“Vague is the plague; specific is terrific!” my friend Jayne said emphatically last night. “This was a mantra of my friend’s sixth grade teacher.”
Huh, I thought. That must have been one sharp sixth grade class!
Jayne was recounting a story of a senior networking meeting that she attended last week. Here’s how it went down:
A group of C-level professionals—out of work—went around a table and stated the ‘role’ they sought in their job search, along with the names of several companies that they are targeting for a new position. Done. End of story. No elaboration needed.
At that point, others around the table tossed out names of people they knew at those companies, and/or people that were just a degree or two away from those companies. They also tossed out names of additional resources at other relevant companies.
You see, this was an exercise specifically around ‘who you already know” and ‘getting to know who you should know’.
Jayne knew that out of all the participants, she would be the one with the least connection ‘leads’ at the end of the session. Why? Because she is in a state of flux, where she is exploring many options for her next career move. There is nothing at all wrong with exploration. Nothing! But if you really want help from others, then you can’t expect them to be mind readers. Yes, occasionally, people can help you brainstorm ideas for exploration. But in most instances, if you are out networking, you must pose a crystal clear, focused direction from which they can contribute and build.
So while she walked away with a single sheet of contact names/ideas, the others walked away with several sheets of new connections and action steps! Vague is the plague; specific is terrific.
Jayne’s story made me recall three additional Scarlett Letter posts—reminding us all that specificity is king!
Scarlett Letter #61: Is your work a mystery? Or, do people clearly understand what you DO?
Scarlett Letter #58: Help your network to help you! Request precise, simple steps.
Scarlett Letter #52: Effective question to ask when networking