Networking

People keep asking me about networking. It is one if those buzz words that people are not quite sure what it means. I have my own ideas how to do it and it works for me. Read on and find out more about them. They may work for you too.

The definition of networking by Wikipedia: “Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity.” The main word in this definition is social. Keep this in mind while at the event or writing emails. People are not really interested in helping you find the job but they are interested in knowing somebody fun and entertaining.

The biggest mistake I see people making while networking is the focus on job and only job. This makes you boring. You need to show off your personality, your skills, wit and make people like you. You will be more interesting if you find some common interests with the person you are talking to. It can be anything: travelling, children, knitting, movies you love/hate, having a brother/sister, volunteering, ideas, problems etc. Talk about what you did a day before or what sparked your interests on the news. However small and insignificant you think it is –there is somebody out there who thinks the same and will relate to you.

Do not stick to people who came from the same country as you did. It is normal that you connect easier with them but don’t overdo it. You will exclude everybody else if you keep talking in your language. Stay together but speak English and try to include others in your conversation. Canada is a country of diversity and you have to keep that in mind if you want to succeed.

Go to many different events, not just once related to your industry or interests. Whatever the industry you are in, there are not that many events exclusive to your industry. You need to go to other events and socialize. People have different interests and you may find a CEO of high-tech company attending gardening show. Be open-minded and don’t judge people hastily but try to get to know them first. You will be surprised by interesting conversation you can have with even a homeless person on the street.

Volunteering helped me establish many connections. It shows your good will to share and help without asking for anything in return. Don’t expect to connect to people and get a great reference right away. You need to show your value and work hard first. References and help will come somewhere down the line. You need to build the relationship first (respect, trust, reliability etc).

If you are very shy and conversation is a challenge, try to find at least one person to talk to. It can be a greeter at the door or a sales person advertising the new product. You need to start somewhere. Pick anybody and try to ask for some information (where is the washroom?). There are also event organizers that you can find and tell how great event they organized. Everybody likes to hear the praise. I found sometimes that commenting on somebody’s jewellery or clothes can spark an interesting conversation.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the explanation. English is a second language for most of the Canadians and it is normal to ask for the clarification. You will show you are interested in what other person is saying and that you are listening carefully. There is no shame in being challenged by new language. If the other person cannot help you with the small explanation, she will not help in the other things either.

There are the days when we feel blue and nothing is right. Do not attend any events if you are in such a mood. You will leave a bad impression. If there is a way to cheer you up with a run or some other physical activity, do it. We are very sensitive to the energy people are projecting. You need to keep your energy positive if you want to meet new people. I read about the tactic politician use: if there is person with negative energy in the room or somebody start a negative conversation at an important event, they immediately move away and change topic, keeping they attitude positive.

If you are having hard time socializing, you will have a hard time networking. The best way to overcome this is to keep trying. I found these things help me: concentrate on social aspect, talk about things you are genuinely interested in, don’t talk only about your search for job, listen and make sure you understand other people at the event, relax and find at least one person to talk to. You will know you succeeded once you start having fun and looking forward going to the gardening show even though you still hate to garden.

Positive attitude

The key to success is to create a positive, “it will happen” attitude.  Mary, my mentee, got tired of me mentioning this. I think it is very important for the immigrants to know what they want, to keep positive attitude and to adapt to Canadian society.

When you immigrate into any new country (not just Canada) you are separated from your normal supportive network of friends and family, many things are different and the society norms change. You have to learn new rules and still keep working towards your goal. It is very easy to forget who you really are and what you want. I keep repeating to new immigrants that they are here for reason, Canada granted them entrance because they are needed and valued. You don’t need to change, you just need to adapt to the new society. Most of this adaptation is in learning how to correctly express yourself. This doesn’t include only language skills. You have to be able to present yourself in the ways that society finds acceptable. For example,  I was thought modesty is a value. Being modest, not talking about the things you know well, not expressing your opinions and not asking questions will not help you in Canada. You have to do the opposite to succeed.

Canadian society polite language is language of positivity. You will notice when you ask for any advice or opinion that people usually say only positive things. If they say something negative it will be coated and it will be hard to understand what the negative message bellow is. You need to learn not to criticize people as you will gain only enemies. Even the simple question such as “How are you?”, should be always answered in the positive way. People don’t want to hear negativity. The negative answers such as “I’ve just lost my job and I am desperate for another one. Is there any openings in your company?” is replaced with “I am just between jobs. I am still considering taking some courses to improve my skills. Do you think taking this course will help me in my new job?”. You leave people an option to help you and not demand it with the direct question.

