ features and benefits:

Nike Running Shoes – features include the material the sole is made out of, the type of laces used, the arch support, and the padding. Benefits include how these shoes will help you run faster, in various terrains, while preserving your arches in comfort and wicking moisture away.

Sleep Number Bed – features include the adjustability of each side, the material the mattress is made out of, and the warranty. Benefits include how the adjustability will allow you and your partner to independently adjust your sides for maximum sleep comfort, how the bed keeps you both at an ideal sleep temperature, and how you can be assured that – should anything happen to your bed – you are protected.

What might a job seeker’s features and benefits be?

Features: A certain degree or certification, extensive experience in a certain field, expertise in a certain skill.

Benefits: How those features will allow you to solve problems, improve efficiency, and increase revenue for that company.

It’s not enough to answer an employer’s question of “Why should I hire you?” with a least of your features – you want to spoon-feed them with how those features will help them.

3.    They WILL look at your LinkedIn profile before deciding whether to interview you.

LinkedIn is the perfect place for you to not only help prospective employers get to know you, but also to help them begin to LIKE you.

LinkedIn should be written in first person, in a conversational style as if you were talking over a cup of coffee with the reader. This is your opportunity – specifically in the About section – to tell your story. You can inject humor (if that’s who you are), talk about challenges you’ve overcome, and even give a glimpse into your life outside of work.

Like

As I just mentioned, LinkedIn is a great place to help prospective employers begin to like you. Here are some additional thoughts:

1.    They will feel more connected to you if you have some connections in common.

This is an angle no one really talks about: If I look at someone I DON’T know on LinkedIn, I look to see how we’re connected. Who are our common connections? If they are connected to someone I know, like, and trust – guilt by association. I feel a little bit of “like” for that person, too.

This makes a compelling case for strategically connecting to certain people – and it can be your opening line for connecting with them. “I see we are both connected to NAME, one of my favorite people – let’s connect!”

2.    They need to get to know you as a total person during the interview. Throughout my career, I’ve interviewed so many candidates who I didn’t feel as though I knew any better AFTER interviewing them than I did before. They were stilted, gave obviously rehearsed answers, and didn’t let me into their life outside of work at all.

If you have a sense of humor, let it out – in small doses – during the interview. If you are an avid horse rider – let them know. Just keep the personal information neutral or positive.

Also – if you are interviewing in person or via technology from their office, look for clues as to what the interviewer is interested in and make a comment or ask a question. Show interest in them – they’ll like that.

TRUST

How do you get someone to trust you before they’ve worked with you? I had to really think on this one.

1.    Make sure your resume, online presence, and the in-person version of you are in alignment.

Not much will throw the interviewer off the “trust train” more than feeling like there are multiple versions of you. There should be consistency in what you present as your strengths (and weaknesses), your passions, what you are looking for in an employer, and your moral code.

2.    Show trustworthiness in how you speak about former employers, bosses, and coworkers.

To be clear, I am NOT suggesting that you paint everything as roses and rainbows. I spoke about how to bring up negative things in episode #323. The challenge is to say what needs to be said without throwing anyone or anything under the bus (although it is okay to “mea culpa” yourself).

Think of it this way: a prospective employer will figure that anything you say about a former employer or boss is an indication of what you might say about that company or that boss down the road.

Speak factually AND with grace.

3.    Follow through.

A great way to build trust is to do what you say you will do throughout the interview process. Send them whatever they ask for, call when you say you will, show up promptly for all interviews, and send thank you notes.

4.    Seed your references.

You will likely be required to give a list of professional references. Is there one or more people on your reference list who can specifically speak to your trustworthiness? It’s perfectly acceptable to ask a reference to say a specific thing about you, as long as it’s truthful.  

Of course, there are a lot of other components to a sales model for job seekers, but I wanted to focus today on Know, Like, and Trust. Maybe in another episode I’ll have a sales expert on the podcast to talk about things like buying signals and closing the sale.

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