Managing your online identity means understanding that your presence in the world is bigger than just your physical presence. Your digital presence is worldwide and it's accessible to everyone. Know what's out there, manage it, and get in front of things that are negative.

Trevor Calton speaks to university masters students about job hunting and networking. (Live)

You're Not Applying for a Job
hen you apply, you're actually applying for an interview, and then you interview for a job. 

This is an important distinction to make because we often think that the only way that we're going to get to the job is if we get to the interview through the application process. 

You don't necessarily have to go through the application process to get the interview. There are a lot of different ways to get an interview and through the traditional application process is just one of them.

So let's talk about how do we get more interviews and how do we do that without necessarily applying for them?

Any Interview Can Become a Job Interview

What is an interview anyway? Pretty much any interview can become a job interview. 

Anytime a job seeker is meeting with a hiring manager or someone in the network of the hiring manager, they can typically include the context of a job interview by just creating awareness that that job seeker is looking. 

The Power of the Informational Interview

An informational interview is different than a job interview. But what people don't realize is that almost any informational interview can very easily be turned into a job interview. Especially if the two parties identify an opportunity that or some sort of connection comes up during the informational interview process. 

Be Honest About Your Motivations

We talked about earlier about being authentic and being honest and being genuine. And it's important to know that when you're doing an informational interview, you always do it with integrity and never try and be deceptive or misleading about why you're there. 

An informational interview is probably the most powerful thing that you can do to build your network and to uncover opportunities in the job market.

If you do it right, there's absolutely no reason that you can't get five or more interviews per week. I think it's really common for people to underestimate how powerful an informational interview can be. 

Flip the Script

In the informational interview, you are flipping the script. 

In a traditional job search, people are trying to get others to interview them. But in informational interview, you flip the script and you are the interviewer, and they are the subject that you are interviewing. 

It allows the job seeker to gain information about an industry, a company, or a particular job. It allows the job seeker to expand their network. And potentially create rapport or even a relationship with somebody who is in a particular position that might know the hiring manager, or might be able to recommend them, or might steer somebody in a particular direction towards a company.

Ask Open-Ended Questions
" Who's growing?" 

"Who's hiring out there?" 

"Which companies are the best ones to work for?" 

"Who dominates the market?" 

"Who's the most successful?"

"What companies are hiring?" 

"Who's growing right now?" 

"Who out there do you think would be looking for somebody like me?" 

Informational Interviews Are Incredibly Valuable

henever possible, think about creative ways that you can skip directly to an interview and recognize that interviewing other people is just as valuable, if not more valuable than trying to get them to interview you.

Once you have done that, then we can talk about how to go about conducting those interviews in a way that's going to help you expand your network, present yourself as a more attractive candidate, and arm you with better information to make your job search more robust.

Showing your personality is incredibly important.

If you try and water down who you are, what you're going to do is you're gonna end up diluting or masking all of the things that people, especially an interviewer, are looking for as a way to connect with you, as a way to get to know who you are and what type of person are you.

Because one of the things that hiring managers are always trying to do is evaluate whether or not you're gonna be a good fit with the organization on a cultural level. You know, are you going to be able to work with the people that are there? Are you going to bring some complementary personality to the organization?

Are you gonna bring some diversity? Are you gonna be able to gel? You can be different, but you still need to be able to fit. And so interviewers are often looking for those Interpersonal characteristics. 

So it's really important that you be yourself, be relatable, and let your personality come out in an interview or in a meeting or wherever you are.

Don't try and water yourself down and make yourself so plain vanilla that you become uninteresting.

What's really important to understand is that people do business with people they like. Not always, but when people have a choice between two different candidates that are relatively similar, they're often gonna go with the one that they like better personally, or that they feel a little bit more of an attachment, people that they feel more resonance with.

So just remember, be yourself and let your personality shine. 

The first thing a hiring manager does when they want to fill a position is look within within the company. Where's the second place they look?

