As many of you know, the State Policy Network Annual Meeting is just around the corner. Those who have attended understand that it’s one of the best free-market networking events of the year.  As such, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this month’s Talent Tip to networking. 

If you’re like many people, your palms are already sweating as you think about how to mingle with senior leaders, board members, VIPS,  and other movers and shakers.

Fear not! Here are seven tips that will make networking a breeze. 

1. Be proactive. As you can imagine, VIPs, executives, and influencers are incredibly busy at SPNAM. So, if you want to connect with someone, you will need to make the first move. That means proactively approaching the person and introducing yourself. Sound awkward? It won’t be if you’re prepared. See tip #2!
   
2. Be prepared. If there is someone you want to connect with at the meeting, do your homework in advance. Read the person’s bio and LinkedIn profile to get a good understanding of his/her background and interests. Not only will this provide needed context for a productive conversation, but it will also generate plenty of fodder for an ice-breaker.

   For instance, if you wanted to connect with me, your research would tell you that I went to Notre Dame. So, you could introduce yourself and then shout out a gratuitous “GO IRISH!” That would instantly make us best friends and the rest would be easy. For less adventurous types, a simple comment about the person’s work will suffice.  “Hello, Claire. I admire Talent Market’s work and just wanted to introduce myself.” It’s just that easy!
   

3. Be respectful of his/her time. Because senior leaders and other professionals have such overbooked dance cards, you’ll want to be respectful of their time.  The key item is making the connection: introduce yourself, have a brief conversation, and set the stage for future communication. You don’t need to have an hour-long dialog there if you can just as easily arrange a phone call later. And whatever you do, don’t attempt to corner someone in a networking function and hold the person against his will. If you notice the person’s eyes darting around looking for an escape route, you’ve talked too much and need to set him free!
   
4. Be appreciative and keep in touch. Even if you spend only five minutes talking to someone or asking advice, be sure to thank the person. Tell him/her it was great to connect and that you’d like to stay in touch. Offer your business card and ask for one in return. Don’t forget to follow-up via email after the meeting and keep in touch.
   
5. If it’s just about you, you’re not networking. “But enough about me, let’s talk about me.” Are you that guy? If so, you’re not networking. In fact, you’re doing the opposite of networking. Effective networking is a two-way street. A strong networker is eager to learn about new people and genuinely wants to help others.
   
6. Change the way you think about networking. My friend Pagona Stratoudakis makes this point beautifully: “The real aha moment I’ve had about networking is the term is almost the antithesis of what it should really be.  It’s not working and it’s not just about building a web or applying a program. It’s about meeting people, caring enough to listen to them, being considerate enough to think of them, and helping them progress even if they don’t ask — and not expecting anything in return and being gracious and grateful if something comes your way.  Its just being a good person and making friends.”
   
7. Have fun!  SPNAM is one of the best networking event of the year — but your networking doesn’t have to feel like work! That means your conversations don’t have to revolve around the intricacies of tax policy or the long-term consequences of Janus. They can be fun! One of my most memorable networking conversations at SPNAM was with a gal who told me about her family’s rescue dogs. She had learned I had a rescue dog and she used that information as our conversation-starter. Because our interaction  was personal, it stuck with me. As a result, I’ll always remember Dana…not to mention Winky and Abby (the dogs!).
   

Hopefully this advice helps prep you for this year’s SPNAM! See you in Salt Lake City!

Have you ever worked your tail off to prepare for something only to have your efforts derailed by technological difficulties beyond your control? That happened to me recently when I presented to a group of up-and-coming fundraisers in the liberty movement. Given the importance of fundraising talent to our nonprofit universe, I spent many hours crafting and tweaking a presentation packed full of advice, and I was so excited to share it with the attendees. 

But from the start, the webinar was plagued with technological challenges that rose to comedic levels. Unbeknownst to me, my computer started a new backup program that decided it was best to run mid-day instead of overnight. As a result, the webinar froze repeatedly and had to be restarted. If that weren’t enough, I had somehow inadvertently embedded a completely unrelated sound file in the presentation that may or may not have contained mildly inappropriate language. So, every time I advanced to the next slide, the sound file would play.  I kid you not.

Needless to say, the presentation was a total bomb. But I pinky swear that the content was valuable! And it’s not only valuable for new fundraisers, but also for established fundraisers, people considering fundraising as a career option, and executives who have fundraising staff. 

So, I share the advice with you today — without all of the fits and starts and inappropriate language. 

