By Shawn Desgrosellier of Vitality Group
When we are faced with a recession, what happens? The strong survive and the weak die.
Client after client refer to this market as "gorilla warfare" and I would agree. It is tough out there and it is impacting the A&E Firms, Program and Construction Management firms, General Contractors and the entire Specialty Contractor market segment in all sectors and sizes. So what do you do? Do you go where you have never been before and competitively pursue and bid every project that hits the wire? Do you get into the Federal market since that is where all of the money seems to be? Do you diversify geographically and have a wider reach and expect your project teams to travel? Do you scale back and wait it out? I think you get my point, there are more "what if" scenarios than ever before, so the question is: What are YOU going to do?
The companies that have survived gorilla warfare are: steadfast in their strategy, equipped with the right weapons, know their enemy (competition), and have one objective- to Win the WAR. Here are some tips to improve your strategy.
Steadfast Strategy:
When planning for war, you must operate with precision - no mistakes. You must be in control and not at the mercy of your opponent. Market Mastery is an offensive sales and business development approach that can dramatically improve your depth and breadth in the market, uncovering every possible prospect without trying to be everything to everybody. Focus on your core.
Here is an exercise that can draw out opportunities:
Get your Top Guns or Seal Team (the best of the best at all levels in the room) and drive a discussion around market segments, organizational expertise, and your niche or specialization. Identify all possible prospects (organizations and people within those organizations) in that fit into your market niche or area of specialization. The longer the list the better.
Compartmentalize your targets by market segment: Healthcare, Education, Federal, Municipality, Retail, Office, Industrial, etc. Next you need to identify contacts at a local or what some call "national account" level as well as local or regional contacts who influence the decision making process.
This will be your guide and from this you will carefully and strategically work this long list of opportunities into a short and manageable list of targets/strategic accounts. When this is at a manageable level, how do you approach these clients and how often is critical. If you create a SOP for client prospecting, in no time at all you will know every step by memory and can track each prospect by stage and moving each prospect from stage 1 to stage 2 and so on will show you the progress or lack thereof you are making with each prospect.
How often do you have a great meeting with a client prospect and it goes dormant? It happens more than it should, so how do you and your organization prevent that from happening? You need to stay in touch with your clients and it can be as simple as adding every prospect to an e-mail or U.S. Mail distribution list and sending them something monthly. Just that alone could dramatically increase your market coverage and keep your company on the top of their mind when an opportunity arises- it is all about timing in sales and that is where most sales people and companies miss huge opportunities. Strength of numbers and law of averages is a theme that over time can change the direction of your company forever!
Of course your past projects and the people who were involved in selecting your firm as the contractor are great targets that also need to be on your list. You need to stay in touch with those people, track them in a database, and assign someone internally who connected well with them at both a personal and professional level.
If you gather all of your troops into the WAR room and if each member can move each prospect from stage to stage effectively - in no time at all your organization will be ready and in position when the timing is right- to strike.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Final CEO Challenge - Finding the Right Successor
By: Shawn Desgrosellier
There I was, in the depth of a phone conversation with a CEO discussing the future of his organization. He was experiencing one of life's greatest challenges for a Founder and CEO - succession planning. He used three categories that were in his opinion most important: alignment of the team, selecting the successor, and mentally preparing to let go of control.
The evaluation and alignment of the current team requires the experience to first of all understand the needs of the business. The successor needs to earn the respect of each employee and openly evaluate their skill set, identify with thier strengths, and move them into the right position for the best interest of the organization. Without the team, there is no company. The successor needs to have the right emotional strength to not only make the decision but to more importantly win over the employees and get their full support. "Rally the troops and charge the hill", mentality by all.
Selecting the right successor is far more complicated than the evaluation and alignment of the team. The company and it's success was created by the founder and due to the fact the organization was built around the competencies and beliefs of the founder make the search for the right successor even more complicated. When there is a business with a history of success and an existing employee base with decades of tenure this is a huge undertaking. The process will include a comprehensive evaluation of the organization, culture, client or customer base, reputation, history, niche or value proposition in the market, employees and their backgrounds, culture and so on...no detail should go overlooked and a handful of scenarios should be taken into consideration. This candidate ideally is already hired and has a proven track record with the organization. That however, is not always the case and often times the best candidate to succeed a founder is working elsewhere.