There are also some proven methods you can follow:

• Create your elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is a few sentences about you. It is called elevator pitch because it is so short it can be told to somebody you meet on the elevator ride.
• Keep running commercials about yourself and your latest achievements. Think about your audience. It could be your friends or your coworkers or even your family. You don’t have to do it all the time but remind people how good you are. Some people made a career on this: they kept repeating over and over how good they are until everybody started to believe in it.
• Look for and talk about about improving your skills and what your current goals are. People will be happy to give you advice and their opinions about the current demands. You will improve your confidence if you know your goals.
• Ask for the information interviews whenever you have opportunity. The information interview is when you ask for the information not for the job. You can ask for the information interview any working professional. Have the questions ready and do not keep people for long.
• Attend seminars and conferences or join community where professionals from your industry are present. Make sure to make contact with people and hand your business cards.
• Create your business card. You can really show who you are with your business card. People will resist taking your resume but not the business card. It is a great way to get other people’s business cards.
• You will be thought this if you attend any seminars or take any courses that the way to give a feedback is to say three positive things and one negative.

The key in job search is to look for the job and keep your “it will happen” attitude. When you talk with people advertise yourself. You can use the proven methods of not asking for a job directly.

The state of the industry

During the second meeting, we talked about the current state of industry, the future trends and where you can find information about it. These questions are part of our mentorship plan. This plan addresses the specific needs of the mentee and is developed with the help of ISSofBC facilitators.

I have to admit that I am not paying enough attention to the current state of the industry. My information usually comes from the chit-chat with my colleagues. From these conversations, the industry (electronics and manufacturing) is still in trouble. There are no as many lay offs as there used to be but openings are also limited. Manufacturing companies are hiring part-time workers to fill the immediate work orders instead of hiring full-time employees. The self-employment seems to work for quite a few people.

I went on line to confirm the water-cooler stories (this is an expression as every office has a water cooler and that is where most of the chit-chat happens) and found quite a few sites that offer the statistics and evaluations but there are not free. Statistics Canada has a few too. They confirm that part-time jobs and self-employment are on the rise. This is also where I found answers to current and future trends questions.

“Current Trends- Technology advances? What industries, countries, situations affect your profession? “

If I look into engineering profession, global economic situation affect our profession as well as technology advances. The electronic industry in Canada is mostly communications (fixed and wireless), then industry and computing and then components and consumer electronics (from Electronics Industry in Canada). The communication industry is growing as higher internet bandwidths are available and new communication devices are developed (such as ipad and new blackberry playbook). In this turbulent economy, market changes are sudden and big. Employers are hiring more part-time workers so they can easier let them go if there is a change in product demand. There are more self-employed (consultants and such) number for the same reason. By the industry, number of manufacturing jobs is rising but technical jobs are about the same ( from Employment Rises but Private Payrolls Fall).

“What skills, experience, and education are currently in demand in your profession? What is required and valued?”

Since the last economy downturn started, I’ve heard of many engineers loosing their jobs and finding new once. The people who found the jobs easiest are those who are adaptable, easy going (great communication skills) and proactive (talking about their job loss to everybody, networking etc.). So, the trend in our profession now is to be adaptable and proactive. Many companies downsized so they want people who can do more than one job.

“Future Trends – Are there any foreseeable trends coming in the near future?“

Earthquake in Japan will influence electronic industry in the Q2 and Q3 2011. Japanease Shin-Etsu Handotai produces about 20% of the world’s
raw wafers. There is no doubt that supply will be constrained in numerous areas relating to the electronic system and semiconductor industries due
to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
(from earthquake in Japan).

Please add your opinions about current and future trends in Canadian industry.

The first meeting

Mary asked me how I moved from technician job to engineering. This made me think about the hard period in my life when I did a job I didn’t like.

There are many people around us with that frustrated mask on their faces that tells us how they are doing something they don’t like. We all have our family and financial obligation that are sometimes forcing us to do the same. The year I worked as technician was hard because I couldn’t enjoy everyday work. I would spend all day repeating the same tasks over and over again. There was no creativity. Later I found that some machines are harder to operate than others and learning to operate on them was a challenge for me. The team I worked with was also a comfort as they thought me about multicultural work environment and how many things are the same in different parts of  the world (such as basic human qualities of goodness, sharing and support). But it was not enough…The frustration made me look for another job with more determination and focus: I knew what I don’t want. I imagined working as an engineer eventhough I didn’t exactly know what it means. I kept applying for different positions and small companies hoping my lack of engineering experience will be compensated by my enthusiasm and willingness to take a challenge. The good recommendations were that I was able to excel in something new to me such as working as a manufacturing technician and leave my mark even though I didn’t enjoy all aspects of the work. It took me almost a year to get an engineering job. The reason they hired me is the good references from my technician job, enthusiasm and the education.

In the addition to this question I ended up explaining the titles for the technical jobs. They are many titles that mean the same so I  will list only the once I am familiar with:

• Technician
• Technologist
• Engineer

Based on Mary’s questions this is the list of  things you can do if you have if you have no relevant Canadian experience and an engineering degree from a foreign university :

• Look for a job in a small company
• Apply for lower level job such as technologist or technician in your field
• Apply for the lower level job not in your field but in the well  known company or the company were you can gain some transferable skills
• Enroll into masters program at the local university
• Enroll into some technical courses at the local university

Make sure you are gaining one or more of the things listed bellow:

• Transferable skills
• Good references
• Connections in your field