1. You are needed! Of Talent Market’s 800+ searches over the last nine years, roughly a third of them were for fundraisers. One might assume that the greatest need for think tanks/do tanks is policy talent, but only about 11% of our searches were for policy-related roles. Fundraisers have historically been and will likely remain the most in-demand subset of talent in our universe. 
2. If you’re good at this, you’re set for life. Related to the above point, if you are good at fundraising, you enjoy it, and you build a positive reputation, then you will never want for a job again! While it’s not something people just entering the workforce often consider, career stability is important (just ask any established professional). 
3. Fundraising is a prerequisite for nonprofit leadership. Nonprofit leadership almost always requires fundraising!  It would be fun to think that our leaders spend their days  waxing poetic on policy and crafting clever op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, but the reality is that most of them spend a significant portion (if not a majority) of their time fundraising. As a result, fundraising experience and/or ability is usually one of the top prerequisites for leadership positions. 
4. You don’t have to live in DC! If you want to fundraise for liberty-advancing organizations but don’t want to live inside the Beltway, don’t worry! Free-market fundraising opportunities exist in nearly every state, and an increasing number of organizations across the country are hiring virtually. To browse a list of organizations advancing liberty, see State Policy Network’s Directory: https://spn.org/directory/.
5. Your organization’s reputation matters. A strong reputation is the foundation for fundraising success. Fundraising is an uphill battle if your organization’s reputation is tarnished or nonexistent. Before considering your next move, ask yourself if the organization has a recognized, positive brand, and if its successes are clearly identifiable.
6. Internal reputation matters. A healthy organization includes several key components: positive working environment/relationships, strong communication/trust among staff members, clear expectations, low turnover, and a positive bank account. Working for a dysfunctional organization will only make your job raising funds that much more difficult. 
7. Ask these key questions before accepting a new job. What are your expectations for this role? What percentage of time do you expect this person to devote to major gifts, grant writing, administrative work, events, etc.? How long was the last person in this role and why did he/she leave? What is the organization’s five year fundraising history? How much money has been raised from: major gifts, direct mail, foundations, events, board solicitation? Is the trajectory positive, negative, or neutral? What are the specific metrics on which the new hire’s success will be measured? May I please talk with your staff to ask their thoughts about fundraising and to get a feel for how this function is regarded within the organization? To what extent does the board see fundraising as a part of its job? And what are the board’s expectations for this hire? 
8. Study the 990 before accepting a new job. GuideStar is your friend. You can create an account for free and find a plethora of important data about your potential future employer.
9. Fundraising is a long game. Fundraising is a long-term proposition; success won’t happen overnight. If you’re new to fundraising, don’t decide it’s not your thing until you’ve had a chance to taste success. Short-term and mid-term measures will help you stay on the path to success. 
10. Your reputation matters. No matter how early in your career, you’ve already started building your reputation! Every job, internship, apprenticeship, and associateship counts. And every interaction you have at a network function counts. Remember that the best marketing will come from others and it’s a small liberty movement!

If you’re wondering, the mildly inappropriate sound clip was the ringtone for my work phone, which I chose for ironic amusement because I love my job and my candidates do, too!

I’m terrible at break-ups. I once broke up with a long-term boyfriend by refusing to take his calls. No explanation. No note. No text. No smoke signals. I was just done.

For some people (apparently me), breaking up is hard to do.

The same can be said about letting employees go. Because it’s such a remarkably awkward thing to do, many of us go about it in all of the wrong ways. 

Here are six things you can do to make breaking-up less painful for all parties involved.

(If you’re not looking to fire anyone soon, but you might be on the verge of ending a dating relationship, this advice conveniently applies to both scenarios!)

1. Be kind. Even if the employee has brought you to the point of irritation, frustration, and exasperation, muster all of the kindness you can before dropping the bomb. Remember that for someone in the free-market universe, a job isn’t just a job. It is a reflection of deeply held beliefs. It’s a calling. It’s personal. And for most of us, a big part of our identity is derived from our career. Deliver the news gently and be as empathetic as you can.
   
2. Don’t blindside the employee. If you’ve been doing your job as a manager, the firing won’t come as a surprise to the employee. By the time you get to the pink slip phase, you should have had multiple documented discussions with the staff member about performance. You should have been explicit about the problem(s), the improvement you needed to see, and the time frame within you needed to see those improvements.  And if you’ve been doing those things, the employee probably knows exactly why you’ve called him into the conference room at 9am on a Monday.Remember, if you fire an employee after years of consistently stellar performance reviews, something is amiss on your end.
3. Be honest about why things didn’t work out (if your lawyer lets you). If it’s possible to do so, be forthcoming with the employee about why things didn’t work out. What you share should be consistent with the aforementioned performance reviews.Without going too deeply into specifics or berating the employee, help him understand why it came to this point. Again, if you’ve been doing your job, the employee should already know.

   Strangely, I hear from many people who have no idea why they were fired. While some employers were probably directed by attorneys to stay quiet on this topic, I suspect the majority of them were simply trying to avoid confrontation. Unfortunately, if you’re knee-deep in a termination discussion, it’s a little too late to avoid confrontation. Best to put on your big boy pants and be honest about what happened.

