You know that looking for a job is a mostly a matter of who you know. You know you need to network, to find those loose connections. Sometimes, networking feels as if you are a “social” butterfly, never making real connections. You fall into networking traps, instead of networking with authenticity. We’ll address eight common networking traps and discuss what to do instead so that your networking is successful and helps your job search. What you will learn: 1. Why Spray-and-Pray is hurtful to you, and what to do instead. 2. Why you can’t network from your chair. 3. How to “work a room.” (You don’t have to work the entire room.) 4. Why you can’t network in the same places all the time. 5. How to organize your networking so you’re not just networking all the time. 6. How to be aware of when your not-job-searching is taking precedence over your job search 7. What Impostor Syndrome is, and how to avoid it. 8. Why a zombie profile on LinkedIn can hurt you.

1. EightTraps of Networking (&Tips)
When Job Searching
Johanna Rothman
Author of ManageYour Job Search
www.jrothman.com
@johannarothman
jr@jrothman.com
781-641-4046

2. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
The Problems with Networking
You know you need to network
You need loose connections
There are several problems:
You might feel slimy, not
authentic
How often can you go to
yet-another-meeting?
You are shy or introverted
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Poll: How Long HaveYou Been
Networking for a Job?
Fewer than 3 months
3-6 months
6-12 months
More than a year
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DetermineYour GoalsWithYour
Networking
A new job (duh!)
Background networking
What you do all the time
Target list networking
With specific companies/
people in mind
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Trap #1: Spray and Pray
Do not spray your resume
everywhere
Do not send it unrequested
to people
Tip: Research companies &
people for your target list
Find a way to network with
your target list
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Trap #2: You Have to Leave the
House to Network
It’s tempting to network from
your chair
Hard to build rapport
Hard to make warm
connections
Tip: Go to at least one
professional meeting a week
Volunteer
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Trap #3:YouThinkYou Have to
“Work a Room”
You should not do anything that is
inauthentic
Introverts and extroverts meet
people differently
Tip: Have a goal for your networking
Some # people
Your table at a dinner meeting
The speaker
Volunteer at a professional org.
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8. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Trap #4: You Network in the Same
Places
You do want people to get
to know you
Are you meeting people on
your target list? If not,
change
Tip: Find one new meeting/
meetup each week
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9. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Trap #5:You Feel as If AllYou Do Is
Network
You go to so many
meetings, you feel as if all
you do is network and it’s
not working
Tip: Reflect on your goals
so you know if you are
doing useful networking
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10. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Trap #6: Other “Stuff” is More
Important
You have a life: other people and
maybe children
You didn’t see results, so you
stop going to meetings
Question:Are you putting
yourself first?
Tip:Track your time for a week
and see how much time you
spend on your job search
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Trap #7:You Feel Like an Impostor
Impostor syndrome is real
Sign of poor self-esteem
Tip: Make sure you have
value in your LinkedIn
profile and on your resume
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12. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Trap #8:You Don’t Have a Complete
LinkedIn Profile
I see too many “zombies”
on LinkedIn
No picture
Inadequate description of
previous work
Tip: LinkedIn tells you when
your profile is complete
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13. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Minimum for LinkedIn
Your picture: Headshot of you and only you
Headline
Contact Information
If you have URLs, name them
Name your profile, example: www.linkedin.com/in/johannarothman
Barebones profile
Recommendations
Give and receive
Endorsements (not very useful anymore)
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14. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
A LinkedIn Poll
I hate LinkedIn and don’t use it
I don’t have a picture on my LinkedIn profile
My LinkedIn Profile is pretty good.
LinkedIn tells me my profile is an All-Star
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15. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
BonusTip: ShowYourValue
Every line on your profile or resume has to
articulate your value
Use English sentences
Explain how you did something
Old: Software project manager for Lisp-on-a-Chip.
Value/Action/Method
As the software project manager for the new
Lisp-on-a-Chip, I encouraged collaboration at all
levels of the organization. Internally, this allowed
us to deliver milestones monthly, to see the
product evolve, and to build trust. Externally, this
allowed us to meet our aggressive 9-month
trade-show deadline.
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16. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Social Networking GreasesWheels
for In-Person Networking
Social networking makes it
possible for you to have a
warm connection with
someone when you meet
them in person
Start at building rapport
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Provide value to get value.
Be yourself.
Always be authentic.

18. © 2015 Johanna Rothman
Let’s Stay InTouch...
Pragmatic Manager:
www.jrothman.com/pragmaticmanager
Please link with me on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/johannarothman
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