In 2007, Tim Ferriss, angel investor and author of the Four-Hour Workweek, challenged students in a “High-Tech Entrepreneurship” class to contact high-profile celebrities and CEO’s…
Related:My #1 Secret For Building Your Network
… And get answers for questions they’ve always wanted to ask. The winner, who contacted the most hard-to-reach person with the most intriguing question, received a round-trip plane ticket anywhere in the world.
Interesting idea, isn’t it?
Imagine making contact with an “impossible-to-reach” person and asking them a burning question. Maybe making a connection, and building a relationship over time.
Perhaps getting an intro to a place you’ve always wanted to work… or even working for the person you contacted!
I’ll tell you how they did it in a minute, as well as how Tim Ferriss himself does it, but first...
Is Tim Ferriss Crazy?
Why did he offer a round-trip ticket - an amazing (and expensive) prize - to the winner of his little contest?
“I believe that success can be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have. I felt that if I could help students overcome the fear of rejection with cold-calling and cold e-mail, it would serve them forever.
- Tim Ferriss
Okay Tim, makes sense. Overcome your fear, and do something that will move you forward in the process.
The Lazy Networker’s Guide To Moving Up
The “Tim Ferriss Technique," which he uses himself and his students applied in this contest is coming up…
First, here are five tips I would apply today if I were participating in the contest. Here's the lazy networker's guide to moving up:
1. Warm Them Up
Follow them on social media, and start commenting on and liking their stuff. Find a way to make an impression.
If you’re a writer, you could also write a blog post mentioning them, and then send a simple tweet letting them know.
2. Keep It Concise
First of all, be realistic. This person is incredibly busy, and they’re not going to respond to a long email telling your life story.
So, keep any contact you have with them short, and to the point. Honor their time, and you might just get some of it.
3. Remember WIIFM
WIIFM = What’s In It For Me?
Make your communication all about them right from the start. Think about how you can add value to their lives with something interesting or helpful, and go from there.
4. Keep It Light
Bring a sense of humor into every contact with you have them, and you’ll not only be more interesting, you’ll be more likeable. And with that, you’ll have a better chance of building a relationship.
5. Find Common Ground
This could be a passion for anything from a sports team to a food group. Whatever it is, find something that you have in common, and share that. It’ll warm up the conversation from the start.
The “Tim Ferriss Technique”
“I participate in this contest every day,” said Ferriss. “I do what I always do: find a personal e-mail if possible, often through their little-known personal blogs, send a two- to three-paragraph e-mail which explains that you are familiar with their work, and ask one simple-to-answer but thought-provoking question in that e-mail related to their work or life philosophies. The goal is to start a dialogue so they take the time to answer future e-mails – not to ask for help. That can only come after at least three or four genuine e-mail exchanges.”
And that’s how it’s done. So think about who you’d like to reach out to and what you’d like to ask them, and then build up some courage and try it out.
If you’d like more interesting and effective job-seeking techniques, check out this free video I put together alongside my mentor containing three powerful and tangible things you can start doing today to get your dream job.This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Ryan Niessen is a keynote speaker and co-creator of The Gateway Method: a simple, proven way to gain inside access to the world’s best employers and get your dream job. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Facebook.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.