4. Provide constructive feedback. Ok, not all newly fired employees are going to be in the mood for a fun game of “20 Ways You Can Improve and Avoid Getting Canned in the Future.” But if you sense the employee desires feedback, it might be helpful to share — especially if the person will be hanging around the liberty movement.  He/she may not be ready to internalize the feedback on the spot, but as time passes, your words will likely prove to be helpful.And I hate to sound redundant, but this feedback should be consistent with the performance reviews.
5. Look inward. If you have to fire an employee, it’s a good occasion to ask yourself as a manager what you may have done differently or where you may have fallen short. It’s probably best not to share this information with the employee, but even internally acknowledging your own shortcomings will make you a better manager. As is the case in dating relationships, there’s usually plenty of blame to go around.
   
6. Remember it’s a small liberty movement. Chances are you will cross paths again with your former employee. It is for this reason that I suggest you be kind, honest, forthcoming, and constructive. Doing so will maximize the probability that you and the departing employee will maintain a positive relationship well into the future.Sound far-fetched? Trust me: it can happen. Regretfully, I had to fire an employee many moons ago. I tried incredibly hard to do all of these things. She walked away knowing that while that particular role wasn’t a great fit, she was very gifted in other areas. I took the time to consider where I fell short as a manager, and as a result, I reimagined the role she had been in and the expectations for it. I am pleased to say that she has allowed me to serve as a reference for her in the years since. All’s well that ends well!

Speaking of all’s well that ends well…if you’re still feeling sorry for the poor fellow I broke-up with so callously, you shouldn’t. His name is Mr. Dixon. 

Oh, and he’s an employment attorney and told me to include this note: these recommendations are based on my experience in the free-market universe and should not be misconstrued as legal advice. Each termination has its own considerations that may warrant contacting an attorney. 

When I ran distance races in high school track, I would often do a (very ungraceful)  tour jeté as I neared the finish line. 

As you can imagine, my track coach was very displeased with such shenanigans. But I assured him that my goofiness would never cost me a race. After all, the end was so close.

And so it goes with candidates in the interview process. In a candidate’s mind, making it to the interview means you’re in the homestretch. All you have to do now is finish the race, right?

Well, sort of. Remember you’re not alone on that homestretch. Just over your shoulder is another candidate ready to take the lead if you stumble (or pretend to be a ballerina). And trust me: I see a lot of stumbling near the finish line.  

Here are five ways to avoid a misstep in the final stages of the interview process.

1. Treat everyone as you would the boss
   During your interview, there’s a good chance you’ll be interacting with some really important people. For instance, you might meet the president of the organization, a board member, or the receptionist.

   Yep, that’s right. The receptionist is a VIP. Even if you don’t interview with the receptionist, you’ll no doubt interact with him/her, and it’s important that you treat the person with the same respect and courtesy you would anyone else.

   Why? Because not doing so can easily cost you a job. Case in point, a client recently told me he did not hire a talented mid-level professional because of the way she treated the support staff at the organization. Her behavior implied that these critical team members were “beneath her,” and the organization had no tolerance for such arrogance.
   

2. Provide evidence that you can do the job
   If I were a bettin’ gal, I’d wager a large sum of Monopoly money that you’ll be asked at some point during the interview to provide evidence you can do the job. This might take the form of behavioral interviewing (“Tell me about a time in which you…” or “Give me an example of your ability to…”). Or, it may be more straightforward: “Have you done X? Tell me about it.”

   The best way to prepare is to have several good work stories in mind that illustrate your ability to handle the main responsibilities outlined in the job description. A really good story will speak to various skills and can be used to answer different types of questions. Depending on the specific question you’re asked, you can emphasize different aspects of the story to provide a relevant answer.

   Not being prepared in this arena can be a critical misstep. A candidate I adore told me after an interview that he had bombed it. “They asked me several behavioral questions and I totally blanked on good examples to share.” Sadly, he was right. The client liked him, but without evidence he could do the job, they opted for another candidate.
   

3. Be prepared to talk salary
   I am shocked how many job applicants say things such as this during job interviews: “Oh, I wasn’t ready to talk about salary.”

   What? Did a band of rouge garden gnomes fill out the job application for you and then bring you to the interview against your will? The horror!

   Come on, people. If you’re on the job market, you need to be thinking critically about your salary requirements. Before you apply for a job (let alone walk into an interview), you should have already done your homework  and have a good sense of where you need to be financially.

   If you’re not prepared to provide a salary range when asked, you should hold off on applying for jobs until you can.
   

4. Ask for business cards and send a hand-written thank you note
   As each of your interviews wrap up, make sure to ask the person across the table for a business card. Why? Because unless you’re Rainman, you won’t be able to remember everyone’s name. And even if you do, you can’t be sure of the spelling (he said “Joe Smith” but what if it’s spelled Throatwobbler Mangrove?).

