Mitch Paioff has been an independent computer consultant for over eight years. He credits much of his success to using creative strategies to land lucrative consulting projects. This is the second in a series of three articles on this topic.

In Part I of this series, I told you about the benefits of cold calling as a strategy for getting short-term consulting assignments. It is the least fun, most frustrating way to look for jobs. But it works.

Personal Appearances

The next method that I recommend is a variation on the old “networking” theme. Networking with peers is a great long-term strategy that involves meeting new people and keeping in touch. The “personal appearances” approach is more immediate in that it places you face-to-face with complete strangers who might possibly help you in your job search in the near term.

Personal appearances come in many sizes and shapes. This strategy involves showing up at conferences, trade shows, luncheons, dinners, user group meetings and seminars. The concept is simple. Walk around and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Be friendly and courteous. Look the other person in the eyes and shake their hand. At the end of the conversation, ask for their business card and offer them yours.

If you are an introvert, then you need to become an extrovert to become successful with personal appearances. Just being in the room doesn’t count. You need to “work the room” and be a social butterfly. Avoid coming across as insincere or opportunistic. The objective is to establish a personal connection with every person that you meet. Doing that increases the likelihood that they will like you and be willing to help you. You might even be able to help them.

Case Study #1

I have many success stories that involve personal appearances. I’ll just mention a couple of them here.

The first one occurred back in 1993. I had just moved to Colorado from California and didn’t know a soul. I had been unemployed for a couple of months and was pretty desperate for work. I had spent a few years as a controller and chief financial officer for a homebuilder. So I decided to attend the Denver Homebuilder Association’s monthly dinner meeting. Coming from the industry, I knew that many homebuilding executives would be there.

The dinner was scheduled to start at 6 pm, so I got there around 5:15. I met the host and other people involved with the organization. As guests started to filter in, I introduced myself to many of them. I told them that I had just moved to Colorado and was interested in working for another homebuilder.

By pure luck, I introduced myself to an older gentleman who was the CEO of a local building supply company. Within the first 30 seconds of our conversation, he said “I’m looking for a chief financial officer for my company.”

I have never won the lottery, but I guess this was the next best thing. If he had said “I’m looking for a junior staff accountant,” I would have been OK with that. But to be standing in front of a real live CEO who was actively looking for a CFO – unbelievable.

A few days later, he invited me to lunch and we closed the deal a couple of days after that. The position was unadvertised. There were no recruiters involved. I had put myself in front of the right person at the right time.

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