The fall networking season begins next week!

One of the trends I have noticed in the past few years is that the people you would like to contact disappear earlier and stay away longer around holidays.

I was going to send out a mailing this morning to our many friends in the search community, but it would be kind of pointless. It seems everyone is already gone. What’s this world coming to?

Like everything else in the world, we at all times need to learn how to deal with world as it is. As I pointed out to one of my friends in an email earlier this evening, sailing is a metaphor for life. I have learned that you have to sail the wind you have, not the wind you wish you had or the wind you deserve.

So, although many of you will give everyone next Tuesday to catch up, you probably need to wait until Thursday or Friday of next week. Very disappointing.

Before you jump off the starting line, be sure to take the time to go over your primary marketing tools:

1.    Your resume (of course). You’ve probably read it so many times you don’t know what it says anymore, but give it a shot anyway. There is a file in our documents library under Resources, Documents Library, Other Documents titled “Resume Review Guidelines.” You are cordially invited to download it. It is only 8 pages. I’m sure you will be able to get through it in short order.

2.    Your 90-second announcement. As they say, less is more. We also have a document you can use for this purpose (and in the same place) titled “90 Second Announcements.” It was written by my wife (a noted communication expert) after she listened to about 500 critiques I gave during our Westport Chapter meetings.

3.    Your email cover notes. Here you are sort of on your own. I guess I’ll have to write an editorial on this one. The purpose of an email cover note is to highlight the important stuff. It pretty much needs to be a written 90-second announcement. It goes without saying (So why am I saying it?) that it should end with a FULL outgoing signature. (I’m saying it because most folks don’t provide one. How I’m supposed to get back to you is beyond me. (I have a secret decoder ring, but not everyone does.)

The season is short, as they all are. Before you know it, everyone will be gone for Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years. Don’t let the time slip away.

The best time to be doing anything important is right now.

Regards, Matt