   And why do you need to know how to spell his name? Because you’re going to send a hand-written thank you note promptly after the interview!

   I know what you’re thinking. It’s 2018. Won’t an email suffice? Maybe. But why take the chance?

   From a client earlier this month: “We liked all of the candidates we interviewed in the last round. XXXXX was the only one who didn’t follow-up with a thank you note. Since this role is focused on relationship building, we’ve eliminated her from the running.”
   

5. Keep in touch and remain responsive
   After the interview is over, don’t just sit around and passively wait to hear from the organization. If a week has gone by and you’re hearing crickets, send a nice follow-up email asking if you can provide any additional information and reiterating your interest in the role.

   While I believe the onus is on the hiring organization to make the next move, your proactive approach may help you stand out from the crowd.

   I often hear things like this from clients: We’re still deciding to whom we want to offer the job, but I’m leaning toward Suzy. I’ve been impressed with her follow-up; it’s clear she really wants the job.

   And if the organization does reach out to you post-interview, be responsive! I just witnessed a client withdraw an offer for a candidate because he had become unresponsive in the days following the interview. My guess is that the candidate was employing his old high school dating tactics (playing hard to get). Apparently that approach works as well now as it did back then. 

If you’re wondering, my awful dance moves never did cost me a race.  Maybe some pride or a prom date, but it was worth it.  

1. Talent Market is a nonprofit.  Yep. I know it’s a crazy concept, but it’s been working like a charm since 2009.Don’t get me wrong — I’m a capitalist pig. But being a nonprofit helps Talent Market serve our clients better. Why? Because it allows us to focus on the long-term and not simply “filling a role and collecting the dough.”While there’s no “fee” at the end of the rainbow, there is something much more important on the line: our reputation. If we do good work for one free-market nonprofit, that organization will likely tell another. And if we help one candidate, that candidate will hopefully tell friends and associates.

   Back up the truck, Claire. Did you just say there’s no fee involved? How does that work?

   Ah, yes. See number 2.

2. Talent Market doesn’t charge for its services.
   This begs the question: how do you keep the lights on? Well, just like any other nonprofit — we fundraise! (As a special project of DonorsTrust, Talent Market raises its own funding and does not receive support through or from the general operations of DonorsTrust.) 

   Since Talent Market does not charge nonprofits for its services, it is only through the generosity of donors (through individual gifts, foundation grants, and voluntary contributions from nonprofit clients) that we can continue our important work. (Hint: In the spirit of Tax Day today, we’d be remiss to not give a shameless plug for a charitable deduction in honor of Talent Market!)Talent Market provides our services at no direct cost to our clients because we know the majority of these organizations lack the resources to pay market rates (private sector recruiters often charge clients 20-30% — even 40% — of annual compensation) for the capability we offer. Don’t believe me? Ask a small or mid-sized nonprofit if it has $40k to burn on a private sector placement fee. Me thinks not.In fact, the total private sector value of Talent Market’s placements to date is over $6.9 million! When you consider Talent Market’s lean and mean budget, it’s clear Talent Market is providing incredible bang for the buck for the liberty movement.

• Talent Market serves other 501(c)3 free-market nonprofits. 
  Talent Market provides consulting and recruiting services to free-market think tanks, policy organizations, research centers, and capacity building institutions dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government and free enterprise. We do not work for political groups, government entities, private sector companies, PACs, or associations. Finally, we do not work with organizations that address social issues.
• The More We Know About You, The More We Can Help You
  If you’re on the job hunt or plan to be soon, now’s the time to send Talent Market your latest information.  Having this bit of knowledge about you will help us know when to reach out to you about critical openings. Without it, we’re just a blind squirrel trying to find a nut.You should also keep us updated if you relocate, earn an advanced degree, switch career paths, change relocation preferences, or rescue a dog. (What? We’re dog people.)Now, occasionally candidates ask if we keep their information confidential.  To be honest, we immediately share your information with the IRS, Mark Zuckerberg, and the Russian mafia. Then we distribute copies of your resume on car windows around town and in bathroom stalls of local watering holes. I’m kidding. Of course, we keep your information confidential!
• Talent Market is Expanding the Talent Pie
  Roughly 72% of the candidates Talent Market has helped place hail from outside the free-market movement.  We have helped individuals from the private sector, academia, government, military, and the wider nonprofit space land their dream jobs in the liberty movement.  The types of roles we work on include senior management, legal, project management, fundraising, communications, media relations, policy, research, external relations, outreach, marketing, operations, finance, administration, and technology. If you’re looking to join the crowd of 400+ we’ve placed in roles advancing liberty or if you have a friend who is passionate about  promoting liberty and looking to get plugged in,  reach out to us today!