ResearchGoddess

One of the most common questions I get asked by others in the research and sourcing world is, “Where do I go to find people in [insert industry here]”?

Obviously, the answer to this question is going to vary depending on the industry in which you work, but I have a couple of suggestions that are sure to help you start going in the right direction, and can be applied to just about any industry.

1. Ask questions. Specifically, start tapping your network and ask questions. When I start doing research in a new industry, the first thing I want to know is who I need to know. The best place to find the answer to that question is your network. I use LinkedIn Answers to do this. I choose the appropriate industry/function category, and I ask a simple question, such as “I’m new to this industry, and I wanted to find out from some more seasoned pros what some of the industry associations and networking events I should know about or be participating in. Where should I look for knowledge on this industry?”

At this point in time, in my humble opinion it’s not appropriate to start recruiting these people, but to learn from them. It’s important to make sure you know what you’re talking about before jumping in unprepared and making a fool of yourself. Sam Lawrence, CMO of Jive Software, recently wrote a fantastic article on some of the things that people do to screw up their marketing strategy, and #5 on the list is “Blindly jump in”. Big mistake (and many of you see this on Twitter a lot!) – there’s a time for everything and throwing up all over your new knowledge sources right after you ‘meet’ them is not the right time.

2. Investigate the resources you’re given, and ask more questions. Once you’ve gotten some resources from your initial questions, i.e. industry association sites, publications that should be read, prominent folks you should connect with, investigate these resources and ask some more questions. Some of the first places I go to find folks in a new industry are industry association websites. Typically, these association sites have lists of local chapters, and within those lists you can often find chapter leaders or board members. Some association websites will even graciously let you peruse their entire member directory, and still others offer places for their members to post their resumes. You can start contacting these people to learn more about the industry. Most people will welcome a request for expertise – it’s a compliment to them that you want to know what they know.

In addition, reading information on industry association websites will help familiarize you to some of the buzzwords in your new industry so that you can easily start formulating some Boolean queries.

3. Think like the person you’re looking for and not like a recruiter. Good researchers know that in order to find what they’re looking for, they need to put themselves in the shoes of their target candidate. Don’t waste all your time searching resume boards – though you’ll find some good people there, the majority of those folks are active job seekers and you’ll miss out on all the people who aren’t actively looking. If you want to find prospective candidates, put yourselves in their shoes – what networking groups would they belong to? What associations would they join? What kind of hobbies outside of work might they be into? When you start thinking like your target audience, you’ll start discovering new resources that will yield you good results if used properly (see ‘blindly jump in’ above).

Of course there’s much more to answering the question of where does one start, but this should give you a darned good start on learning a new industry and making good connections. Remember, establishing good relationships now will yield you more hires down the road, so treat these folks with respect and kindness! And the best way to learn, in my opinion, is to shut up and listen to someone who knows what they’re talking about.

My second fund-raising goal of $1000 must be accomplished by September 1st – can you help?

I recently spoke on using research effectively at the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas. As anyone who has ever gotten up in front of a group of people to speak would agree to, I hoped that I conveyed the information in a usable manner and that my audience would find some value in my topic. Last week, I received the following recommendation from Glynda Finister, who sat in on my presentation:

“I heard Amybeth speak at the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas in 2008 and she provided me with excellent tips for finding a good researcher and as a result, I now have two really great researchers. I could not have known what to look for with out her advice. After the seminar, she spent a great deal of time with Attendees with various questions on how to find a researcher. Thank you Amybeth!”

If that isn’t a validation that the presentation did some good, then I don’t know what is! Receiving a note like this is the best thing that could have happened, and I am so pleased that Glynda was able to hire not just one, but two researchers using some of the information she’d heard.  THANK YOU for letting me know!

The  Fordyce Letter Network recently posted a short video highlight from my presentation. Here is a link to it, or you can view it below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdAk4_f0SRE]

Over 60% of those who suffer from HIV/AIDS worldwide live in the sub-Saharan region. Learn about the aid trip I am going on this November to Mamelodi, South Africa, and how you can help!

I’ve seen a lot of folks in our community who use Eventbrite to host trainings and organize networking events. But did you realize that you can use Eventbrite to help in your research efforts as well? Read on to find out how…

Eventbrite is a provider of online event management and ticketing services. If your event is free, there is no charge and if you sell tickets, they collect a small fee per ticket.  When people register for an event, it generates an attendee list for you. This list can often be viewed via a specific Eventbrite website. So, for example, let’s say we created an Eventbrite registration site for ‘Recruiting Conference’; our attendee list might show up on recruitingconference.eventbrite.com.