What happens when a founder leaves the company, what happens to the employees, what happens to the culture, and how do you mitigate to the best of your ability to find a person who can make the transition and hold it all together? The magic question- who will it be? It can't be emotional- this is business and this one of the paramount business decisions a founder or CEO will ever make. The person needs to be the perfect blend of leader, motivator, strategist, communicator, politician, and prepared to work harder than ever before.
Releasing Control- the behemoth! Release of control is the most challenging part of succession planning for this CEO and Founder. He was so torn with what he will do after he is no longer the decision maker and how can he help them and guide them from afar. He knew they were going to make mistakes but what worried him most was what made me write this post. He wanted them to continue to take risks and sieze opportunities. The CEO knew that without a little guts there was going to be no glory and the problem is that he is the only one that remembers the risks he took to get them to the place they are today. The same risks are required to continue to grow the organization by seizing opportunities. "Saving for a raing day", he said was being ready and able to strike when the time was right. Meanwhile, always knowing in the back of his mind that it might not work the way he intended. It took decades of making good decisions that built their foundation but it was when his experience and knowledge game him the confidence to take the big leaps that paid off and ultimately made the company what it is today. If it were not for those decisions and risks- we would be a very different company.
This final challenge is like a final thesis- and as he said to me "if there is anything I do right, this one has to be my masterpiece".
There I was, in the depth of a phone conversation with a CEO discussing the future of his organization. He was experiencing one of life's greatest challenges for a Founder and CEO - succession planning. He used three categories that were in his opinion most important: alignment of the team, selecting the successor, and mentally preparing to let go of control.
The evaluation and alignment of the current team requires the experience to first of all understand the needs of the business. The successor needs to earn the respect of each employee and openly evaluate their skill set, identify with thier strengths, and move them into the right position for the best interest of the organization. Without the team, there is no company. The successor needs to have the right emotional strength to not only make the decision but to more importantly win over the employees and get their full support. "Rally the troops and charge the hill", mentality by all.
Selecting the right successor is far more complicated than the evaluation and alignment of the team. The company and it's success was created by the founder and due to the fact the organization was built around the competencies and beliefs of the founder make the search for the right successor even more complicated. When there is a business with a history of success and an existing employee base with decades of tenure this is a huge undertaking. The process will include a comprehensive evaluation of the organization, culture, client or customer base, reputation, history, niche or value proposition in the market, employees and their backgrounds, culture and so on...no detail should go overlooked and a handful of scenarios should be taken into consideration. This candidate ideally is already hired and has a proven track record with the organization. That however, is not always the case and often times the best candidate to succeed a founder is working elsewhere.
What happens when a founder leaves the company, what happens to the employees, what happens to the culture, and how do you mitigate to the best of your ability to find a person who can make the transition and hold it all together? The magic question- who will it be? It can't be emotional- this is business and this one of the paramount business decisions a founder or CEO will ever make. The person needs to be the perfect blend of leader, motivator, strategist, communicator, politician, and prepared to work harder than ever before.
Releasing Control- the behemoth! Release of control is the most challenging part of succession planning for this CEO and Founder. He was so torn with what he will do after he is no longer the decision maker and how can he help them and guide them from afar. He knew they were going to make mistakes but what worried him most was what made me write this post. He wanted them to continue to take risks and sieze opportunities. The CEO knew that without a little guts there was going to be no glory and the problem is that he is the only one that remembers the risks he took to get them to the place they are today. The same risks are required to continue to grow the organization by seizing opportunities. "Saving for a raing day", he said was being ready and able to strike when the time was right. Meanwhile, always knowing in the back of his mind that it might not work the way he intended. It took decades of making good decisions that built their foundation but it was when his experience and knowledge game him the confidence to take the big leaps that paid off and ultimately made the company what it is today. If it were not for those decisions and risks- we would be a very different company.
This final challenge is like a final thesis- and as he said to me "if there is anything I do right, this one has to be my masterpiece".
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
YOUR Career: the right PLACE at the right time
By: Shawn Desgrosellier
When you hear the phrase, "the right place at the right time" what resonates with you? It has relevenacy for so many scenarios, however I want to talk about how it relates to you and your career. As you can see from the title of this article I added CAPS to the words "YOUR" and "PLACE" so why are those two words so important?
