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■ THE GOLDEN SELLING HOUR(S)

If your calls are constantly being blocked by secretaries or receptionists, change your tactics. The best times to reach an executive are before 8:30 in the morning and after 5:30 PM. Most are at their desk early in the morning and leave late. Support staff generally only work from 9:00 to 5:00. When in doubt, call the main number until you don’t get a receptionist.

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE

Common Ground—Online Job Searching for Women

Alison Doyle

When it comes to job searching and building your career, what you have in common outside of your job can be just as beneficial, or even more so, than what you have in common when it comes to your work, your career field, and your business connections.

I have Facebook friends who started out being friends on an e-mail list for working moms, back before Facebook existed. We’re still in touch and those friends have helped boost my career and I’ve helped them with job searching.

Some of my closest LinkedIn connections became so partially because of job searching and career interests, but also because of other things we have in common—dogs with one group, politics with another, and our families with a third.

• Discover your common ground. One thing women do well is talk and it doesn’t have to be on the phone or in-person. That dog connection has helped my book and my web site gain attention in a nationally syndicated column and on the Internet. How? The author and I became friends when our e-mails went beyond business and we discovered we were both “dog” people. A business relationship developed into a strong connection with someone who has helped my career immensely.

• Expand your network. Be open to accepting new connections and friends because you never know who might be able to help you in the future—perhaps referring you to a job list or providing a reference.

• Join a group. When you join a LinkedIn or Facebook group, you’ll be able to add even further to your network. Join Facebook groups that have everything to do with what you’re interested in outside of work, in addition to those that are career focused. Again, you’ll have contacts that can assist when you need them.

• Talk to your friends and contacts. Pay attention to what your connections post. Add comments, share information, answer questions, and offer to help (networking works both ways—you get help and you provide assistance).

• Share your situation. When you’re looking for a job and you’re still employed, discreetly let your contacts know. Discreetly is the important part. I know one person who messaged all her LinkedIn connections including her boss to let them know she was job searching. Her boss wasn’t amused and she ended up looking for a new job sooner rather than later. Message your friends and contacts privately to let them know. You’ll be able to get advice, tips, job leads, references, and everything you need to job search effectively. If you are out of work, tell the world.

Alison Doyle is a job search and career expert with many years of experience in human resources, career development, and job searching. She has covered job searching for About.com (jobsearch.about.com) since 1998.

Chapter 4

Your Research Plan

Research: The Guerrilla’s Competitive Edge

We will either find a way, or make one.

—HANNIBAL

Research is a guerrilla’s competitive edge. It is an integral part of your job search. A company’s web site and corporate marketing materials are designed to promote the best possible image; by learning a few clever research skills, you will be able to uncover and assess information that ordinary job hunters won’t have. This information will help you make informed career choices.

Most job hunters think that reading a company’s web site is all the research they need to do before a job interview—but they are wrong. Guerrillas know that it is only a start. In fact, it is not even where most guerrillas