Transcript
Speaker: Hey, stop. Stop scrolling on the job boards for just a minute. And let me ask you this. What if your next opportunity is not out there on the job board at all? What if it's already in your LinkedIn just waiting for you to wake it up?
Speaker: Here's the thing. Most of us over 50, we often think that we need to build a network from scratch, but we don't. We already built it over 20 to 30 years. Stay with me for the next 15 minutes because Think about it. Two weeks ago, we talked about networking in general, but today I'm going to show you seven exact ways that you can reach out to your network or a new network on LinkedIn, step by step. And I'm going to show you where it lives on your screen so you can start this today.
Speaker: First, I got a quick question for you. Which one are you? are Are you one of those people who is kind of disconnected from everybody? Or are you connected and you're just not getting any answers back?
Speaker: Drop it in the comments below. And I'm going to read every one and I'll respond because I'm curious about this. And we'll talk about this again in the end.
Speaker: Let me be honest with you, cold applying, it it it feels like like like shouting out into a storm. You have hundreds of applications, AI resumes everywhere, and you get silence back.
Speaker: So I want you to hear this. it's It's not your age that's the problem, it's the method. LinkedIn is it's not only just a job board, it's ah a relationship map. And after 50, your map is richer than any 30 year olds. You have former colleagues, former bosses, former clients, all of whom trusted you, classmates who now run companies. That's your terrain. Remember, youth runs fast, but age knows the terrain.
Speaker: Today, I'm giving you seven ways in LinkedIn to reach them, but I want to be transparent. These these are only seven in in a small sampling of 32 that I mapped out on how to reach your LinkedIn network.
Speaker: thirty Now I can't fit in all 32 in this 15 minute episode without ever overwhelming you or or me running out of breath. So the full checklist with every search filter, copy and paste template, all of that is going to be in the resource store on ageismsurvivalguide.com.
Speaker: If you subscribe to the website platform, that document and many others are included in the cost of the subscription. It's one place, every tool,
Speaker: I'll link to it below. Now, let us build those seven layers of networking right now. Before you send one invite, do this 20-minute prep first. It's going to actually double your acceptance rate.
Speaker: One, fix the headline on your LinkedIn, not just your old job title. Say who you help and how. Try this, something like this.
Speaker: Operations leader helped three plants cut downtime by 22%, now advising manufacturing teams on lean transition. See the difference?
Speaker: Then there's number two, check your open to work setting. if If you're still employed, set it to recruiters only. Settings, open them. Open to work, recruiters only.
Speaker: Check it and you're active. You stay private, but the recruiters can find you. Number three, pick your reach list. 10 to 15 companies that are on your target list. Write them down before you even do any of the people search. Without a reach list, your LinkedIn is, it's just scrolling.
Speaker: With it though, you have a purpose and and you have a guardrail that keeps you on track. LinkedIn allows you about 100 invitations per week. So plan on maybe 10 to 15 per day, not 50 all at once. This keeps you out of those restrictions and and it keeps you able to follow up on a human basis.
Speaker: Okay, let's get started. This is layer number one. and And this is in my opinion, networking gold. Former colleagues, teammates, bosses, even your direct reports.
Speaker: Here is the exact search. So you go to the search bar, type your former company name, click the company page, then you click people, you click filters, you you click the past company, and then you type in that that company again.
Speaker: Now going to see everyone who's worked there before, even people that you may have forgotten about. and And here's the irony alert for you. That boss who once told you that you were possibly not strategic enough, he might now be at a company that you want to get into.
Speaker: Reach out anyway. It's been time, right? the procedure how do you do this you visit the profile you click follow so you can see it you leave one thoughtful comment on their most recent post the next day you send a connection a connection request with the note always add a note for this layer no note today is literally just looks like a cold invite Here's your template. So you can write this down and you can replay this video. Hi, Jack Q. Public.
Speaker: We worked together at company XYZ back in 1999 in such and such a department. I've been reflecting on that team and I thought I'd like to reconnect. I'm exploring your next direction, what you've been doing since we worked together.
Speaker: I would love to stay connected.
Speaker: It's short, it's human, and importantly, there's no job ass Not yet. After they accept, wait maybe three to five days. Then write this. Hey, thanks for connecting, Jack. I really appreciate working with you at company XYZ. I have a quick question.
Speaker: I'm like researching ABC industry or ABC role and would value your take. Would do you have 15 minutes to have a call sometime in the next two weeks?
Speaker: Again, no job ask, just perspective. Why does this work for us? Because you share history and that history is trust. No AI generated resume can can replicate that working side by side.
Speaker: Now for layer two, former clients, vendors, suppliers, partners, anyone that you helped solve a problem for, they remember your competence even if you've lost touch sometimes.
Speaker: Where do you find them? Go back to the search bar, type in their company name, then click on the company page. Then click on people, filter by past company, ah that could equal to your employer name, or go to your connections and search your connections. Filter those by company.