They look within their network. They're going to reach out to people they personally know professionally and personally and say, "Whom do you know that may be a good fit for this job?” 

And only after that does the hiring manager then typically go to the public, which means posting the job online or publicly advertising the job. Most hiring managers would strongly prefer that they are able to find somebody that can promote or transfer within the company, or somebody in their network, before going through the process of posting a job online or making it public. 

The more you build your personal and professional network, the more people that you know will also know hiring managers.

So if you’re creating awareness, the more people you have in your network, the more likely that you are going to have people that will vouch for you with that hiring manager and say, "Yes, this person I know, [you], they'd be great fit. You should interview them."

"It's not what you know, but who you know." Right?

That used to be true, but it's not true anymore.  It doesn't matter as much who you know, but what matters is who knows you. In other words, what is really important is that we create awareness.

If They Don't Know You, It Doesn't Count
If you think you have a connection with somebody just because you know them, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a connection if they don't know who you are back.

Focus on the people that you know also knowing who you are and what you are up to. And that means you need to create awareness. 
Nowadays it's very easy to self promote, and it's something that you have to do. And in order to uncover job opportunities that the general public doesn't know about, people have to be aware of what you're up to and the fact that you are looking for opportunities.

Let People Know What You're Doing
"Hey, I am in the market I am available for a job." Let everybody know what you're up to and what you're looking for. Create awareness with them to let them know that you're looking for something. So that if they come across some opportunity, you're going to be top of mind. You're going to be the first person they think of.

Create awareness about you and your professional situation and your professional goals, so that other people will keep you top of mind.

Right after I finished college I was working a job in a restaurant. I was waiting tables and I was looking for that, my first professional job.

And one day I'm waiting tables at the restaurant and this gentleman strikes up a conversation with me and he is like, "Hey, you know, I really like your energy. I like your outgoing attitude. I think you might be a great fit for my company." 

And I said, "Well, what company is that?" 

And he said, "Oh, I'll tell you later."

And he wouldn't tell me, but he prodded me and continued to ask, you know, if I would meet with him.

And I said, "Okay, fine I'll meet with you because I am looking for a professional job. 

And we sat down and I was like, "Okay, tell me the name of your company." 

He's like, "Oh, you know, we'll get to that." 

And starts giving me this whole speech and this whole almost like a presentation or a sales pitch about this company, which he still refused to name. 

And then finally after sitting there for about an hour, and I was like, "You know what? Right now, I'm starting to not trust you. I'm becoming distracted by the fact that you are withholding something and it's making me feel disinterested."

And I said, If you don't tell me the name of your company right now, I'm gonna get up and leave. And sure enough, of course, because my instinct was right this guy was trying to get me to join a multi-level marketing scheme or direct marketing pyramid type of company and I knew it.

And of course, after that experience, because he wasn't being honest and he wasn't being forthright I never wanted to talk to that guy again. He continued to pursue me for several months. I just refused to take his call. 

A very similar thing happened to me with a personal friend of mine just a few years ago who called me and actually it started out as in the context of a personal call. Like, "Hey, let's go grab a drink together."

And then when we got there, it was like, "Oh, well, you know, my real reason for getting together with you is because I have this great opportunity for you that I think you want to get involved in."

And basically she was trying to sell me vitamin supplements and she's like, Oh, you know, this will cure this and that, and, all the stuff. And I was like, Well, I'm not experiencing any of those things. 

But what stuck with me in that experience was the lack of authenticity created a distrust with this person, and it created a disconnect. And who knows if you create a disconnect with somebody who knows if you're ever going to be able to regain trust from that person. 

It's so important to be authentic and to be both honest with yourself and others. 

You need to act with integrity because if you're not being honest with yourself about maybe your strengths and weaknesses or your likes and dislikes, then you're obviously gonna be charting a course into the wrong place, into a place that's not sustainable.