Why do you need to know this? For a very simple search technique! Using an easy site: search for Eventbrite, you can locate people from specific companies or with specific titles that you might be looking for. Here is an example:

site:eventbrite.com “public relations” “attendee lists”

This search yields me countless numbers of events, both past and future, with attendees from the public relations field. At the very least, I am provided with a name and a company, and as a good researcher, I can take that name and find a profile or contact information. Often, a city/state, website, blog, and sometimes an email address are provided. Any researcher worth his/her salt can take only a name and find the contact information for that person. Here’s a sample from the page of one of the events in my results:

Here’s another example: let’s say you want to find someone from a specific company – we’ll use Creative Director from Avenue A | Razorfish as the example:

site:eventbrite.com razorfish “creative director” “attendee list” – result page

Not only did we find a creative director from Avenue A | Razorfish, but we also know her location. In addition, there are some other folks on the list that would be worth taking a look at as well: an Associate Creative Director from Digitas, an Interactive Marketing Manager from Comcast-Spectacor, a Media Director from Backe Communications, as well as the VP, Media for Avenue A | Razorfish.

Another way to source using Eventbrite, especially if you are sourcing locally, is to search for a specific city name to find good networking events. This is a great way to learn what events are in your city, and also to find people who will be there who could be potential candidates or clients:

site:eventbrite.com Philadelphia “attendee list” – result page

This event hasn’t happened yet, and you can also subscribe to the attendee list so you’ll be notified when new people register for the event – cool!

 Learn about the aid trip I am going on this November to Mamelodi, South Africa. I need to raise $3000 by the end of October – any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!

There’s a new show on Tuesday nights, I Survived a Japanese Gameshow!, which is questionable for entertainment value, but in this week’s episode, there was a lesson learned in integrity that I think could be applied in our line of work.

Mary, a 23 year old gym membership sales rep, and Donnell, a 24 year old real estate appraiser, made a deal with their teammate Meaghan, a 22 year old bartender, who put herself up in a previous episode for elimination with the promise that she would be immune from possible elimination this week. Both agreed, and Meaghan won her challenge and remained on the show. However, when their team was once again up for an elimination challenge this week, Donnell wanted to re-neg on their pact. Mary, however spoke on camera and decided that she would keep her promise to Meaghan because in her words, “I need to be true to myself and true to my word.” (paraphrased) She ultimately ended up being eliminated, but she can go home with a clear conscience knowing that she stayed true to her word and didn’t compromise her integrity by going back on a promise.

Who’d have thought that we could learn a lesson in integrity from a(nother) reality TV show? I was impressed that Mary stuck to her word, even when it resulted in her being eliminated from the show. Donnell, on the other hand, has to face a teammate that he stabbed in the back and deal with the trust issues that have no doubt resulted from it. And I’ll bet that the integrity Mary maintained will come back and reward her down the road. I am a firm believer in sowing/reaping – what you give is what you’ll get in return.

How often does a situation like this come up in our professional lives though? We make promises and give our word on things, but then when it’s not convenient for us, we ‘change our minds’ or try to justify why we cannot be true to our word. If we stopped to think about it, the convenience of the moment of going back on our word results in the destruction of a trusting relationship. It takes so much time and effort to develop trust, yet so little to break it down. Why destroy what you’ve worked so hard to build just because it’s not the absolute ideal situation for YOU, at the moment?

My thoughts on this are as follows: think about the promises you make to people, not just in the moment but over the long term. Will you be able to complete that search assignment in a timely manner? Will you be able to find that individual a new position? Can you meet the financial requirements your client has laid out to you? Don’t make a spur-of-the-moment promise to someone just to gain their immediate business if you don’t think you can fulfill it in the long run. Being honest with someone about what you can and cannot do will actually build more trust with them than if you give your word, only to go back on it later on.

No more reality TV for me But I hope this gives you some food for thought!

I keep seeing so many similarities between PR practices and recruiting, sourcing, and research practices – could it be because they are both service-oriented? (duh) I read this great article this morning in The Council of PR Firms‘ The Firm Voice – PR Firms Differ on the Best Way to Train Outstanding Account Executives. This article talks with some executives in the PR industry and asks them their thoughts on how to work most effectively with their clients, as well as what they believe are good qualities to possess as a successful PR professional. Most of what is discussed could also directly apply to developing client/recruiter relationships. Here are a couple of snippets:

• “Some of the most important skills an account service person should have include being service-minded, being able to manage expectations, being accountable, being able to communicate frequently, and working with a client in the spirit of partnership…”
• …”we are counselors to our clients and [that] we should be framing a strategy for our clients, not the other way around. We need to be 10 steps ahead of our clients…”
• “…the biggest mistakes also include not being aggressive enough, being afraid to make a suggestion, and taking something for granted…”

I encourage you to read the entire article and learn how many similarities there are in our methods of operation!