Speaker: You can use either approach. Your message template for this one, it shifts a little bit here. lead with an outcome. So for example, hi, Jenny, we partnered once when I was at my company supporting your company on such and such a project. I always appreciated how you approach specific details. And I thought about reconnecting as I work on my next chapter.
Speaker: See, you remind them of the value that was delivered. You're not asking for a favor. And when they accept, Your leverage move is very simple.
Speaker: Ask for insight, not a job. For example, who do you see hiring for this type of work now? Who should I be talking to?
Speaker: Remember, one good name from a former client is worth 50 cold applications. Now for layer three.
Speaker: This is possibly one of the more underused tools on LinkedIn, and it gets two to three times higher acceptance rate than a generic outreach. It's your alumni mentor. You go to the LinkedIn search bar, you type in your school's name, you you click enter, then you click on alumni under your on your school's page.
Speaker: So for example, Bucknell University, which was my undergraduate alma mater. At the top, you're gonna see some filters there, where where people work, where they live, what they do, even what they studied.
Speaker: And here is the power filter. Set the where they work to equal your target company. And boom, now you're gonna see all the fellow alumni who work in the company where you want to work.
Speaker: That's a warm bridge that no cold applicant has. So now just find 10 profiles, note one specific detail from each one of them, whether it's a post, volunteer work, a role that someone's held, and then you use this template.
Speaker: Hi Paul, fellow college alum here, add your add to your year, your program. I noticed that you're working at my target company, the company name, in this function.
Speaker: I'm exploring opportunities in that function, in that industry, and would value a ah fellow mascot perspective. In my case case, it was Bucky the Bison. Would you be open to connecting?
Speaker: It's simple, it's respectful, and and shared identity does a lot of the heavy lifting. Then after they accept, you send the following message.
Speaker: Hey, thanks for connecting and go orange and blue or go whatever your school happens to be in colors. I'm researching how target company, your company approaches this specific challenge or function. Would you be open to a 15 minute conversation about your experience there? I'll keep it tight. I'll fit it to your schedule and make it convenient for you.
Speaker: this This is one search that I think you can even do today before you do anything else. Let me pause here. if If this is helpful so far, take a second and subscribe to the channel.
Speaker: Not for me, but but for you. Because every week we go deeper on how to build your career after 50. And if you want the full 32-point checklist that we've mapped out here, it's waiting for you in the resource store at ageismsurvivalguide.com.
Speaker: Subscribers to the website platform, they get that document along with many others included. No extra purchase per document. I'm going to put the link in the description as well as in the first comment. And if your profile is is not network ready yet, we do offer LinkedIn optimization on the website too.
Speaker: Again, ageismsurvivalguide.com. Now let's get back to it. Now for layer four, this is how you go beyond who you know and get into who you need to know.
Speaker: I'll call it target company mapping. You go to the search bar, you type your company target company name, you click on the company page, then you click on people, you click on all people.
Speaker: Then you can apply some of the filters. You can filter by title, maybe type director or operations or or VP. Use two or three different variations, not just one single long title.
Speaker: And then filter by location if you want to figure out where the people are and whether you want to work locally or remote. Now here's the key. Sort by connection degree.
Speaker: Second degree first. Second means that you share a common mutual connection and that can be a warm introduction path. Third and beyond connections are a little bit colder.
Speaker: Now, go ahead and open up five profiles and check their activity section. Have they posted or commented in the last 30 days? Active profiles, they tend to reply more and and and more quickly.
Speaker: So here's your strategy by the degree of the connection. If it's a second degree connection, ask for an introduction first. Go to your mutual connection and send something like this.
Speaker: Hey, Mutual, I see you're connected to the target person at the target company. I'm i'm researching such and such a topic. Would you be comfortable making an introduction between us?
Speaker: No worries if not. I just thought that I was going to ask. If there's no intro in, let's say three days, then connect directly and reference the mutual connection that you have.
Speaker: Write something like, hey, Tom, I noticed we share a connection with mutual and and you lead such and such a function at target company. I'm an operations leader in automotive for 25 years of experience in manufacturing, exploring bridge work or consulting or or some such area.
Speaker: I would value connecting to learn more about how your team approaches this specific topic. Again, this is pretty straightforward. Now, if the person is ah is a third-degree connection, don't connect cold. What you want to do is you want to follow them. Maybe comment thoughtfully on their posts for two or three days. Then connect with them with a note that refers to the conversation that you commented on.
Speaker: Never ask for a job, of course, in the invite. Just ask to learn. so As I always say, insight leads to relationship and then ultimately relationship, it leads to potential referrals and potential opportunities.
Speaker: And now for two more fast but powerful ways. First, what I call the second degree loops. What do I mean by that? On any good profile, scroll to the people also viewed on the desktop or the more profiles on mobile.
Speaker: LinkedIn is gonna show you eight more people that are similar to that person. So the one good profile you started with becomes nine. Open each one in a new tab and and repeat that same filter process.
Speaker: Second, leverage groups, events, and commenters. This this is the modern front door. So you go to to LinkedIn groups on the left side of your desktop. You search ageism or encore career or franchise owner or manufacturing leadership or whichever topic is is going to be of interest to you.
