References Revisited - Workology

References Revisited Below is an excerpt from an interesting article regarding the topic I discussed last week, references and networking. Check out www.employmentdigest.net. Its a great site that has interesting information. Within your cirlce of networking, everything you do is important and can affect you in the long term. Never burn a bridge and be honest with the company you are interviewing. See below to learn more. References Revisited Fine-tune network skills for job hunts Connect without wrecking prospects Posted: 31 Dec 2007 07:40 AM CST at http://www.employmentdigest.net/ An e-mail that a veteran marketing executive recently blitzed to 12,000 contacts begins: â€Å"On Sept. 11, to my complete and utter surprise, I was terminated †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She identified her ex-employer and why the small market-research firm fired her. Copies of her message inadvertently landed in her old bosss inbox, prompting the company to make her sign a separation agreement limiting how she spoke about her departure, her attorney said.The otherwise effective technique could have been hassle-free. Broadcasting bad news about your job is a bad idea. â€Å"I am a prolific networker,† the dismissed executive said in an interview. But in hindsight, she concedes, the emotionally charged e-mail â€Å"wasnt the most professional or politic way to do it.† Everyone knows you must network to find work following a job loss. Too often, however, unemployed people make networking missteps, prolonging a job hunt. A common flub involves name-dropping without knowing how a contact feels about the person. A few weeks ago, an out-of-work executive phoned recruiter Jane Howze for permission â€Å"to stop by your office and have you look at my resume.† He cited an unimpressive candidate whom she met once in 2000 but never referred to an employer. Howze, a managing director at Houstons Alexander Group, refused to see the job seeker. â€Å"He was a little presumptuous,† she states. Exaggerating your relationship with mutual acquaintances can set you back, too. Recruiter Fred Whelan conferred with a financial-services marketing vice president soon after his layoff because he had claimed to be a clients friend.