Months after his college graduation this client was unemployed and frustrated. He thought he was doing everything he could to secure his dream job in sports marketing. His search to find potential opportunities seemed confined to surfing the job boards on the Internet. He spent many hours at the computer. When asked where he had applied and what contacts he had made, he had no record of his search activities.

We spoke about the value of networking and engaging in informational interviews to get his name circulated within his desired field. At first he was reluctant, feeling people would not want to take the time to speak with him. Once he agreed to try it, he discovered he was good at schmoozing on the phone and that people would speak with him. He kept a log of his contacts and he was energized when he would look at the list and notice how many contacts he was making. His engaging personality and his ease on the phone led to a 20-minute conversation with the head of the National Basketball Association.

He is now working in his chosen field for a professional basketball team in California.

Tools used: organizing search by logging contacts onto a spreadsheet, making cold contacts to request informational interviews, following up with contacts.