It's Not What You Know

Its Not What You KnowWe've all heard the old saying:

"It's not what you know, it's who you know."

But that saying is not exactly right.

We all know well-connected people who can't seem to get out of their own way. (You can look at some recent US presidential candidates with powerful names as just one example.)      

Yet, I'm guessing that, like me, you also know more than a couple of extremely talented people who seem to get lost in the crowd.

The saying should really be: "It's not just what you know or who you know, it's how you can combine them."

Truly, I wish all the best opportunities went to the people who were most deserving, who worked the hardest, and who brought the most to the table.

But regardless of how I or you feel, the objective reality is that being well connected and enjoying professional relationships with influencers is one of the strongest predictors of career success. It's these relationships that allow for your talent to be recognized and rewarded.

Let's say you're an introvert (I am, along with an estimated third of the US population), you don't like schmoozing, and large gatherings make you feel awkward and physically anxious. Where does that leave you?

Well, you have three choices:

(1) Don't invest in building relationships, and accept the resulting handicap.

(2) Grit your teeth and go to "networking" events, cocktail parties, etc. and try to grind out many fast "leads", even though just the thought alone makes you shudder.                   

Or...

(3) Find a different way to meet influential peers who can open doors. Take an approach that creates real relationships.

John Corcoran's "cold email" method is one such example. You can use it to reach out and connect with hiring managers, recruiters, industry peers, any other type of "VIP" you want to add to your personal network of contacts.      

This method is simple. It feels natural (NOT sleazy or awkward). And, best of all, it works really well right now -- because most folks don't know about it.

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Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.