EDITORIAL MAY 5, 2005

Networking: What's it all about in today's marketplace?
Research: "70% of Job Search Success is based in some part on Networking."

Finding that next great job is not easy. For anyone.
And it certainly isn’t getting any easier.
Forty Plus takes as much of the "pain" out of the Job Search process as humanly possible.
But nothing changes the bald fact that there are more talented people in America today than there are appropriate and good paying jobs for them.
Nothing we or anyone else can do will change that.
What Forty Plus does not do and has never done...is to paint Rosy Scenarios of the actual job situation.
What we DO focus on, however, are the tried and true skills and techniques that produce real jobs for virtually all our members.
We've developed these during our over 60+ years of experience, dating clear back to America’s Great Depression.
We also offer the stability of experience and the camaraderie of like-minded, talented people, who are in the search with you.
If you have browsed through our website, you see all sorts of references to successful job searches, success stories, and the famous Forty Plus Process that takes you from Fired to Hired.
What about Networking?
Nothing in the Job Search process gets more press then Networking.
It has become "the thing to do."
Done correctly, Networking will always be a key ingredient of Job Search Success.
OK...what does FortyPlus have to say that can unlock the Magic Secrets of Networking?
The fast answer is...we really DO have some insights into Networking that eliminate overkill and wasted time. (You cannot spend ALL your time Networking...or who will do the work?)
Our guidelines and methods make Networking most effective.
But FortyPlus cannot change human nature.
It is automatically easier for so-called Extroverts to network...they are simply more likely to gravitate toward interactivity with other people.
They often find it easier to remember names, a key component of successful Networking.
But half of us are, to some extent, Introverts. What about US?
How can WE learn to Network, and not feel like we are being exploitive, are over-reaching, or are otherwise going beyond the limits of decorum?
Forty Plus knocks down those old inhibitors and shibboleths.
We guide you into a balanced Networking Strategy, where you become as valuable to the person you are Networking with as they are to you.
We point out that every single one of us should have been schooled in Networking way back in kindergarten.
Networking provides a structure, a safety net, connections and allies.
When things are going well, you might not need the Network, but somebody else in the Network will.
Then, when it is your time of need...there are people to turn to for help.
Whether you are a bookish, Introverted type who likes to work alone, or an ex-football quarterback Extrovert who "knows everybody" and loves to lead the charge, Networking, one way or the other, is an absolute must.

End of Networking 101. Join 40+ and learn a lot more about this vital subject.