Build your referral community

By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter

EP 3117 You have to distinguish between your “network” (everyone you’ve ever met) and your “community” (the subset of people who share your interests and will actually step in to help you succeed).

Timestamp

• 00:17 – The hard truth about why the modern job search is so frustrating.

• 00:34 – Why 250 applications per position makes recruitment a lottery system.

• 00:52 – ‘Job board porn’ and the dangers of false productivity.

• 01:22 – Shift from an employee mindset to a consultant mindset.

• 01:43 – Why skills are for children and wisdom is for professionals.

• 02:19 – Important differences between passive networks and active communities.

• 03:31 – A three-step framework for activating recommendation engines.

Interview Screening: Effective Techniques

Welcome to the explainer. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into a new career security strategy that can really change the way you think about your career, especially when you’re in the middle of your career. We break down career coach John Tarnoff’s key ideas on how to stop looking for jobs and start creating opportunities.

Well, if you’re a mid-career professional, you know this feeling, right? The utter frustration of the modern job search. You spend all your time perfecting your resume, write a great cover letter, send it off into the void, and then crickets follow. So what’s going on? Why is the environment out there so difficult? Well, that’s a big part of the problem.

That job posting you just applied to receives an average of a staggering 250 applications. I mean, think about it. You’re not just competing for a job, you’re actually playing the lottery.

The entire recruitment system is completely overwhelmed. Career coach John Tarnoff has a rather provocative name for this whole endless cycle of scrolling through job boards and sending out applications. He calls it job board porn.

You know, it’s this fantasy of all these openings that almost never leads to a real connection. It may feel like you’re being productive, but that’s actually a big reason why it’s so difficult for so many people. But here’s the thing.

Silent Language: Master Interview Body Language

While the system is certainly flawed, that’s not the whole story. The bigger problem may actually be the mindset many of us have when looking for a job. Frankly, this old-school approach doesn’t work anymore.

Therefore, Tarnov believes the big shift we must make is from an employee mindset to a consultant mindset. what does that mean? Well, employees are kind of waiting for someone to tell them what to do. They ask, what do you need me to do? But as consultants, they are proactive.

They see a problem and come in and say, this is the value I can provide. This simple switch is a complete game changer. This goes even deeper.

Tarnoff said something that might seem a little crazy at first glance. For experienced professionals, the skills are for kids. His point is that if you’re not leading with your insight and your intelligence and your strategic understanding and all the things you’ve earned over the years, then you’re really not demonstrating your true value.

Well, if applying online is a dead end, what’s the alternative? This is a truly fundamental shift in the energy you put into it. Instead of spraying applications everywhere, you start building relationships strategically. Our goal is not just to build a network, but to build what is called a referral community.

Now, first, let’s finalize our terms. We’re not talking about your network, that giant list of all your LinkedIn contacts. Let’s be honest, this group of people is mostly a passive bunch who don’t personally care about your success or failure.

Instead, the goal is to build a community. This is a much smaller, select group, maybe 50 to 150 people. It’s all about quality, not quantity.

This is a group built on genuine trust, shared interests and genuine mutual support. And that just illustrates the difference. The network is a big group and may stand by and watch you fail.

But a community, your small, dedicated team, will really step in and help you succeed. One is passive and the other is like your own team of advocates. Think of your entire career circle like this.

Your referral community isn’t everyone you know. No, this is the vital 10% of the core. This is where you need to invest your time and energy, as this small group will create almost all of your opportunities.

Okay, so this all sounds great in theory, but how do you actually build this thing? How to activate this recommendation community? Well, it all comes down to a very clear three-step framework. Therefore, the entire process is divided into three key actions. First, you must define your unique superpower.

Second, you must actively cultivate your community. Third, you become a thought leader in your field. So let’s break down what they really mean.

Well, the first step is clarity. Your superpower is basically your unique value proposition. It’s not just your skills, it’s a special blend of your talents, your experience, and your perspective that only you can bring to the table.

This is the information your community will share with you. The second step is to cultivate. That’s really the core of the whole process, rather than constantly harassing people for benefits.

This is a team effort and is based on the 80-20 rule. You should spend 80% of your time giving, offering help, making introductions, being a mentor, and only 20% of your time making requests. This is how you build trust.

Finally, become a thought leader. Look, this doesn’t mean you have to be a big shot with a million followers. not at all.

It’s about constantly sharing your unique perspective. This is about adding to the important conversation in your industry. This is how you demonstrate your strategic value to everyone.

So what’s the biggest reward for all this work? Tarnoff believes this is completely revolutionary. He said that if you build this system, you create this engine, and opportunities will continue to come to you. You will no longer have to go through the painful, reactive job search process.

You know, at the end of the day, this strategy isn’t just about finding your next job. Building a referral community is all about creating real, sustainable, long-term career security. It’s about moving from a place of anxiety and stress to a place of control and purpose.

This brings us to one last very powerful question to think about. What if your career wasn’t something you had to go out and find, but something you could actually actively create and build for yourself?

The interview is a performance: Did your script fail?

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