So be authentic. Be honest. Be very real about your strengths and weaknesses and and who you are. 

Honesty and authenticity is key.

The most powerful tools that you have at your disposal (aside from your smartphone) are a handshake and a smile.

Being face to face, being able to see the whites of somebody's eyes, the expressions on their face, and the energy that somebody puts off.

When I do this workshop in person, I always show people like, "I can prove to you how a handshake and a smile is the most powerful thing that you have at your disposal." 

And I have everybody stand up in the room and pair off. And all I do is say, "I want you to shake hands with the person next to you, make eye contact, and don't stop until I tell you to." 

And I usually make them shake hands for about 10 seconds and invariably what happens is when people are standing there, and they're shaking hands for even just more than two seconds, they start experiencing emotions. Usually it's laughter and smiling. 

The point is to just demonstrate that you can elicit a lot more emotion with your person than you can with your resume. And so the point here is whatever you can do in your job search is the best thing you can do is create interpersonal connections. 

And normally that would be go out and meet people face to face. But depending on the time and place and the circumstances you can elicit a lot more emotion and create a deeper, more meaningful connection with other people when you are able to smile and shake hands and connect personally. 

And so really what I want you to remember is the more often that you can see somebody's face and you can see their eyes and make eye contact and smile and all that whether that's through video conferencing or in person meetings, the better off you're going to be because ultimately people do business with people they like, and the way that you create rapport and affinity with another person and get them to like you and you get to like them is face to face. Real connections. 

So be sure to utilize your powerful tools here. 

You are not what you eat.

You are what you like or dislike. What you do or don't do, etc. You are what you like. You are what you're interested in. You are what you're good at.

I'm just trying to reframe that that actually the phrase "you are", because the only thing that you actually are is an unique individual. 

You are not predefined. You can do whatever you want. You can learn whatever skill that interests you. You can move forward in any direction you choose, and there is nothing that is holding you back except for you. So keep an open mind. 

Write down as many things that you can think of that you like, and they're going to need to be relevant to your career. Because this is the context of what we're talking about. But what types of things in the past, or do you know that you really like, or you're gravitated towards? Not just in your personal life, but also in your professional life, like past jobs, what types of things in your past jobs did you really enjoy? 

What we're going to do is create effectively like a vision board for characteristics and the types of things and characteristics of situations, both personally and professionally, that you want to gravitate towards.

And so that once you do this exercise, you will be able to start identifying some of these things in say a job description or with a company.

The value in this is identifying these characteristics. In a way that you can remember, because if you're writing them down and thinking about them and actually writing them down on the paper, you're much more likely to remember, and then also recall those things when you're out looking at, say a job offer or a job description, or, something you're applying for.

This would be the first step in creating a roadmap for the types of jobs that you want to attract into your life. 

Almost Everyone Feels Stuck At Some Point

I can't recall anybody who hasn't felt that feeling before when you either know that you need to make a career change or you've just been laid off from your job and suddenly you have submitted a hundred resumes out around town and gotten no calls and and all you feel is just stuck in the mud and that, and then suddenly discouragement starts to creep in or despair, wondering"How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to find another job? How am I going to advance my career? "

The Past Does Not Equal the Future

And the one thing that I just want to remind you is that the past does not equal the future. . Regardless of what you have done in the past or what you have experienced in the past, those things are not going to happen again.

Certain things similar may happen. It's possible, but it's not probable that a lot of those things are going to happen, especially if you start doing different things. And so the key point there is do different things to get different results, but no matter what, just remember that even if similar things do happen in the future, the exact same things that you've experienced in the past are never going to happen again. It's always different. 

Your Career is a Journey, Not a Destination

And it's fluid. Everything that we do the one constant is change. It changes every day, every job is a little bit different, every company and every person. And a lot of us might have been a different person in our younger years than we are today.

