“Ask for advice, never ask for a job,” advised IESE Prof. Mike Rosenberg to texecutives seeking new opportunities through their professional networks. “Calling people you know for favors won’t work and you can burn out contacts.”
“Networks are not people made up of me and my friends. Networks already exist,” explained Prof. Rosenberg, during the IESE Continuous Education session on professional networking, held June 6 on IESE’s Barcelona campus. The event took place within IESE’s Professional Development series.
Gaining access to professional networks requires learning their specific language, codes of behavior and how to make people see you as one of the group, he said.
Most importantly, professionals must have a clear idea of the job they desire. To clarify this, he said, they should ask themselves what they need to live their ideal lives; what they are willing to do to reach their goals; and what their true vocation is.
He discussed the high levels of satisfaction that come from working where you want, along with the respect that is typically given to people who know where they are headed.
Executives and managers should also be aware of their own attitude toward the career path they have chosen. A positive and open approach, combined with a sense of purpose and intention, “will open more doors than indifference,” he said.
He also provided several caveats on preparing successful CVs, recommending that they be adapted to fit the sector and the goal. “Don’t lie, but you can play with the content.”