As a Philadelphia-based career consultant, I have to be in the loop, on the scene and on top of my A-game when it comes to making meaningful connections. Job seekers and career changers in Pennsylvania should be aware of the many networking opportunities for career and business connections. One great source that I have found is the Meetup network for people seeking job leads, career coaches and connections in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg or Scranton. Meetups are structured networking and information sharing events that bring together people who are interested in the same topics. They mostly happen on a weekly basis throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.
The premiere networking event for job seekers is My Career Transitions. These events happen monthly in Malvern, PA at Penn State University. Since the pandemic, it has been virtual, but that may change as we begin to open sites. I attended an event with one of my clients, and the room was full of job seekers, career managers and recruiters. It is definitely a good place to network with like-minded job seekers. This event had a panel discussion with 4 recently unemployed professionals who had landed jobs.
There are many other business and career networking events in Pennsylvania. A quick Google search will lead you to many of these events which are either no cost or low-cost- which make them even more inviting. These events help you get in the same room with people who are mostly in the same situation or will be at some point. They are all looking to connect with someone who can help them find a job or a possible opportunity. Nationally known career guru Ford Myers does a monthly workshop in Radnor, PA called Career Success Seminars. Again, these events have all been held virtually for the last year. It makes attending them much easier for everyone.
The biggest part of the career-job seeker-workforce employment network industry is to make a good connection. There is no reason to attend if you are not going to at least connect with one other person that can help you or, sometimes more important, you can help them. In today’s market, it is more critical than ever to do more than just get a business card and shake someone’s hand. Networking can be real work and as a job seeker, you have to be prepared. Job seekers and career changers must arm themselves with information and knowledge before they enter the event space. It is not just a good idea to do this, it is critical.
In my practice, I advocate for job seekers by telling them to approach a networking event with some critical research and data analysis. Believe me, it is more than cocktails and small talk. Networking 2021 is structured and focused so that the successful job seeker is way above others in being an A+ networker. There are some preliminary steps that should be taken before heading out the door to a networking event.
One personal thought that I have to say is that networking should be treated like any other job search activity. The objective is to make a good connection with someone who you will contact after the event. Have you ever come home after these things with a pocket full of business cards but no real leads? It has happened to many of us. Remember, there are more to these events than catering or freebies. Those are nice side items, but they are not the point of the event.
My professional advice for career changers and job seekers is to do some upfront research. First, research should happen on the organization presenting the event. Is this a single’s social event or will there be a presentation or panel? What were past events like and what about the venue? Hopefully, you can do a basic search on Yelp. This may lead to some information about the organization and its history. More importantly, if you can find out who is on the guest list- bingo! That is key to your research into the kind of event it will be. If you can get an invite list, that is where the real research begins. Are they connected to you already on LinkedIn or any of your social networks? Again, this will give you a better feel for who will be in the room. Sometimes this coveted list is not available, but the organization may have posted the event on Facebook or Meetup and you can search to find attendees. So, this is pre-prep for the very vibrant virtual (and soon to be in- person) career networking scene. These pre-networking activities will make driving and parking on a rainy night well worth the trip to a career/job seeking/lead generating network event. Happy connecting in 2021!
Let’s get to work on your Networking post pandemic! Call me 215-954-8309
How to predict your sales using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator Platform
I would like you to take a look at my colleague Hasan Ali’s advice on using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator system. Hasan is a Sales Navigator Specialist and B2B Marketing Agency as well as a LinkedIn Campaign Builder. His contact information on LinkedIn is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atlascapitalconnection/
LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is by far one of the best platforms every entrepreneur should be using. I consistently make this statement because I use this platform professionally, and it has helped me to elevate my career. In this article, I will point out 3 core topics that you can use to help you predict your sales using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator Platform.
Identify Your Target Market
Within LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator Platform you are able to search for all kinds of information about your target market. For example, what state they live in, what school they attended, and how many years they have been in business- just to name a few key points. But, what I have noticed about finding your target market in Sales Navigator is not so much about what you already know about your target market. But, what questions can you further ask yourself about them. With this in mind, the questions you ask may run you into some trial and error, but you may discover something new about your target market you didn’t know existed. Read more.
Work by your Numbers
So, what do I mean by work by your numbers? In sales understanding your numbers is knowing how many people it takes to reach out to- to set an appointment to close a deal. In Sales Navigator you can create a list of your target market, and set a schedule to reach out to them daily. For example, if you reach out to 15-20 people 4 days a week, by the end of the week 4-8 people connected to your request. Out of the 4-8 people you were able to set 1-2 appointments. By the end of the month you would have had 2-4 appointments. If you close 1 of those deals now you know your numbers. Please keep in mind that every industry is different, and sales cycles differ from one industry to the next; however, this process is a good starting point in predicting your sales using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator.
Learning to make adjustments
When you look at Sale Navigator from this perspective making adjustments are always necessary like anything else you do in business. This can come from fine tuning your target list, or increasing the number of people you reach out to everyday. One of the best adjustments you can make is paying attention to the titles of your target market from CEO, COO, CFO, or manager…etc. If you have more appointments with one title over the other Sales Navigator will give you the ability to find the people with the titles of your choice.
In conclusion of this article I hope you are able to see the benefit of using LinkedIn’s Sale Navigator to help you predict sales in your company. There are many different aspects of this platform that you can use. My intent was to give you a broad stroke of how to monetize the platform for your benefit. With hard work Sales Navigator can help you achieve great results.
Contact Hasan Ali of Atlas Capital Connection: AtlasCapitalConnection@gmail.com