Panthers @ Work
David P. Scurlock '77
My networking story is perhaps not unusual among UWM alumni. In May of 2008 my position as regional training manager was eliminated. As happens with situations like this I was taken by surprise, and, as I had been focused on my job up to that point, I didn't have a formal professional network established.
Initially I thought it would be fairly easy to identify another position and make the transition. Needless to say, the process was slower and more competitive than I had anticipated! Just responding to ads and occasional leads did not generate the quality of the opportunities I needed to land my next opportunity.
I had heard that networking was crucial, and while I knew that it was late in the game to establish a professional network, I knew it was important to plunge in. My goals were to establish a network to share opportunities and prospects and to establish a network within the target organizations that I was interviewing with. Of the various methods out there one of the strategies I found most effective was face-to-face networking. While it was easy to get stuck behind the computer doing research and responding to postings, I found it extremely helpful to get out and meet people in social and professional settings. Each time my objective was the same: to meet individuals that might know someone at the companies that I had targeted. Even if individuals didn't have specific contacts within companies, each conversation was an opportunity to learn about industries and markets that my targeted companies were in.
A second and equally effective strategy was using LinkedIn as a tool to network and expand my network. Once I established my profile, one of the things I did was begin connecting with everyone I knew, starting with friends or people I knew to the point of having their e-mail address. Another strategy I found effective was to have a couple of people I worked with write a brief recommendation for me. I also joined groups within LinkedIn that I had something in common with or an interest in. In my case, I joined the UWM Alumni Association group and a couple of training/hr groups.
With these two components established, I found LinkedIn to be a very useful tool to network with individuals in organizations that interested me as well as those that I interviewed with. On more than one occasion I was able to create a contact with someone within the company that resulted in getting an interview. And LinkedIn not only made it easy for contacts to see my profile, but it also made it easy for me to review the profile of the individuals with whom I was interviewing—really useful for establishing common ground.
I found that even reaching out to individuals within companies that didn't have opportunities posted was effective. My rule of thumb was to do research first on the company or industry, then make the contact. I made sure not to ask for jobs or opportunities but instead to request to learn something regarding the organization or the industry or even the culture of the company. Overall, I found that most of my contacts were quite helpful. I also found that, as the site is getting so popular, it takes some people a little time to respond to a request.
So, what happened at the end? I found a job. I'm a Director of Learning and Development for iPCS Wireless, an affiliate of Sprint. My responsibilities include needs assessment, design, implementation and measurement of training and organizational development solutions for Sprint sales offices in 82 markets. And I'm keeping up my professional network. I hope you will, too.
David P. Scurlock, Training and Organizational Development Professional http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpscurlock