If you are ready to cultivate job opportunities rather than idly wait for them, take a look at trade shows.  You will have to be on your game in this high-energy arena.  Whether you’re actively looking for change or just flirting with the idea, these tips will help you attract the attention and earn the esteem of your target employer.

Note: While trade shows boast a concentration of real decision-makers, these people are primarily there to do business, not hire new talent.  Don’t treat this like a career fair. Focus your energy on nurturing relationships and gathering intelligence for later follow up.

How to Cultivate Career Opportunities

1. Plan Ahead

Compile and research a specific list of target companies and contacts that you would like to get to know.  Leverage what connections you have to get email introductions.  If nothing else, buck up and make that cold contact. Start small, stay targted, and set realistic goals.

Don’t expect or request much one-on-one time; 15-minute appointments arranged beforehand should suffice. When trying to set up these exploratory meetings, be candid and honest: simply state that you are ‘interested in expanding your network of industry relationships and you want to connect with [target’s name] because of his or her mutual interests, reputation, or position in the industry.’ If your target contacts are unable to schedule a block of time, they may be open to your dropping in for a quick ‘hello’ on the fly.

Unless you are openly job searching, be discrete; word travels fast.  There is an assumed risk if your current employer thinks that you are actively looking for a new position.  Having said that, it is perfectly normal to listen for long-term career opportunities; we all have a friend who is ready for a new job.

2. Use Discretion

The trade show floor is not the most discrete place nor the best time to vent frustrations with your current position.  Never criticize your present employer or shirk your responsibilities; think of the impression it could leave with your target contact.  If you do hint about your company-switching motives, stay positive and keep the door open with a position like: “I love my job, but at some point I may be looking for a new challenge.”

3. Muster your Mojo

Forget about how tired you are. Bring your “A” game.  Dress smartly.  Have fun. Get in your zone.  Give more energy than you take.  Take advantage of social events like parties, breakfasts, dinners, or speaking events. 

More than making casual connections or ‘putting a face to the name,’ your goal is to get to know your target contacts and leave them wanting more.  Enter meetings with the intention to ask questions, to learn about your target’s interests, and to ask about the work that he or she is most passionate about.  Everyone loves attention, so be as genial as your personality allows. For more ideas, check out Leil Lowndes’s great book “How to Talk to Anyone”.

4. Bring a Buddy

I love working a room by bringing someone who is either “introduction worthy” or well connected.  You’ll help each other make more connections.  Your buddy’s praise will take you farther than touting your own accomplishments solo.

I like to walk the floor with other successful long-term consultants.  Lawyers, bankers, recruiters, marketing consultants, and private equity investors are the biggest connectors because they work for multiple companies within the industry.  Many have worked hard to earn professional equity.  If they feel you are worthy, they will spend some of their relationship capital to make credible introductions for you. It is also fun to reciprocate by making meaningful introductions for them too.

5. Serve Appetizers

Be prepared to share something about your recent, best work in the public domain.  Build interest without dominating the conversation.  For example, you might say that you have been working on a social media marketing campaign, and you recently launched a viral video that complements your brand and product strategy.  Don’t go into details, leave them wanting more.  After the trade show, your basic “Nice to meet you” follow-up note could include a link with a casual “Check out that video I directed.” You can’t just talk a good game, you need to be the real deal.

Quality over Quantity

It is important to remember that quality is more important than quantity. Set realistic goals and remember to invest heavily in the relationships that you have already established.  All relationships need to be nourished, so do everything you can to be of service to your network.

Yes, this will take some extra effort.  You will have to hustle to apply these principles to your trade show routine consistently.  The reward is worth it. Gradually, you will build more meaningful relationships in the industry and earn access to the largest pool of career opportunities; the ones that are never posted.  With time, you and your hard-earned connections may become the vital link for other ambitious and talented people who are deserving of the best opportunities.

>>> About Notogroup: Notogroup is an executive search and talent consulting firm. We have a singular focus on providing the most comprehensive executive recruiting service so that our clients can be assured that each and every hire is a successful one.

What does BP’s ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico have to do with your hiring practices?  More than you may think.

Last month, five international oil companies were chastised by the US Congress for having near identical spill-response plans. Putting aside questions of negligence and complacency, this tragedy highlights the risk of only hiring from a talent pool with industry-specific experience.  Tight-knit industry clusters breed mediocrity.  If BP had enlisted the help of an industry ‘outsider’ -one with parallel experience, complementary competencies and a fresh perspective- perhaps their spill-response plan may have had more success.

