Does access to social resources (social media) benefit everyone?

The unfortunate answer to that question is no. The reason is simple; just because we have access to social resources, doesn't mean that we will be able to leverage them. Access is about being linked to a group of individuals who posses social resources. Social media is great example of it. If you're on twitter, facebook or linkedin, you have access to a vast number of social resources, but does it mean that the we will be able to leverage the social resources that exist there? Unfortunately n [...]

Why is it important to know influential people?

When it comes to influential people in the world, they are more often than not connected to a number of different individuals. These connections provide social resources that can helps us accomplish many of our objectives. This form of social capital is often referred to as 'bridging social capital' and provides us access to contacts that could provide us with the valuable support we may need.

Influential people are not just defined as politicians, actors or sports figures, but those in [...]

Tips: How do we develop win-win relationships?

When it comes to networking and tapping into our social resources it's all about creating win-win relationships. After all, if we don't, we'll either feel like we've been taken advantage of or we're taking advantage of someone else. Creating win-wins is all about feeling good about the connection as well as ensuring that the contact feels good about it as well. If you can master this, you'll be surprised of what opportunities will come to fruition. So how do we create win-win relationships?</ [...]

Do we stop networking once we're employed?

The obvious answer is no. Of course we need to continue to network even though we've found employment. Perhaps the job that we did find is a B job and the whole point is to make connections in order to move on to our A job. Or maybe we would like to get promoted and move up the proverbial company ladder. Whatever the reason, networking never stops.

If this is the case, of all the skills that we need to improve on, networking should be at the top of our list. It is truly a 21st century s [...]

If a contact can help...does anyone hear?

How many times have you passed along a name to a job seeker that you feel would be of help and they don't connect? I know it happens all the time! In fact, I do it myself. Hey JP you should go and connect with so and so and I never do. What message is this sending?

I think it's important to break this down and examine its implications. First, if I don't follow up with a contact that has been referred to me it represents a slight to the referrer. Second, I could be missing out on an oppo [...]

Don't give them the fish..teach them how to fish!

It's interesting  to think about which career practitioners are the best trainers/teachers of networking. What I'm finding is that those that are comfortable and effective at networking don't necessarily make the best networking teachers. The reason, most effective networkers are intuitively good...meaning they just do it and don't really think about the process. In most cases it's about providing contacts...you should go and meet so and so. This of course is beneficial, if the client co [...]

Doing more with less

In light of the recent economic conditions and provincial and federal deficits, there's bound to be some cuts to the employment program sector. Most likely, the sector will be required to serve as many, if not more job seekers with the same resources. So what to do?

The key is to become strategic on how employment services are delivered to help the job seeker. Most likely, case loads will increase and there won't be as much time to spend with each individual. This calls for a plan of ac [...]

Networking at a job fair

I was speaking today at the Face 2 Face job fair in Hamilton, Ontario and had the opportunity to meet and observe a number of job seekers. Right away, I could tell which individuals were comfortable and those that felt a little awkward. Research shows that the majority of us are not comfortable with networking and it can easily be observed walking through the job fair.

You could break up networking into two components; 1) motivation and 2) results. The motivational component is simple.. [...]

It's time to network!

If you want to find a job that is linked to your A or B plan, you have to network. There's no other way of saying it. The hidden job market, perhaps overused, but none the less the best way of obtaining employment. If you aren't networking, tapping into your social resources, then you're going to be left behind. So the question becomes, are you networking?

While this is key for job seekers, it is also equally important for career practitioners. Whether it's helping your clients identify [...]

Leveraging Immigrant Talent

I just came back from an interesting conference in Ottawa where the topic centered around the notion of getting employers to leverage immigrant talent. Statistically, immigrants are not only having difficulty being hired for professional positions, they are also having difficultly advancing within their positions when they are hired.

The conference, lead by Dr.Linda Manning was the culmination of a 3 year project she developed through funding from HRDSC. The results of her work was the [...]