Speaker: What you want to do is you want to join two or three active groups, but but you don't pitch. Instead, just spend 10 minutes commenting thoughtfully on two or three posts and then connect with with two or three of the active commenters and and the post author.
Speaker: Then you can do the same thing for events. You go to LinkedIn events, you search for industry webinars, something that that is relevant to you. You click attendees and from that post or from a target company or from a particular influencer, you check the comments.
Speaker: Then click the commenter profiles. They've they've already shown interest in in your topic. so So you know there's some sort of commonality there. Then here's your your template.
Speaker: Hi, Jessica. I appreciated your perspective on your post and the events. I work in your field and I'm connecting with peers who understand such and such a shared challenge.
Speaker: I'd love to connect. Why does this work? Because the post is is your shared context. You have the same interest. You're no longer a ah complete stranger. You're part of the same conversation.
Speaker: And remember, add a two or three sentence insight, not just great post. Show that you know your stuff because you do. Create value first and then proceed with creating an invitation.
Speaker: Layer seven is the the easiest warm lead that you could ignore if I didn't tell you about it. Profile viewers. It's so obvious, right? You go to LinkedIn, you click on me, you view your profile, you click analytics, and then you click on profile views. Anyone who viewed your profile in the last seven days is warm.
Speaker: They already showed curiosity just by clicking on your profile. So Using that, here's your template. Hi Francois, LinkedIn showed you viewed my profile.
Speaker: Thank you. I'm connecting with leaders in this industry and I'm researching on such and such a topic. Happy to connect if this is useful for you as well. Now, how do you leverage all of this?
Speaker: Certainly not by asking for a job on day one. Instead, you use this three-step cadence. Let's go through it quickly. Step one, send ah a thanks within 24 hours. Not an ask, just thanks for connecting.
Speaker: Hey, Steve, I appreciate it. i'll I'll stay tuned to your posts on such and such a topic. And step two, two to three days later, after you've liked or or commented on that person's posts, request some insight.
Speaker: Thanks again for connecting, Steve. i'm I'm exploring this specific direction. Would you have 15 minutes over the next two or three weeks that that we can chat and and share some perspectives? For example, how do you see hiring or buying an XYZ industry this year?
Speaker: Happy to make it super convenient to fit your schedule.
Speaker: Why 15 minutes and one question? It's respectful and it's very easy for them to say yes. Then step three, on the call you ask these three questions. I know I said only one question, but now it's three. One, what does great look like in your industry or business right now?
Speaker: Two, what problems keep leaders up that somebody like I could help to solve? And three, who else should I be talking to?
Speaker: Then you could use this close. Would you be comfortable introducing me to that person that you mentioned during our conversation? I can send you a short blurb that you can just copy forward and make it easy.
Speaker: Again, it's not difficult. You you now have a second degree introduction and that is not a cold application. Be sure to follow up within 48 hours after the call with a thank you, plus maybe a valuable article article link or or some kind of insights to the challenge that you discussed. Again, there's no ask now.
Speaker: Then stay visible by monthly commenting on their posts. and make sure to track all of this different outreach in a simple way, maybe maybe in a spreadsheet.
Speaker: i love I love spreadsheets personally. You have the name, the company, the the layer source you're using, the date connected, the mutual connection, date of the call. you know, that the the connection given and and more, whatever you want to track.
Speaker: You do five new kind of reactivation outreaches every single day and and two insight calls per week. If you add it up, that's 25 connections and eight conversations within a month without burnout.
Speaker: And that's an important thing. You need to pace yourself. Okay, let us bring this whole thing home. We covered seven different ways today.
Speaker: One, former colleagues and bosses via your past company filter. Two, former clients and partners via your your outcome led notes. Three, university alumni using the alumni tool and the where they work filter.
Speaker: Four, your target company mapping via the company page and then the people tab inside of the company page. Five, second degree loops via people also viewed.
Speaker: Six, groups, events, commenters, and those value first engagement. And seven, profile viewers via your page analytics.
Speaker: Remember what I said at the start, these seven are only a small sampling of the total 32 that I've mapped for you. The full 32 point checklist with every filter click and every copy and paste template, it's in the resource store on ageismsurvivalguide.com. Subscribe to the website platform and that document and many others many valuable resources are included in the subscription. You get the whole library open to you.
Speaker: Not one-off purchases. The link is in the description.
Speaker: Now let me come back to the question that I had up at the top. Are you disconnected from everyone or are you connected but nobody's answering?
Speaker: Tell me in the comments and and tell me which of these seven layers you're going to try this week. One is enough. Just pick one. Former colleagues, if you have history, alumni, if you have ah a strong school connection, target company mapping, if you have a good reach list already.
Speaker: Do five today. Again, not 50, but five thoughtful ones. This is our time to rise. If you find this valuable, share it with one friend over 50 who's in that silent job search. It might nudge them into doing something that they need to do.
Speaker: I'm John Steck. And as I always say, youth runs fast, but age knows the terrain. See you in the next one.