Yes, experience and pedigree are important, but old hands don’t guarantee new ideas and fresh thinking.  The best candidate with the most promising competencies and creative energy may work in another industry.  While responsibilities and context may differ, the applicable core competencies driving an individual’s success may be readily transferable.

Progressive leaders who toy with the idea of hiring for competency over breed may have trouble seeing past industry boundaries.  This is understandable.  Such actions demand courage and a hiring process that inspires confidence.  Today’s market conditions currently favor such courage and confidence.   A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights employment trends that support the case for hiring outside the box.

Why act now?  Consider just three reasons:

1. Well-established brands are also well-entrenched.  Future success depends on innovation and connection to the next generation of customers.  Fresh thinking, strategy and perspective borrowed from an analogous company in a parallel industry could propel new growth and prosperity.

2.  Far flung candidates may be reluctant to relocate if the hurdles of selling their homes or finding their partners new jobs seem too high.  Since relocation costs are also on the rise for companies, the risk of failure may seem insurmountable.  Cost-conscious and community-oriented companies must balance the benefit of hiring locally with the potential inconvenience of a smaller, homogenized talent pool.  Under these circumstances, hiring outside of the industry may be an attractive alternative. 

3. Creative thinkers naturally tire of the same old job responsibilities and challenges.  Boredom with their current situation may inspire top performers to jump into something new and stimulating, even if it means a pay cut.  A successful person with the competencies you need will ultimately perform well and quickly compensate with rejuvenated enthusiasm.

In 2008, I met with an entrepreneur who wanted to jump from a career in healthcare into the outdoor industry.  Sure enough, he is flourishing as a national sales manager with a burgeoning outdoor apparel company.  He is passionate about the business and is an authentic brand evangelist in pursuit of market share.  After just one year in the industry, he is a top performer bringing all of his past entrepreneurial experience to benefit his new employer.

As in the case above, the risks can be daunting, but the pay-off can be substantial.  If you’re ready for some brave hiring, hedge your bets with these tips:

1. Prioritize values and culture fit.

Take stock of your company. Review the vision, mission and values driving your business, then let them guide the hiring structure.  Don’t forget to pay close attention to culture fit.  Employees who are a good cultural fit perform better and typically stay longer.  I’ve written more about culture fit on my blog.

2.  Follow your map.

To determine fit and identify transferable competencies, develop a structured behavioral interview process. Carefully align the interview questions to the competencies needed for success.  Then, create a consistent selection process.  A blog post that I previously wrote provides recommendations for structured interview techniques.

3. Look past the horizons of your industry.

Would it surprise you to learn that some of the best footwear designers come out of the automotive industry?  What complementary industries harbor folks with the talents, capabilities, and competencies you identified above?  Look for these people with experience in parallel, but relevant industries.

Building momentum takes time.  Be patient.

If you’ve invested effort in the above suggestions, then it will pay off to allow your new hire to absorb company culture and vision.  Once she gets up to speed, there’s no telling how far she’ll take you.  Although you can be sure it won’t be in the same direction as your four major competitors.

>>> About Notogroup: Notogroup is an executive search and talent consulting firm. We have a singular focus on providing the most comprehensive executive recruiting service so that our clients can be assured that each and every hire is a successful one.

A recent job search success survey conducted by Notogroup was given to 75 professionals across all job disciplines. Approximately half of those surveyed were unemployed and the remaining half had successfully landed a new job in the past 24 months.  68% of survey participants were professionals at the senior to executive-level.*

As you might expect, a successful job search strategy is still grounded in networking and relationship building activities, but with today’s ever-changing technology job seekers need to stand out more than ever. Internet job boards and recruiter sites have taken the place of the traditional newspaper employment search and memberships with social networking sites have become almost a necessity. Not only are jobs scarce but the competition is stiff, and good old-fashioned person-to-person connections remain the most effective way to get noticed.

The 70% layoff rate amongst those unemployed clearly reflects the state of the current U.S. economy. Those who voluntarily left their positions listed poor management, deficient culture fit and lack of challenge as the basis for their resignation. Of those currently employed, two-thirds of employed professionals surveyed are currently searching for a better position. This data may be an indication of lower morale, decreasing engagement, or general burnout.  In a recent article, Jessica Dickler from CNN Money concurred, “Many workers lucky enough to have survived the ax are still feeling unhappy and unmotivated at work…employees saddled with additional workloads for less pay are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their current position – or just plain burnt out.”

