ANCHOR: THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS RISING, WHICH MEANS GETTING A JOB ISN’T GETTING ANY EASIER.

ANCHOR: BUT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO BOOST YOUR CHANCES THROUGH NETWORKING. WGN’S MONEY EXPERT ILYCE GLINK IS HERE WITH SOME WAYS YOU CAN SUPERSIZE YOUR NETWORK OF CONTACTS.

GOOD MORNING

ILYCE: IF YOU’VE GOT A JOB TO FILL, CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT YOU’LL HIRE SOMEONE YOU KNOW AND LIKE. SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A JOB, YOU NEED TO GET TO KNOW AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. THAT’S CALLED NETWORKING, AND ONE COMPANY, GRAY HAIR MANAGEMENT, HAS DEVELOPED SOME NEW WAYS TO CONNECT ITS MEMBERS.

NAT SOUND: (GOING AROUND THE TABLE INTRODUCING THEMSELVES)

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’VE GOT PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION, BUT STILL CAN’T FIND THE RIGHT JOB? YOU NETWORK YOUR WAY TO THE RIGHT POSITION. OR, IF YOU’RE SCOTT KANE, YOU NETWORK YOUR WAY INTO STARTING YOUR OWN COMPANY.

SCOTT KANE, GRAY HAIR MANAGEMENT: “ON MY BUSINESS CARD, WHICH WASN’T REALLY A BUSINESS CARD BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB, I PUT GRAY HAIR MANAGER FOR YOUNG COMPANIES, AS MY TAG LINE. AND I STARTED PROMOTE MYSELF THAT WAY IN ORDER TO GET A JOB. AND PEOPLE STARTED ASKING ME WHAT MY COMPANY DID AND I STARTED TELLING STORIES ABOUT WHAT MY COMPANY DID BASED ON MY OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WHICH IS WHAT NETWORKING IS.”

KANE BEGAN COLLECTING THE BUSINESS CARDS OF THOSE PEOPLE HE MET AND CREATED A DATABASE, WHICH NOW, SEVERAL YEARS LATER, HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE 6,000 EXECUTIVES WORLDWIDE – AN ACTIVE NETWORK THAT HELPS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER TO FIND JOBS AND FILL POSITIONS.

TOM GOTTFRIED, LANIER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: “I GOT MY JOB THROUGH NETWORKING”

NOW, GOTTFRIED, A REGIONAL OPERATIONS MANAGER, ATTENDS SOME OF GRAY HAIR’S MONTHLY MEETINGS TO STAY IN TOUCH AND FILL POSITIONS HE HAS OPEN.

TOM GOTTFRIED, LANIER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: “TWO MONTHS I CAME HERE LOOKING FOR AN HR PERSON. AND WE ACTUALLY FILLED IT SUCCESSFULLY WITH A VERY FINE PERSON WHO STARTED TWO WEEKS AGO.”

THE KEY TO NETWORKING IS GIVING MORE THAN YOU GET.

TOM GOTTFREID, LANIER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: “IN NETWORKING, YOU GET AS MUCH AS YOU GIVE. IN FACT ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO IS START GIVING. YOU HAVE TO GIVE YOUR CONTACTS.”

NAT SOUND: “AND AN INTRODUCTION TO A REAL PERSON WORKS A LOT BETTER THAN A POSTAGE STAMP”

ILYCE: BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP, AND ASK FOR HELP.

TOM GOTTFREID/LANIER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: “YOU GET TO KNOW PEOPLE, THEY GET TO KNOW YOU, SO THEY’RE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO REFER YOU OR ARE COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO HIRE YOU WHEN THE TIME COMES TO DO HIRING.”

TAG: GRAY HAIR MANAGEMENT SPECIALIZES IN HELPING EXECUTIVES WITH AT LEAST 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE NETWORK THEIR WAY TO A NEW JOB OR CAREER. BUT MANY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS OR TRADE ASSOCIATION OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO NETWORK WITH EXECUTIVES IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GRAYHAIRMANAGEMENT.COM.