Networking to Reposition Yourself in Today’s Marketplace

Why reposition:

• Have to: You’ve lost your job and need to find a new one.

• Want to: You want to change functions, companies, or industries.

How to reposition yourself:

• Leverage civic involvement: For example, even though you’re a controller or CFO, you have a track record of being involved with groups (e.g., a hospital’s board of directors) in a field or industry you’re interested in. Leveraging such experience—something you have that others in your field don’t—will give you a competitive edge.

• State cross-functional experience: For example, even though you have a strong technical background, you’ve worked closely with your (former) company’s sales teams to develop and win new business. In other words, you’re not just another IT specialist but, in fact, have business savvy.

Network to find opportunities:

• Attend service provider events: If you’re trying to connect with companies, network with the attorneys and accountants whose services these companies use. You can attend their business development functions, meet one or more of these service providers, and, in turn, get to know them better over coffee or lunch. Often, they know about potential or upcoming opportunities.

• Make new contacts in funtion/industry you’re interested in: If you’d like to move into a different industry or function, meet individuals who have longtime ties to and contacts in that function or industry. In this regard, your colleagues and friends can introduce you to individuals who have expertise in the function or industry you’re interested in. You can also attend industry events.

Communicate to reposition yourself:

• Develop a brief introduction for yourself: For example, if you’re speaking with an accountant, you might say: “Building on my 10 years of experience as the controller for a $10 billion division of Mega IT corporation, I’d like to parlay both my financial experience and work with business development teams to work for a midsize technology firm. Given your role at JH Cohn (a midsize accounting firm), what kinds of challenges are your technology clients facing?”

• Do your homework: With whom do you want to connect? What can you learn about this individual(s) that you can use to your advantage?

• Send a follow-up email: By doing so, you can arrange to meet one-on-one with this person and/or one of his contacts. But, don’t delay sending this note.