With a 90% job search rate of those surveyed, creative job search strategies are more important than ever, yet only half of those surveyed have developed any sort of formal job search strategy.  A majority of the respondents actively search networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. A small 7% actively maintain blogs that relate to their professional interests and activities, and 23% have paid subscriptions with career resource portals such as the Ladders.  A third of the respondents have considered paying to have their résumé rewritten by a professional and 5% have hired job search coaching or outplacement agencies.

Of those recently hired, 50% found their jobs through a referral by a friend or a colleague and 37% found their jobs through a family member or friend who already worked at the company.

Proactive search methods are great ways for getting noticed but the key to landing a lasting career is through establishing meaningful relationships. Using traditional introductions through friends and family and cold calls to hiring managers are still great starting points, but with today’s competitive job market, it is essential to engage with prospects and networking contacts on a “real” level.  Establishing rapport through a friendship connection and sharing personal interests that relate to the company may be what makes you stand out in the crowd. 85% of those surveyed stated that they would take the time to meet with other professionals if they sensed sincerity and mutual benefit.

The goal of networking is simply to build and maintain meaningful relationships and it is the quality of the relationships you build that matters as much as the quantity.  The more trust and professional credibility you build with others, the more likely they are to advocate, recommend or want to help you. Conversely, it is just as important for you to “pay it forward” and invest in the success of others within your network. 

Only you can set yourself up for success. Prepare for meaningful conversations by being ready to listen and ask questions. Rather than planning on how to talk about yourself and your capabilities, take time to learn about the person you are meeting with and the industry and company for which they represent. Researching the company’s goals and potential needs will inform your conversation and create a more useful two way dialogue. It will also help you determine if the company is the right fit for your career goals and professional aspirations. If you are genuinely interested in the company and their values it will show through naturally if you are well prepared and thoughtful in your dialogue. Amazing things can happen when you approach every connection with a sincere interest in learning, understanding, and giving rather than with the standard approach of “I need a job, do you have one?”

*Thanks to all of the “Job Search Success Survey” participants.

>>> About Notogroup: Notogroup is an executive search and talent consulting firm. We have a singular focus on providing the most comprehensive executive recruiting service so that our clients can be assured that each and every hire is a successful one.

In search of more data, I discovered another major study by Leadership IQ of 5,247 managers covering more than 20,000 hires that points to deep-seated flaws with the interviewing and assessment process used by most companies. Perhaps the most salient statistic was that only 19% (one hire out of every five people hired) in a typical hiring process were classified as an unequivocal success. The study also indicated that 46% of new hires fail within 18 months.

The hypothesis given by the Leadership IQ Study was that the majority of hiring managers surveyed reported that they ignored subtle clues and were too focused on other issues, too pressed for time, or lacked confidence in their interviewing ability. The study also indicated that hiring managers emphasized technical competence over candidate motivation, coachability, emotional intelligence, and temperament.

While not much credence was given to the hiring process in these reports, the Recruiting Roundtable report offered some redemption for the value an experienced recruiter can bring. The report concluded that “recruiter skill” does correlate to improvements in quality of hire.

The top three recruiter skills for improving quality of hire included:
1. The ability to partner and communicate with hiring managers
2. The ability to gain a clear understanding of job requirements
3. The ability to recruit / hunt (of course).

Even though I was knocked a bit out of orbit by the research findings, I still believe that a comprehensive and structured interviewing process does improve quality hire. In my opinion, the real issue is inconsistency. Unfortunately, recruiters do not have professional standards of excellence that would provide the consistency needed to correlate process to improved hiring success.

In the absence of true professional standards or accreditation for recruiting, I will now have to give more weight to recruiter instinct and experience. While I have always believed that experience and skill are important, I have been more humble about promoting my own experience and passion for recruiting. Perhaps the talent it takes to be an incredible recruiter is not different (in concept) to the talent of a star athlete, musician, or an admired artist.

In truth, the best way to improve quality of hire is most likely to include a combination of all of the elements described above. However, when selecting your next recruiter, remember that it takes great talent to hire great talent.