YOUR career may look very different than it did 12-24 months ago and the next 12-24 months may continue to be both very uncomfortable and unpredictable. You have had 12-24 months to get adjusted to the volitility, so what are you doing about it? Have you at the very least changed your work habits? Are you getting in early and staying late? Are you working on your business development skills and are you investing your time and energy in an area that will help deliver revenue? If no, then have you at least worked on YOU and I mean character traits that need to be improved upon, such things as: reliability, creativity, attitude, energy, compassion, committment and trust? Now is the time to invest in yourself and your future.
What about your PLACE of employment, are you working for an organization who is taking advantage of this time to retool, make changes, cleanse itself of unproductive operations and people? Are you surrounded by people who are making you better at what you do? Are they the best in the business- the elite of the industry? What are they doing to push themselves to the next level? How do they stay motivated? How are they adjusting to the new economy? If you are not surrrounded by these people then the timing might be just right for you to consider your career options.
You are one of the highest sought after people in your industry and your career options have never been better.
Are you in the right place at the right time?
When you hear the phrase, "the right place at the right time" what resonates with you? It has relevenacy for so many scenarios, however I want to talk about how it relates to you and your career. As you can see from the title of this article I added CAPS to the words "YOUR" and "PLACE" so why are those two words so important?
YOUR career may look very different than it did 12-24 months ago and the next 12-24 months may continue to be both very uncomfortable and unpredictable. You have had 12-24 months to get adjusted to the volitility, so what are you doing about it? Have you at the very least changed your work habits? Are you getting in early and staying late? Are you working on your business development skills and are you investing your time and energy in an area that will help deliver revenue? If no, then have you at least worked on YOU and I mean character traits that need to be improved upon, such things as: reliability, creativity, attitude, energy, compassion, committment and trust? Now is the time to invest in yourself and your future.
What about your PLACE of employment, are you working for an organization who is taking advantage of this time to retool, make changes, cleanse itself of unproductive operations and people? Are you surrounded by people who are making you better at what you do? Are they the best in the business- the elite of the industry? What are they doing to push themselves to the next level? How do they stay motivated? How are they adjusting to the new economy? If you are not surrrounded by these people then the timing might be just right for you to consider your career options.
You are one of the highest sought after people in your industry and your career options have never been better.
Are you in the right place at the right time?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Employee Retention is the CEO's job
If costs , customers, and quality service is important, then turnover should be at the top of your list. If the CEO does not own turnover, he is more comfortable with poor performance than he may admit. High turnover that is something that unquestionably costs money and time for existing staff, but its tentacles extend to just about everything a company does. If you can reduce turnover it will positively affect the entire organization, it links to every department and ultimately every customer, client or future employee.
Turnover is fundamentally about the culture of the organization and whether or not it cares about retaining good people, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it puts your among the best in your industry and financial well being.
Until the recent downturn, many leaders could legitimately blame turnover on external factors, such as shortages of people across all industries and the hot job market. Many of those external pressures have resided and now is a perfect time to for senior leaders to address the internal problems causing turnover. By doing so, CEO's can better attack problems with morale, unproductive teams, client service, and mistakes.
Many CEO's don't see employee turnover as an area where they can (or should) make a substantial impact. Maybe they can't match higher salaries being paid elsewhere. Maybe they can't match the challenging smaller more nimble competitor. Concerns about turnover are often directed to HR. But, CEO's can make a huge difference in employee turnover.
A focused strategy on retention and reduction of turnover does not mean that low performers should be allowed to hang around. Quite the opposite, in fact. If low performance means that you may lose your job it creates a sense of ownership for each employee and become embedded into the fabric of the culture. The turnover of low performers is very healthy it is when you lose top performers it can literally implode and organization from the inside out.
CEO's need to own turnover no matter what industry. Employee mortality can mean the difference between profit and loss and thriving or survival.
Turnover is fundamentally about the culture of the organization and whether or not it cares about retaining good people, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it puts your among the best in your industry and financial well being.
Until the recent downturn, many leaders could legitimately blame turnover on external factors, such as shortages of people across all industries and the hot job market. Many of those external pressures have resided and now is a perfect time to for senior leaders to address the internal problems causing turnover. By doing so, CEO's can better attack problems with morale, unproductive teams, client service, and mistakes.
Many CEO's don't see employee turnover as an area where they can (or should) make a substantial impact. Maybe they can't match higher salaries being paid elsewhere. Maybe they can't match the challenging smaller more nimble competitor. Concerns about turnover are often directed to HR. But, CEO's can make a huge difference in employee turnover.