The Importance of Having Fun

So just keep that in mind that if you're feeling stuck remember that the past doesn't equal the future. And another thing is I want you to have fun. Okay. This is your career. This is your life. It does not have to be a stressful anxiety inducing experience. And we're going to do different things to get different results. Have fun. Okay? If any part of this feels horrible or you just don't enjoy it, then don't do it. 

The one thing is unlike what a lot of people think that their only option is to surf the internet for their next job. If there's something that you don't like, that's part of all this, then don't do it. Because there's so many different approaches and so many different tactics that you can employ to go out and build your career. The things that make you miserable, it's okay to let them go.

And so if you're feeling overwhelmed by negativity or discouragement or anxiety I want you to stop. I want you to stop doing what you're doing. And look around, start looking inside, and let's find the things that are a better fit for you. 

Just like nobody wants to have a miserable job, nobody wants to have a miserable job hunting experience. And another example would be we're going to talk a lot about networking in this workshop, but if you're a highly introverted person and networking is just not your thing, then don't do it. 

We're going to lean in to our strengths and our talents and our tendencies, and we're going to stay away from those things that just aren't really who we are, or aren't really a good fit. 

It's Not Too Late to Start Over

Another thing to remember is that it's not too late.

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, until he was 43 years old. So just remember that no matter where you are in your career. I've actually done this workshop for a lot of baby boomers and people that are sort of in the twilight of their career, and maybe have experienced some ageism in the face of competition from younger millennials and other folks.

Yes, those circumstances do matter. But it doesn't mean that it's too late, regardless of where you're at. Let's say you didn't go to college and you don't intend to go back to college. It's not too late to develop skills. It's not too late to start a business. It's not too late to change which field you work in.

Stay positive and remain encouraged. 

The worst career question to ask someone: "What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?"

The word "what" implies that you have to pick just one thing. That you have to decide, finally, for good, what you want to do as a career. Well, the truth is you don't have to decide one thing.

The next part of this question I don't like is the word "BE".  Who says that you have to "be" anything? You don't have to pick just one thing, and you don't have to be what you do. Just because you like to do things, doesn't mean that's who you are and that has to be your identity. You can have lots of different interests. You're going to have a whole bunch of different ways that you apply your skills and talents. So you don't have to "be" any one thing. 

And the last part of this question I don't like is "when you grow up". Well, when does that happen? You know, that sort of implies that there is some time in your life when you've suddenly arrived, and you have to have it all figured out and we need to start adulting. Well, frankly, I don't ever want to grow up, and I don't think there is such a time. 

The better question that I ask is "What types of things do you want to do next?"

Let's change the mindset a little bit, open ourselves up to possibilities, and realize that we have all sorts of things that we can do going forward.

"Professional" Anything

Look at your interests, look at your skills, the things you like to do, and if you want to make a living doing that, go for it! Go find people who are doing something associated with that and see what they're doing. Ask questions and find out what sorts of opportunities are out there that maybe you hadn't thought of before.

Your Field vs. Your Occupation

The difference between a "Field" and an "Occupation" is a great concept that comes from the book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" by Richard Bolles, probably the most famous and bestselling career book of all time.

Whenever you're looking at a job opportunity, be sure to identify the field and the occupation. Because you may find that even though you've never done that particular job, if you've been working in the field for a long time, or if you have experience in that field, you probably already speak the language. And so finding other work within that field can actually be fairly easy. 

"Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty" - Harvey Mackay

Your Job is Going Away. You have a 99.99% chance of changing jobs. Your job is going away. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, not this year, but jobs go away.

Among all of the reasons why people change jobs, most of them are beyond our control. So plan ahead

Take everything you thought you knew about job hunting, interviewing, and networking, and throw it all out.

We’re going to start over from a mindful, heart-centered approach that’s going to uncover career opportunities that are already aligned with your values, and your life is about to change.

What is Career Building from the Inside Out? The three elements are: Looking Inside, Changing Your Mindset, and Reaching Out.

Don't expect instant results, expect better results.