Like a teenager becoming an adult, it seems to be a bit of an awkward stage for social media as we stumble across lines of proper etiquette.  Also, as a result of the workplace becoming more global, the differences in cultural and social norms have created even more confusion.

Whether we like it or not, social media now has legitimate business applications and the user population has grown exponentially.  Yet, there are many legal and ethical issues that need to be addressed with regard to how social media is used.  For example, a recent Career Builder survey found that 44% of employers look up potential hires and incorporate the information into hiring decisions.  If it hasn’t occured already, it might be a good time to create an open dialogue in your company around how social media should be used and the issues and policies surrounding privacy, hiring, branding, culture, and employee performance.

So, here are some questions to get the conversation started:
1. How do you deal with the invasion of your personal life from the professional realm?
2. What can be done about social media’s influence on hiring decisions?
3. Should employers be liable for factoring inappropriate information with regard to hiring decisions?
4. What are some of the other issues that you have encountered with social media in your workplace?

Comments welcomed and encouraged.

In a recent SmartBrief interview the former chief human resources officer of Yahoo! and Southwest Airlines, and former chairman of the board of the Society for Human Resource Management , Libby Sartain, discusses the biggest HR trends and opportunities for 2010. Sartain is also co-author of “HR from the Heart” “Brand from the Inside,” and “Brand for Talent.”

Do you know who is talking about your company?  It’s not just consumers, it is current employees, past employees, and recent job candidates too! That’s right, and they are not just talking about your products. They are serving up uncensored commentary about what it is really like to work at your company.

As a result of new websites that offer self publishing tools, employees and candidates have an anonymous  forum to vent. I recently explored two such websites (Glassdoor and Jobvent) that offer user generated reviews of employers.  You can check out the websites at: Glassdoor (www.glassdoor.com) and JobVent (www.jobvent.com).

These sites allow the user to type in a company name to research reviews, salaries, and interview questions.  This means that a potential candidate can see what current and past employees as well as job candidates have posted anonymously about what they think of your company.  Here are some excerpts on two large outdoor industry companies that I researched:

COMPANY #1:
“Systems are outdated-Lotus Notes for mail”
“Managers not qualified for their positions”
“Employees don’t have a voice”
“A company that lives its values only in words”

COMPANY #2:
“Tremendous brand with great values “
“Lots of room for entrepreneurial endeavors”
“Flexible schedule/hours”
“Little turnover and slow growth philosophy make it challenging to move up in the company and grow”

Which company would you rather work for if given a choice?  Glassdoor even allows the user to offer anonymous advice to the “Senior Management” and ranks the CEO with an “Approval Rating”.  While this information is intended to be objective, it is important to recognize that these sites can make it easy for a disgruntled employee to communicate dissatisfaction.

While you might be able to find some stuff online about your employment brand, the majority of the information is passed around by word-of-mouth stories told by current employees, past employees, and candidates who have had interaction with the company. With as much connectivity and communication as there is these days, it does not take much to develop a soiled reputation. These word-of-mouth warning sirens can easily scare off top talent even if the stories are taken out of context or not fully accurate representations.  Companies that earn notoriety for being a dreadful place to work often can only attract employees who need a job bad enough to overlook the potential downsides of a toxic environment. Ultimately, this perpetuates the situation and leads to ongoing turnover and turmoil.

Most HR Mangers and Hiring Executives that I have surveyed state that they believe their “employment brand” to be “better than average” as compared to “average” or “below average”. Unfortunately, I have found that the internal perception often does not mirror the external feedback that I receive when I survey the market. As you might expect, companies generally have a more positive perception than what is often heard on the street. In some cases, companies with a strong consumer brand often falsely assume that the employment brand is a reflection of the consumer brand.  Often, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Please share your thoughts, comments, and ideas:

1. Is the market perception of what it is like to work at your company accurate? If not, why?
2. What should be done if someone has written an unfavorable review of your company?
3. What are some best practices for improving a company’s employment brand reputation?

NOTE: This executive is currently employed and not actively searching. With permission, this individual is interested in hearing about compelling opportunities.  Please contact roy@notogroup.com and reference client number 114 if you are interested in learning more about this potential candidate. Candidates are provided at a reduced fee if hired.

Read the Full Story by John Tamny on Forbes.com

* Employed professionals who have been hired in the past 24 months
* Unemployed job seekers who are currently seeking employment

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