A focused strategy on retention and reduction of turnover does not mean that low performers should be allowed to hang around. Quite the opposite, in fact. If low performance means that you may lose your job it creates a sense of ownership for each employee and become embedded into the fabric of the culture. The turnover of low performers is very healthy it is when you lose top performers it can literally implode and organization from the inside out.
CEO's need to own turnover no matter what industry. Employee mortality can mean the difference between profit and loss and thriving or survival.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Hiring in 2010 - What's the Real Deal?
By: Shawn Desgrosellier of Vitality Group
This year has been a whirlwind in the construction recruiting business! I thought it might be interesting to recap what has happened in the first quarter of 2010 to give you a real look at what is really going on out there. I will tell you about our findings in the job market, the employers perspective on recruiting and hiring in 2010, and a few tips for the jobless.
In January and February we spent most of the month on the road. We met with the CEO's, COO's and HR Executives in the Commercial, Civil, Industrial and Specialty Contracting industry. We targeted in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hawaii, and Texas which is where our strong relationships, market knowledge, experience and best opportunity to secure new search assignments exist. We also fielded hundreds of calls from the candidate community and met in person many of the top candidates who were unemployed, underemployed or were preparing for an expected layoff or downsizing.
I recall in 2000 when we were faced with high unemployment in construction, search assignments were very tough to come by. If there was a demand it was for Business Development, Estimating, Senior Project Management or Project Executive level candidates in a technical market segment like bio tech, life sciences, pharmaceutical or health care. We placed dozens of candidates at that time with that experience so we learned quickly to stay away from everything else and focus our effort exclusively in that area. Ten years later we are faced with a similar story with the same characters but the niche and industry experience has shifted.
The demand in 2010 is for Business Development, Estimating, Senior Project Management and Project Executive level candidates however in 2010 employers want to see federal, health care or renewable energy experience. I guarantee if you have that experience you are not looking for work right now. If you do not have that experience you need to figure out a way to get it and get it fast.
The employers pespective is varied, most fall into the cut costs, reduce overhead and expand the responsibilities of the current staff company wide and are not hiring or even interviewing. Then there are companies who also are cutting costs, fixed expenses, overhead but also continue to interview and replace the "B" and "C" players with "A" talent from the competition. If they ultimately do not hire, at the very least they are evaluating the available talent and driving a corporate strategy which includes the potential talent they have access to because of their active participation in candidate recruitment. For obvious reasons, this makes smart business sense.
As a job seeker it is tough out there, those who treat their job search as a full time endeavor are having more success then those who are not. It is not a part time job! The one's who are involved in the construction market, community and are socially engaging in activities that create opportunities are also having success. The one thing you can not rely upon is adding your resume to Career Builder and Monster and simply let that do the work for you, you will go hungry with that approach right now. You are in control of your destiny and if you cast a wide net will find opportunities where you least expect them. If you take one thing away from this post remember CHEMISTRY is everything in these challenging times so take initiative and get out there and meet potential employers, clients, customers and vendors- it will be one of the best investments you make today.
This year has been a whirlwind in the construction recruiting business! I thought it might be interesting to recap what has happened in the first quarter of 2010 to give you a real look at what is really going on out there. I will tell you about our findings in the job market, the employers perspective on recruiting and hiring in 2010, and a few tips for the jobless.
In January and February we spent most of the month on the road. We met with the CEO's, COO's and HR Executives in the Commercial, Civil, Industrial and Specialty Contracting industry. We targeted in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hawaii, and Texas which is where our strong relationships, market knowledge, experience and best opportunity to secure new search assignments exist. We also fielded hundreds of calls from the candidate community and met in person many of the top candidates who were unemployed, underemployed or were preparing for an expected layoff or downsizing.
I recall in 2000 when we were faced with high unemployment in construction, search assignments were very tough to come by. If there was a demand it was for Business Development, Estimating, Senior Project Management or Project Executive level candidates in a technical market segment like bio tech, life sciences, pharmaceutical or health care. We placed dozens of candidates at that time with that experience so we learned quickly to stay away from everything else and focus our effort exclusively in that area. Ten years later we are faced with a similar story with the same characters but the niche and industry experience has shifted.
The demand in 2010 is for Business Development, Estimating, Senior Project Management and Project Executive level candidates however in 2010 employers want to see federal, health care or renewable energy experience. I guarantee if you have that experience you are not looking for work right now. If you do not have that experience you need to figure out a way to get it and get it fast.
