Top Exec Blog (Web Log)

Someone we know well recently landed his dream job in an industry he knows well, and an area of responsibility he clearly has the expertise, languages and capabilities to master. That's a great bit of news!

The question arises, nonetheless, as to how did he do it? Was it his distinguished goods looks, with just the right touch of grey at the temples and his friendly smile? Was it the way he dresses or shined his shoes before the interview(s)? Could it have been his 14K bling, dangling on a chain, smartly tucked in underneath his shirt and tie?

Or was it something else? Did he happen to pick up a lucky penny that day the offer letter came in? Was he harvesting four-leaf clovers that morning in the garden? Or did a tropical rainstorm produce a rainbow and an employment "pot o' gold" just when he needed it while traveling on the Career Path Express™? Unlikely, as good as any one of those lucky incidents might be.

No, the truth is he made it happen with his network and his leads! In a brief sequence of events, this is how it happened, and why we all need to keep this kind of networking and follow-up activitiy going in all of our business and personal activities:

 1) Career Path Traveler (let's call him Trav, for now), contacted an old friend in the biz, Cal, 2) Trav's friend, Cal, introduced him to Ethel Recruiter, 3) Trav and Ethel had a nice conversation, 4) Ethel mentioned a couple of cool firms that Trav would fit into nicely, but didn't have the assignment, 5) Trav took the initiative and found an ex-colleague, Joe Cool, working at Cool Company No. 1 and made contact, signaling his interest......then time passed and nothing happened. The Career Path odyssey continued, until one day a job posting popped up on Trav's radar. Cool Company No.1 was hiring for a spot just his size! He reached out to Joe Cool, and asked to be put in touch with the hiring manager. Within a couple of days, Mr. Manager called Trav and began the interview process. Within a week more interviews happened via phone, then a cross-country flight to HQ for face-to-face discussions and then......(drum roll, please)......the offer letter came and Trav accepted!

Moral of the story? Neither looks nor luck will see you through, it's leads and networking you have to do!

Comments and opinions welcomed. Share this with a friend who might also be traveling on the Career Path Expressway™, and wish him/her luck on the journey. It's bound to have a good ending with the right efforts.

© Daniel A. Cabrera, TopExec.org, All Rights Reserved, 2007.