Networking Request

[MISin08]

Tldr: connect with me on LinkedIn. For the first time in years, I’m looking for work. My last company hired an agency to coach me, and one of their main points is to tell everyone I’m looking, and to network. 

I have over 10 years' experience in complex financial crime investigations in a Tier 1 global bank, and before that managed teams and projects in fraud operations. I hold the CAMS and CFE certifications. Experiences and skills include business analysis, quality, analytics, and leadership and I have managed teams as large as 20 and budgets to $10MM. I'm currently oriented on senior consulting/advisory roles or to manage complex investigations, remotely or hybrid in the Pacific Northwest. 

Let’s connect on LinkedIn! I am active and genuine, and engage with my connections' content. I promise I won’t try to sell you anything, unless you’re hiring in the areas I note above, and then I guarantee you’ll want to hear from me. 

www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-lea-fincrime

Thanks

Phillip

[Charles Fout]

to encourage you to network was wise counsel.

In your career development knowing people and knowing people who know people will be far more significant than any credential.

[MISin08]

Thanks for your reply. I meet people all the time who don't network. I get it; I find some kinds of interactions draining and I'm wary of coming across as transactional and sleazy. If you're working a lot, taking time to stay in touch becomes a competing priority with essentials like sleep or studying.

In my field, certifications are kind of a ticket to play, and the issuing organizations create networking opportunities by holding events. Plus I can study and take a test, and who doesn't like that ?

Phillip

[Sagan]

Being known by others can be vital.

When employers look to fill positions, they're guarding against a false positive--hiring someone they should not. It is way more expensive and destructive than failing to hire someone you should. (There will usually be others.) They're not even trying to find the BEST candidate, but instead a well-qualified one who will likely succeed.

In doing that, they have to answer three questions:
1. Can the person do the job? This is initially determined by the resume and confirmed (hopefully) by the interview(s).
2. Will the person do the job? This is almost always accomplished--to whatever success they can--in the interview(s).
3. Will they fit the organization? Again, interview(s).

So, that puts a lot of pressure on the interview(s) and interviewer(s). What can make it easier and more likely to produce a good result? Confidence. No, not the interviewee's confidence, but instead the confidence the employer has that what he/she sees is real. How can they know that? Through a "ladder" of confidence.

1. First, they like to hire and promote from within. Not only is this good for morale and motivation, it is also the surest way of knowing what you're getting. Youv'e seen the person work and have measured (hopefully) their results.

2. Next is people who have worked for you or with you before--either for this organization or a prior one.

3. Then there are people who are being referred to you from reliable sources (like your other employees).

4. And then there are headhunters. They're at a huge disadvantage because they're also outside your organization, but they're professionals and very good at weeding out the chaff.

5. At the bottom is the job listing. It is the least efficient and least effective way of filling postions, and should be done as a last resort. Ironically, it is the method most used by job hunters, and they wonder why they never get called. (This has been made even more so with job listings available worldwide, coupled with remote work. Candidates are competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other applicants.)

You can quibble with the order or that there might be other rungs on the ladder, but you get the idea. Knowing people and being know are vital.

A note on networking. This isn't about calling people (or writing them) and asking if they know of any jobs. Ugh. Instead, it's about being engaged in other people's lives and livelihoods. It requires an earnest and honest upfront investment in other people. It's not a short-term fix to get a job in a hurry. In fact, networking works best when you already HAVE a job. And always be ready to offer value first. Be valuable to people; you never know what might sprout up where.

I haven't gotten a job--or a piece of consulting business--by answering ads or calls for proposals since 2001. And the more one's career transforms from being transactional to being complex, the more that will be the case.