The employers pespective is varied, most fall into the cut costs, reduce overhead and expand the responsibilities of the current staff company wide and are not hiring or even interviewing. Then there are companies who also are cutting costs, fixed expenses, overhead but also continue to interview and replace the "B" and "C" players with "A" talent from the competition. If they ultimately do not hire, at the very least they are evaluating the available talent and driving a corporate strategy which includes the potential talent they have access to because of their active participation in candidate recruitment. For obvious reasons, this makes smart business sense.
As a job seeker it is tough out there, those who treat their job search as a full time endeavor are having more success then those who are not. It is not a part time job! The one's who are involved in the construction market, community and are socially engaging in activities that create opportunities are also having success. The one thing you can not rely upon is adding your resume to Career Builder and Monster and simply let that do the work for you, you will go hungry with that approach right now. You are in control of your destiny and if you cast a wide net will find opportunities where you least expect them. If you take one thing away from this post remember CHEMISTRY is everything in these challenging times so take initiative and get out there and meet potential employers, clients, customers and vendors- it will be one of the best investments you make today.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Decide What's Next
By: Shawn Desgrosellier
You don't have to take life the way it comes to you. You can design your life to come to you the way you want it. This is your life, your one and only life, and you don't want to miss any part of it. So what's it going to be? You decide, starting today you can make your life the most exciting, satisfying, productive, and amazing journey imaginable. Time to forget about telling those stories and memories of the past and work on creating those stories and memories for the future. Let them go and set yourself free.
There are different areas of your life that require you to take a fresh look at and honestly evaluate or even call upon the insight of your close friends and relatives to help you see what you are and where you may be falling short. A great place to start.
What are the "areas" of your life that fall into the equation: career, family, health or physical, financial, charitable, spiritual are the big ones.
I thought to keep this short and sweet I would list a few questions that will get you thinking about you and your mission, values and dreams and it is up to you to take this to a deeper and more applicable level for you based upon what you want to accomplish in 2010 and beyond.
What are your talents? What are you doing with them? What do you dream about? Do you dream about the things you used to dream about when you were younger? What is the next step for you? Are you surrounding yourself with the people that will help you get there? Why not? Do you say "someday I will"? What are those things you want to achieve, places you want to see, things you want to have, the person you want to be? Why someday and not today? How high are you aiming? Are you satisfied with comfortable? Are you stretching yourself spiritually? When is the last time you looked deep inside at yourself and were happy with the who you are and what you have become? Did you cry? Did you regret? Did you do anything about it to change the future? Are you working hard at all the things that are important to you in life? Are you lazy? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting the right exercise and eating the right foods? Do you you need to wait until that wake up call comes before you take action- but then will it be too late? Are you kind to others? Do you procrastinate? Are you trying new things? Are you open to possibilities? Are you spontaneous? Are you taking risks? Are you trusting your crazy ideas? Are you grateful?
I think I can keep on going literally forever, but just writing it down and thinking about it will hopefully inspire you to do something or change something.
Make 2010 one to remember, prioritize your life and set goals that are important to you, not necessarily others and go get them!
LIFE IS NOW!
You don't have to take life the way it comes to you. You can design your life to come to you the way you want it. This is your life, your one and only life, and you don't want to miss any part of it. So what's it going to be? You decide, starting today you can make your life the most exciting, satisfying, productive, and amazing journey imaginable. Time to forget about telling those stories and memories of the past and work on creating those stories and memories for the future. Let them go and set yourself free.
There are different areas of your life that require you to take a fresh look at and honestly evaluate or even call upon the insight of your close friends and relatives to help you see what you are and where you may be falling short. A great place to start.
What are the "areas" of your life that fall into the equation: career, family, health or physical, financial, charitable, spiritual are the big ones.
I thought to keep this short and sweet I would list a few questions that will get you thinking about you and your mission, values and dreams and it is up to you to take this to a deeper and more applicable level for you based upon what you want to accomplish in 2010 and beyond.
What are your talents? What are you doing with them? What do you dream about? Do you dream about the things you used to dream about when you were younger? What is the next step for you? Are you surrounding yourself with the people that will help you get there? Why not? Do you say "someday I will"? What are those things you want to achieve, places you want to see, things you want to have, the person you want to be? Why someday and not today? How high are you aiming? Are you satisfied with comfortable? Are you stretching yourself spiritually? When is the last time you looked deep inside at yourself and were happy with the who you are and what you have become? Did you cry? Did you regret? Did you do anything about it to change the future? Are you working hard at all the things that are important to you in life? Are you lazy? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting the right exercise and eating the right foods? Do you you need to wait until that wake up call comes before you take action- but then will it be too late? Are you kind to others? Do you procrastinate? Are you trying new things? Are you open to possibilities? Are you spontaneous? Are you taking risks? Are you trusting your crazy ideas? Are you grateful?
