NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw Profile: Job seekers using networking more successful than those checking want ads Date: January 4, 2002

Watch video

When NBC looked to profile job seekers and their successful use of networking, they contacted Diane Darling, President and Founder of Effective Networking and featured Ms. Darling in their January 4, 2002 broadcast. Below is a transcript of the interview:

TOM BROKAW, anchor: NBC News IN DEPTH tonight. More on the economy and the job market in this shaky New Year, with this latest unsettling news about thousands more being laid off by AT&T tonight. That brings us to the

NIGHTLY NEWS QUESTION: Which of these big companies laid off the most employees last year?

NIGHTLY QUESTION WHICH COMPANY HAD THE MOST LAYOFFS IN 2001?

• A AMERICAN EXPRESS
• B BOEING
• C MOTOROLA

BROKAW: The answer is Motorola. Nine thousand four hundred layoffs last year alone. Their work force is down by a third from two years ago. But you don't have to be one of the laid off to be thinking about your job search skills, especially the fine art of networking. Knowing how can make a big difference. IN DEPTH tonight, here is NBC's Anne Thompson.

ANNE THOMPSON reporting: In these tough economic times, whether your product is your company or yourself, even the hand you hold your drink in can be the difference between success and failure.

Mr. SULLIVAN: I actually read something recently where you're supposed to hold your drink in this hand so this hand's free to shake hands.

THOMPSON: That little trick could help Mike Sullivan who lost his job as an employee relations manager. He's attending a seminar on networking. You know the term, but what you don't know is the strategy behind it and how it can lead to a new job in the tightest labor market in more than six years.

Mr. SULLIVAN: It's important to have a tag line, to say something about myself in a single sentence that reflects what I do for work.

THOMPSON: Networking, making the most of personal connections. Not an instant fix, but for the unemployed, statistics show, it is by far the most effective way of finding a job.

Mr. DALE KLAMFOTH (Drake Beam Morin Vice President): Job seekers who use the want ads are successful only in 5 percent of the cases, where those who use networking as their primary technique are successful two thirds of the time.

THOMPSON: Teaching those `how to' tips, Diane Darling.

Ms. DIANE DARLING: So often we try and leap, and then we trip. You do it one step at a time, you're gonna get to your destination.

THOMPSON: To get there, she says: Don't sell, but connect.

Ms. DARLING: You want to say something in 10 seconds that's going to get them to ask you more.

THOMPSON: Other tips: Research the companies and people you want to reach, figure out what you can offer them instead of asking for a job. Keep your conversations short, no more than five minutes. Don't bring resumes, but business cards. And...

Ms. DARLING: The big difference between successful networkers and unsuccessful networkers is follow-up.

THOMPSON: That follow-up turned into a job for Doug Lapham. The technology consultant lost his job last summer. With twins on the way, he had to move quickly. After months of trying to get into a consulting company, he mentioned the firm's name at a networking event.

Mr. DOUG LAPHAM: And two people stood up and said, `I know someone.' So the next day I got two e-mails. I responded to the contacts. I had a series of nine interviews and received my offer.

THOMPSON: With over eight million Americans unemployed, networking now a more important tool than ever to get back to work. Anne Thompson, NBC News, New York.