The saying “It’s not what you know but whom you know” is often accurate. However, during times of transition, I would say “but while in transition, who knows you matters more.” This is because you’re the one looking for a job, and if people can’t find you, your job search will take much longer.
I see communication happening on three levels. The first level is everyday small talk. We make small talk with people we know: family, friends, and maybe others we talk to from time to time, like other job seekers. However, conversations with job seekers tend to be shallow since the main goal is just to connect.
The second level of communication involves passing or receiving relevant—or sometimes less relevant—information. For example, the news on television. This type of information is intended to inform and is often given a spin to dramatize it and keep viewers glued to the TV, but when the excitement is at its peak, we hear, ”And now this commercial.” Of course, that’s how television stations—which, after all, are businesses—generate revenues. In most cases, though, we commit this type of information only to short-term memory. Nobody remembers news from two weeks ago.
The third level of communication has to do with ideas. This is what should attract you. You should be interested in other prominent people’s or experts’ ideas. It’s where we can learn about and understand the Big Picture.
So, how is all of this relevant to people in transition? Well, you want to be viewed as an expert, and you want people to be attracted to you. When they check you out, you want potential employers to consider you an expert in your own professional field. The way to project that image is to communicate—sporadically—with those connected to you. Be aware, though, that every time you do communicate, your writing had better be of value to them. Given a little time, your connections will learn that when you send them a piece of communication, it is indeed worth their while to spend the time to read it.
A good communicator while in transition knows to use social media to advantage. On one hand, certainly you should connect with many people; on the other hand, you must connect with prospects who could help you into your next job. Remember: What’s important when you connect with others is that they be willing to share their networks with you. The power of networking is not vested in the person you communicate with so much as it is in the person’s connections. You never know whom they know!