I think I can keep on going literally forever, but just writing it down and thinking about it will hopefully inspire you to do something or change something.
Make 2010 one to remember, prioritize your life and set goals that are important to you, not necessarily others and go get them!
LIFE IS NOW!
The Numbers Game
By: Shawn Desgrosellier of Vitality Group
Here we are, week two of the new year and for some reason and I would say some very strange reason resumes have not been flooding my inbox. I wonder why that is, and I wonder why those millions of job seekers that are in the market seeking employment are not pursuing the recruiters who are market makers in a specific industry.
I have heard from the current job seekers that at one time or another I have spoken to, recruited for a position, or placed in a new company- but still the new candidate is the hot candidate as far as a recruiter is concerned and the numbers are way down. Why are they not using every waking moment of every day trying to reach out and connect to those recruiters who have tenure, contacts and relationships, and influence to make or create a job for the right person?
I am quickly approaching 20 years in the recruiting industry and have placed hundreds if not over a thousand people in mid to senior level management positions across a number of industries with an emphasis over the last decade in Commercial Construction and Real Estate. If I get a Linked In request from a job seeker with a track record in my niche and area of specialization I accept them immediately- I want to help them anyway I possibly can and if I have a connection that they need to get a job right now I am happy to be that pathway. Remember the movie "Pay it Forward" it holds true right now and if you take the time to reach out and help someone it is the right thing to do. So why are job seekers not using Linked In and trying to connect with people of like backgrounds and like industries. I have had conversation after conversation with Executive Level contacts in my industry and they are happy to add someone new to their network and connections, but they are busy so the job seekers has to at the very least take the initiative.
If you have been recently been affected by a downsize, lay-off or have been seeking employment for 6-12 months or in some cases even longer- what are you doing about it? Don't give up, suck it up and with a carefully created plan you too can take this time to deepen your network and diversify your industry knowledge and relationships- depth and breadth you can call it. All I ask, is that you get up early and get after it each and every day and give it your best shot, reach out and touch someone and by using the strength of numbers and law of averages you can tap that right person tomorrow or next month- it all depends upon your velocity.
I wish you success out there and hope this inspires you to take action tomorrow!
Here we are, week two of the new year and for some reason and I would say some very strange reason resumes have not been flooding my inbox. I wonder why that is, and I wonder why those millions of job seekers that are in the market seeking employment are not pursuing the recruiters who are market makers in a specific industry.
I have heard from the current job seekers that at one time or another I have spoken to, recruited for a position, or placed in a new company- but still the new candidate is the hot candidate as far as a recruiter is concerned and the numbers are way down. Why are they not using every waking moment of every day trying to reach out and connect to those recruiters who have tenure, contacts and relationships, and influence to make or create a job for the right person?
I am quickly approaching 20 years in the recruiting industry and have placed hundreds if not over a thousand people in mid to senior level management positions across a number of industries with an emphasis over the last decade in Commercial Construction and Real Estate. If I get a Linked In request from a job seeker with a track record in my niche and area of specialization I accept them immediately- I want to help them anyway I possibly can and if I have a connection that they need to get a job right now I am happy to be that pathway. Remember the movie "Pay it Forward" it holds true right now and if you take the time to reach out and help someone it is the right thing to do. So why are job seekers not using Linked In and trying to connect with people of like backgrounds and like industries. I have had conversation after conversation with Executive Level contacts in my industry and they are happy to add someone new to their network and connections, but they are busy so the job seekers has to at the very least take the initiative.
If you have been recently been affected by a downsize, lay-off or have been seeking employment for 6-12 months or in some cases even longer- what are you doing about it? Don't give up, suck it up and with a carefully created plan you too can take this time to deepen your network and diversify your industry knowledge and relationships- depth and breadth you can call it. All I ask, is that you get up early and get after it each and every day and give it your best shot, reach out and touch someone and by using the strength of numbers and law of averages you can tap that right person tomorrow or next month- it all depends upon your velocity.
I wish you success out there and hope this inspires you to take action tomorrow!
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