How a strong network will help you build a new career
To most persons, a change in career may sound scary or something you have never thought of. In the world we live in, a change in career could happen to many people several times during their lifetime. The way I see it, this could represent an advantage if you know how to handle it.
In my specific case, I was a part of the office interiors industry and was an active player in it. After being part of this very peculiar industry for half my life, both at the corporate and business levels, I decided to move towards a different direction.
This industry is a very complex, closed, and competitive industry to work in. All the players in the industry fight hard to get a piece of the business. They all do what they think is best to get the attention of the “influencers” and try to get them to push their brand or company into a project. This process results in everyone trying to be number #1 for everyone else and develop, to the best of their means, the best network they can.
This is where I believe everyone should focus nowadays — BUILD A STRONG NETWORK.
You see, when I decided to leave the business and look in a different direction, I had to make a few decisions: 1) Leave or stay in the industry (office furniture) and 2) Leave or stay in the same business environment. I chose to leave the industry but stay in the same business environment. Why? Because in this way, I was able to capitalize on a network that I built for over 25 years.
Mark my words — YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET!
In my case, I was able to start pretty fast in a new industry only because I was able to capitalize on my existing network.
Let me walk you through what I did:
First — I made a list of EVERYONE I had a contact from, that had something to do with my career development (Clients, coworkers, allies, etc.) during the past 25 years and that would immediately know who I was when I called.
This is very important because although you can always call someone and tell them, “Hey, we met, worked or spoke during such and such, and you gave me your card…bla, bla, bla”, you won’t have the same impact because clearly there is no relationship developed. Now, don’t get me wrong, you don't need to have a close relationship to call, but it is way better to have SOME kind of relationship than NONE. It’s easier to build over something existing than to start from scratch.
Second — I made a script on what I was going to tell them.
You see, people are busy, and, depending on how close they are to you, usually they don’t have time to hear about your new “adventure” or why did you decide to make a change. Additionally, this will also keep you legit and communicate only and exactly the information you want to. Try to make this short, concise, and include only important facts and information.
Third — I called each one of them.
This call was a short one, mainly to announce them about my career change and to thank them for being part of my career over those 25 years. I told them I was going to take some time in deciding about my future and that I would contact them once that happened, so they would know exactly what I was going to do next and see how we could continue working in synergy. This part is powerful because it puts your network in alert mode. Even if you told them that you are taking some time to decide what's next, it keeps you in their top of mind. You never know if one of these calls will be your next big opportunity.
One small tip- Try to make these calls from a place that you can relax. You can do these from a park, a terrace or a place with a view. It is good that the people you talk to perceive easiness and not stress.
Fourth — I accepted any call from someone asking about my change.
This is what happens when you build a good, strong network. They want to know if they can help. Many of those calls came in while I was in step 3, so it also helped me to know who was following me more closely, and it gave me a chance to go through step 3 in a more relaxed way. I would give you an extra piece of advice here — try not to get into gossip. Sometimes when you are part of a strong network, people tend to imagine or make up stories about your change. Avoid that. Maintain yourself in your true story (which you don’t have to disclose to everyone), and keep yourself professional.
Fifth — make a second call or, even better, meet with them.
Once I decided how I was going to move forward, I dedicated time to calling or meeting with all of my network again, informing them where I was moving to and how I thought we could work together again. This basically turned the “GO!” button again. They now knew, that as far as business calls they got from me, were going to be about business opportunities we could all capitalize on. Many of the ones I met with, I did in a coffee house or similar. The way I see it, a good cup of coffee makes any conversation easier.
Consider that now, in a different business, you will also be able to expand your network. And not only that, but you will also be able to integrate your past network into this new one!
