Corporate Pick-up Lines

CorporatePick-up linesProfessional Development Series by DSO

Recap!We’re building on what we’ve learned.

Personal BrandingThink of yourself as a brand...how would you market it?

Who are you?• What’s your passion?• What are you good at?

Personal Branding Stories Perception dsoqatar.org/Professional-Development.

Advertise your brand!• Through your friends/network• Through your facebook/twitter• Through a blog/website ... and watch people start wanting you!

Public SpeakingWhat happens when you need to present thisbrand to people? How do you... talk?

Verbal exercises• Voice Projection• Enunciation• 60-second speech (The art of BS)• Impersonation/scripts (A “double you”)• Improv (Thinking on your feet)

CorporatePick-up linesLet’s start by breaking a few myths.

PremisesA set of facts/assumptions that’ll help us validatethe success of these ‘corporate pick-up lines’

A lot of influentialpeople are expats.HR directors, managers, etc...your boss will mostprobably be an expat

Expats don’t havefriends. :(It’s hard to meet new people outside theworkplace, they look for new ways to ﬁnd people!

Friends help you morethan non-friends.Wouldn’t you prefer your resume be taken in bysomeone who knows you at a personal level?

People like talkingabout themselves.Pretty simple. Everyone is doing something cooland everyone is looking for appreciation for it.

Six Degrees ofSeparationYou basically know anyone in the whole worldthrough....A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend.

MythsHere’s a set of myths that apply to Qatar and theGCC. Breaking them will also validate pick-up lines.

Professional Dayisn’t everything.I’ve failed at every professional day since thebeginning of time.

Qatar has jobs.Believe it or not, Qatar’s a small place looking foramazing talent. Especially in the tertiary sector.

Wasta.It is all about connections...or as the Arabs call it, “wasta”.

Wasta.But you’ve got to earn it.

Great!Where do I start?Start by developing your brand.

What do othersthink of me? Your friends/coworkers/advisors/ everybody should see in you what you want your prospective employer to see. Branding! Stories --> Perception

Why is this important? “Hey, do you know anyone who could help me make a time machine?” “Oh yeah! Derp can help you out with that, he’s good with time. I’ll tell him.” Also, knowing your story inside out means you can tell it to whoever you want, whenever you want.

Step 2Get out of your room!If you want to build connections, you need to startgetting out of your comfort zone.

Places to meet people• Conferences/expos – lots of this happening in Qatar • QITCOM/Gaming Expo/some wedding expo/so many more • TEDxEducationCity/TEDxSummit• Check out ads in newspapers, malls, etc

Places to meet people• Meetups • Doha Tweetups • RefreshQatar • Stuff happening at Katara Village• Making the Connection Series :O

Step 3Talk to them!It’s a bit more delicate than it sounds though...

Be warned... The stuff you’re going to do requires:• A lot of smiling• A lot of head-nodding• A lot of paying attention (There’s a reason it’s called ‘pick-up lines’)

People vary• Some people just won’t talk... give up and move on. There are 7 billion people out there!• Sometimes you’ll need to work on someone for a while... be patient.

Established = better• Target people who look like they’re smart and established ﬁrst.• Sometimes you just want to talk to people for their stories.

Pick-up lines!What you’ve all been waiting for.

Disclaimer• Some of the following may seem weird and stupid, but they’ve worked. It’s all about how unexpected it is.• These are merely to guide you on how to start a conversation, the rest is up to you.

Hey... Mind if I sit onyour table?I’m Zaid btw, nice to meet you!Someone thought I was “Ali” at a conference

Hmm...what’s thismeant to be?Okra stew? I’ve heard of that before...ooh, thepasta looks nice! I’m Zaid btw, nice to meet you!Every. single. buffet line. brush this one up and make it perfect

Hey... Sorry I was lateto the presentation...I had this other meeting. Could you please ﬁll me inon what happened here?This is how I got my WilliamsF1 internship, which led to a job offer.

How did you becomewho you are?Really? You were a math kind of guy? Me too!My favorite question at Making the Connection. Find something which youand the presenter share and BAM, you’ve made the connection.

Hey... Are you Ali?No? Oops! Sorry... I’m Zaid btw, nice to meet you.Tell me about yourself! And who’s Ali?Someone thought I was “Ali” at a conference... sprouted a nice conversation

I’m just interested inseeing what you’re doing.Mind if I come over for a visit?Worked for a friend of mine to get an internship offer

Hey... I made somethingyou might likeMind if I come over and show it to you?Tried this for a working collaboration with another company

Step 4Make it worth their time.What would you want from a nice conversation?

Be natural.Turn them into a friend.• Have you ever heard of a fruitful conversation start with “Hi I’m looking for a job”? Resist the urge.• Ask them about themselves! Have a nice normal conversation

Be receptive.• Talk about them. What are they doing here? What have they learned that you need to learn? Interview them.• Take them out for coffee. Sometimes a nice informal environment is all you need.

Be proactive.• Talk about yourself. What you do, what you want to do, why you’re meeting him/her.

Before you leave• Thank them for the conversation, tell them it was great talking to them• Exchange business cards• Tell them you’d love to get in touch again.

Step 5Follow up with themJust a cup of coffee won’t get you there.

Methods to follow up• Add them on LinkedIn (facebook only if you’re chilled out with them)• Send them a thank you email• Call them up! 180 is your best friend

Protocol• Hello, I hope you’re well• I met you at ____ two days ago• We talked about ____• Wanted to follow up with ____

Cold Calls• Most people here need a call in order to respond to you• Answering machines don’t answer – try again!

Business Cards• Yes, you NEED a business card• Keep it short and simple - your contact information. No picture, no biography

Keep up with us!• These slides are going up on www.dsoqatar.org/ Professional-Development.

Corporate Pick-up Lines

by Zaid Haque

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