Guest Article: Helping Your Clients Connect the Dots

Editor's Note: We can help our clients by helping connect them with decision-makers. In this guest article, Frank Traditi (co-author of Get Hired Now!) offers tips to help clients use their network to connect with decision-makers.

Connect the Dots - Tracing the Steps to Job Opportunities
By Frank Traditi
As you've probably heard many times before, it's your network of people that will eventually help you land the job you really want. You can create and nurture this network through the familiar channels like networking functions, seminars, volunteering opportunities, and social gatherings. Another tactic you can use to build your network is called connecting the dots. Here's how it works. In order for companies to survive in today's competitive marketplace, they must rely on the services and expertise of other companies.

Many businesses maintain close relationships with their customers, service providers, affiliates, partners, bankers, and many others. All are part of what could be called the intelligence network. Members of this intelligence network interact with this business at different levels, but all are privy to information potentially beneficial to you.

Following is an example that illustrates the power of connecting the dots. Let's say you are targeting a job opportunity with a specific software development company. Here are the possible connections in their intelligence network:

1. Reseller Partners. The company that has contracted to sell their software will know the inside scoop on how the product works Maybe they also know about an opening in the software development department.

2. Web Design Firm Find out who designed their website. They are usually connected with the companies' marketing, information technology, and sales department. Perhaps they know some challenges the company is dealing with. Maybe the VP of Marketing is looking for a good Internet Marketing strategist?

3. Investment Bankers or Venture Capitalists Your target company might be in the early stages of growth. Bankers and Venture Capitalists know just about everything there is to know about the company and what their challenges are. Do you think these folks might know when a management shake-up may take place and when they are looking for good people and new talent?

4. Executive Recruiters They may have hired an executive recruiter to bring in new management talent for specific departments. That new manager may need to bring in new talent to the department. The recruiter might also have some intelligence about other areas of the company. Could they refer you to the leader of that other department?

5. Clients Some companies display a client list on their website or in their brochures. If you can identify and talk with a few players at these client companies, they may reveal clues to job opportunities. You may also recognize a company or two and know who works there. Leverage these relationships to get the inside track on your target company.

6. Sales training company Perhaps they've contracted with a sales training company that's working with their sales force and management team to increase their productivity. Maybe the training company personnel know about open sales positions? A good place to start is to write down all the services a company needs to run their day to day operations. Pick a company that you are interested in working for and try to identify the intelligence network that serves or is connected to this company. Make it your goal to find at least six connections. Then start connecting the dots. I'll bet you'll like the picture.

Copyright © 2005, Frank Traditi.
Frank Traditi is the co-author of Get Hired NOW!: A 28-Day Program for Landing the Job You Want. He is an author, speaker, career strategist, and executive coach with more than 20 years of experience in management, sales, and marketing for Fortune 500 companies. Frank works with talented professionals to design a game plan for an extraordinary career. For a copy of his free guide "How to Find a Job in 28 Days or Less," visit www.gethirednow.com

Using SCORE to Build Your Business

Did you know there is a free resource to help you create and refine your business plan and give you guidance with your resume business? It's called "SCORE" (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and you'll find tons of free advice, from marketing to business-startup, and more.

Here are some of my favorite resources:

• 60-second marketing plan
• Business plans and worksheets (breakeven analysis, and more)
• Growing Your Business Section

You can also ask SCORE counselors questions online (FREE) or sign up for an in-person consultation at your local office.

Helping Clients Research Prospective Employers

As careers professionals, we often advise clients to research prospective employers, to help identify how their skills and experience can be an asset. That can be (relatively) easy if the client's target is a public company or nonprofit -- but what if they want to work for a private company or a start-up?

Here is an excellent article on how to help your clients find out more information about a private company. Author Laurence J. Stybel tells how to use "scuttlebutt" to get the information your client needs.

Also, Forbes compiles a ranking of the top 500 private companies each year. If it's a manufacturing company, try the Thomas Register. Check out the Secretary of State (in the company's home state) for their filing.

Bondra Information Service (a fee-based research company) offers the following guidelines to direct the client'ss company analysis:

• Determine which of the two types of companies your target company is:
  • Publicly traded-trade on stock exchanges.
  • Privately held-more difficult to find information. Not required to file documentation because there are no shareholders. Much information is limited to directories and local publications and some trade magazines, etc. Sales figures are usually guesstimates
• Determine the level(s) of Information that you are seeking
  • Need or end-user usually determines sophistication of information.
  • Determine what you need to know.
• Basic facts
  • -Size of company, address, phone #, description of business, ticker symbol if public, $ net sales, volume, etc.
  • What are the S.I.C. or N.A.I.C.S. codes? These help classify and describe what industries/services the company provides and are becoming more widely used in directories and statistical sources.
  • Standard Industrial Classification Manual (SIC) and North American Industrial Classification System Manual (NAICS) on the Web
• Current and future state of the company
  • News-what is the most current news? Older than 6 months is more for historical research/background.
  • Trends and forecasts
    • (Where is the company now?)
    • Where might it be in 3-6 months vs 1-3 years?
    • Is the company in a growth or retreat mode? Why? What factors? Economic? Lawsuits, etc.
  • Financial Information
    • How is the company's balance sheet, income statement, earnings, eeps, dividend(s)?
    • How is the stock price doing? Current price vs historical price? Charts & graphs.
    • How is the stock doing against its competitors? Against the market as a whole?
    • What is the consensus on the stock by Wall Street Analysts?
  • Strategy-What is the company's short term and long term strategies?
  • Domestic vs International Markets
    • Is the company strong or weak domestically vs overseas? Where does the company make most of its profit?
    • What do each of the regions and products/divisions contribute to the whole?
  • Technology issues-is the company technologically driven?, How is it affected by the Internet?
  • Legal and regulatory issues
    • What are the current or future regulatory and legal issues which might effect the company?
    • What are the major state, federal or international bodies which might have influence?
    • Are there any possible pending bills or regulations which might have a significant impact?
  • Market Share. Is the company a dominant players? Why? What size of the market do they own or influence in the industry or industries that they are in or products/services that they sell?
  • Innovations/New Products/Patents-Does the company have any new products/services/patents?
  • Information Dissemination-What vehicles are used to disseminate information?
    • Web Page
    • Major PR and media for the industry including wire services, trade publications.
    • Industry Associations
    • Trade Shows/Conventions
    • Government Information

"Please Enjoy This Hold Music"

Twice today, while returning phone calls from prospective resume clients, instead of the phone ringing, I got this message: "Please enjoy this music while we connect your call."

It looks like we've got another items to talk to our clients about. In addition to cutesy answering machine messages and too-sexy e-mail addresses, now we should instruct them not to use internal ringtones -- called ringbacks -- (or at least not the ones I heard today, which blared loud rock music for the 15 seconds while the call connected.). I'm not sure either client is aware of the potentially negative first impression these ringtones make ... but I plan on addressing it with them if they become a client.