Stumping for jobs in room of strangers

Back in the warm Indian summer of 2000, a marketing type parted the crowd at a HighTech Friday networking event wearing a nametag with ?Opportunity Seeker? scrawled beneath his name.

What a rapier wit, we thought, and returned to jabbering about our unbelievably good fortune over cups of microbrew and thick slabs of pizza.

But today, deep in the chill of the post dot-bomb winter, it would seem that Mr. Marketing was on to something: You might make the most important contact of your job search at a networking event.

By some estimates, 85 percent of job openings are never posted, which means that every contact counts ? even if it’s made over a plate of crudités.

?Everyone says it, but it really boils down to who you know,? said Lauri Harrison, organizer of The Pink Slip Party. Harrison now owns LH3 Inc., a Denver promotion and publicity company, but she paid her dues at MapQuest, where jobs were advertised only as a last resort.

?Lots of companies operate using that model,? she said. ?They believe they get more highly qualified candidates, if they’re referred in by an employee. They don’t want 5,000 applicants; they want a handful or a dozen quality candidates to talk to.?

Still, it’s important to keep the potential of an after-hours party in perspective: It’s a great place to gather information and get the word out about your own skills, but you’re probably not going to wind up the evening with a new job.

?It’s all about following the trail of breadcrumbs to the next job,? said Denver job coach and recruiter Terrie O’Connell, owner of Fenix Consulting. What should it say?The trail begins with a business card, said Sherry Lasher, a marketing consultant and ambassador at Internet Chamber of Commerce events. ?It’s almost better than a resume,? she said.

At minimum, the business card should include your contact information and, especially if you’re an information technology professional, a Web address where you’ve posted your resume, O’Connell advised. The card could also include a brief description of your skills and interests.

A top-of-the-line version might be a bi-fold card describing your soft skills on the front and including an abbreviated version of your resume on the inside. You can always print your own cards, but for more polish, leave it to the professionals. ?If cost is a problem, I recommend VistaPrint.com, where you get 250 cards for the cost of shipping,? O’Connell said.

Just in case your prospecting turns serious, Lasher advises carrying a small portfolio stocked with full versions of your resume. ?It helps you project a professional image, too,? she said.

Even in social situations first impressions count, so choose your clothing carefully. It’s probably not necessary to wear a suit to a chamber function, but you should dress nicely, O’Connell said. ?It’s just not shorts and Birkenstocks anymore.? Working the roomAs with all things career-related, it’s important to set goals before you get started.

First, how many people do you need to meet? An experienced networker like O’Connell might think nothing of chatting with 100 people in an evening. But the first time out of the chute, it’s probably better to set a goal of talking with 20 to 30 new people in a two-hour period, even fewer if you’re anxious.

It is also important to keep the quality of your contacts high. If you emerge from an event with a fist full of business cards from people you can’t recall, you’ve wasted your time and theirs.

In some cases, you might attend an event to meet just one person. Groups like the Internet Chamber of Commerce post both the names of folks who plan to attend and list companies that will be exhibiting at the event.

Joshua Zapin, an interactive project manager from Boulder, attended the last Internet Chamber of Commerce after hours mainly to meet representatives from Deloitte & Touche. A friend who works in Deloitte Consulting’s New York office had submitted Zapin’s resume. ?I thought I’d learn more about the Denver office,? he said. Safety in numbersIt’s always easier to face a crowd with a friend. But don’t just mill around with your pals, cautions Tracy Laswell Williams, a coach at CareerWriters.com. ?Plan a time to meet and check in and compare war stories.?

A friend might also help make an introduction to a key contact. If you can’t talk a buddy into tagging along, pick one up at the event. ICC’s Lasher says that’s what the group’s ambassadors are for. ?You should never be shy about talking to the staff or volunteers,? she said.

If you’re circulating alone, don’t be afraid to break into a conversation ? everyone else is there to network, too ? but do be polite. ?Try to make eye contact before you speak to them, to make sure they’re aware you’re in the neighborhood,? Williams said.

Once you’re in, be careful not to monopolize people. ?Pace yourself,? Williams said. ?You don’t want to spend too much time with any one person, but you must make a graceful exit. You might want to say something like ?I’ve really enjoyed talking with you and would like to follow up with you in the next week or so.’?What now?The whole point of the networking exercise is to establish and maintain relationships. ?The goal is not to get a job,? O’Connell said. ?You’re getting names that you can use to follow up for information about a company and that can be huge.?

But you must be willing to give as good as you get. If one of your contacts was in telecommunications you might want to send an interesting article along with a note reminding the person you’ve met, and that you’re still on the market. If you hear of a job that’s not right for you, you could ?pay it forward? with a tip to someone for whom it would work.

?When we’re talking about networking, we’re talking about building relationships,? Williams said. ?You’ve got to get rid of the drive-thru window mentality.?

on Facebook on LinkedIn