Making Yourself Known Using REAL Communication

With the invention of the internet and the worldwide web, the current generation of young adults have grown up in a society where social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter seems to be the only valid method of communicating to other human beings. This is so far from the truth, and it is a misguided idea that a person can ‘communicate’ with social media. Social media is useful for advertising and marketing, and for perhaps sending private messages to people that we actually do know, instead of picking up the phone, but it cannot and will never replace REAL, LIVE COMMUNICATION between two human beings.

Many young people and graduates currently seeking to start on the career ladder with a good work opportunity only use social media to communicate to potential employers.

Some students or graduate actually post their entire CV on LinkedIn or Facebook, with photo and personal information including their address, age and contact details (which opens the door to identity fraud and worse). They post it in the hope that someone will pay attention to their communication. Sadly, to make matters worse, many recruiters and recruitment systems now only accept electronic CVs, which pass through some software that picks up key words on the CV, and perhaps select a person for an interview.

Before the advent of the internet, potential employers and potential employees actually SPOKE to each other. LIVE COMMUNICATION . Actually face-to-face, or on the phone. Job seekers also took the time to write job application letters, by hand, with the best handwriting, showing skill and care and real interest in the job being applied for.

Today, on-line applications are the norm, random emails sent, automatic email responses, no opportunity to send in a hand-written cover letter with your CV and basically little opportunity to speak for real with another person.

Social media ‘communication’ will never, ever replace true, real, live, breathing communication between human beings. Remember that. We are ALIVE!! Machines, and the internet, are just that: machines.

Here are the FOUR STEPS, based on the philosophical works of American philosopher L. Ron Hubbard, which I have used myself for over three decades to effectively play the game of life,  secure work and get onto the career ladder. If carried out intelligently in sequence, they are very, very effective. It is called the Non-Existence Formula . For a full description of the Conditions Formulas for personal and business expansion including the Non-Existence Formula, check out the free online course on Ethics and the Conditions.

Below is an example of how I used the Non-Existence Formula to make myself known when I was a student and in order to secure hands-on experience at Manchester airport on aircraft line maintenance.  But you can use this formula for all sorts of situation where you are starting new and need to make yourself or your project or organisation known to potential clients, customers etc.

STEP 1: FIND A COMMUNICATION LINE

Communication is the interchange of ideas across space. In order to exchange these ideas, there has to be a route or line for them to flow across. Posting a CV to one’s LinkedIn network does not constitute ‘finding a communication line’. This is because when posting a CV publicly on LinkedIn, hoping that someone will read it, you are not involved in real communication. You do not send out the CV to a specific person or post with the intention that they will receive it, understand it and answer it. When posting a CV on LinkedIn, you are ‘advertising’.

At this first step, you need to find actual lines on which you can communicate directly to a person, or a post held by a person, which relates to the activity you are trying to achieve. For example, if you are an engineering student or graduate, and you are seeking a work placement or a first job in engineering, finding a communication line with a friend who just wants to play computer games, would not be the kind of communication line relevant to your objective - the objective of finding a work placement tor a job.

Therefore, when finding a communication line, you need to look for and find one or more communication lines which relate to your activity and what you are trying to achieve. You want to find communication lines with people at the other end who will be able to give you information and to whom you will also be able to give information.

When I was an engineering student, I joined several engineering institutions as a student member, such as the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Women's Engineering Society and the Institution of Engineering & Technology. I then attended some of the workshops and started talking to people who were already in the profession. I let them know who I was, I got their business cards. They were able to see me face-to-face and understand who I was. Each time I found a good communication line, I was able to move onto Step 2 .

I also attended shows such as engineering expositions, national engineering shows, open days, any event or activities where I could find communication lines. One of my great success was attending an apprenticeship fair (I was 35 years old then) and talking to two aircraft maintenance engineers Flybe UK who worked at Manchester Airport. By establishing a communication line, I was then able to move onto Step 2.

Something else I did was actually write to people in the industry. I wrote my letters by hand, so that the recipient could see that I really cared to communicate to that person. I took the time to write by hand, and post the letters. In some cases, I brought the letter myself to the workplace and handed it into reception!

STEP 2: MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN

Once you have found one or more communication lines relevant to your objective, you need to make yourself known. This is straightforward and simple.

Once you got someone with whom you have established a communication line, let them know who you are, that you are a student, that you will be seeking a work placement, or that you are looking to work in such and such industry, that you are a hard worker etc.

This is best achieved by talking to people face-to-face or on the phone if face-to-face is not possible. Again, just sending out public information on social media is indeed advertising, but it is not making yourself known to a specific person or post with whom you have established a communication line. When you establish a communication line, you have more chance that the person will continue talking with you, that they will remember you, and that they will listen to you.

If face-to-face or phone is not possible, then of course letter or email is next but avoid random public posts on social media, except if you are intending on advertising. Advertising is not part of the process I am explaining here. This process is to create real communication opportunity. If you are able to find an actual communication line through social media, then you can follow the remaining steps.

Continuing on with my example with the Flybe UK engineers, I got talking to them at the fair and went on to tell them who I was, what I was trying to achieve, my circumstances, how I worked and how I studied etc. We had a good conversation. I found a communication line and I made myself known. Then next comes Step 3.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Don’t forget that today, many potential employers will search your social media accounts and platforms and see what type of material you post on your social media. If you post inappropriate comments or photos, and if you are promoting yourself on social media as something you are not, this can negatively affect your career prospects!

STEP 3: DISCOVER WHAT IS NEEDED OR WANTED

Now, this step is vitally important and it is missed by pretty much every single young person based on the posts I have seen on LinkedIn.

It is a FATAL error to assume what the person on the other side of the communication line actually needs or wants. It is assumed that recruiters want to see CVs on LinkedIn. Or it is assumed that the person wants ‘highly educated’ graduates with a first class degree, and many, many other assumptions.

I can tell you from personal experience that, as an employer, I would not be so much interested in high grades as to the ability to turn up to work on time. If I had to choose between two young potential engineers – one with no degree, but with a high moral compass, always timely at work, honest, and willing to learn, and the other with a high-grade degree, but absent from work, ill, dishonest – I would choose the young engineer with no degree. Because I know that he or she will be a good employee.

Therefore, once you have found a communication line and that you have made yourself known to the person, you need to actually ask them what they NEED or WANT from you (obviously, we are talking about needs and wants relating to employment or business or profession).

For example, when attending a career fair, or engineering fair, or trade show etc., and you are finding communication lines and making yourself known to potential employers, ask them what do they actually need and want from a young graduate? What do they want to see in a good employee? What would you need to do or produce that would be acceptable to them? Perhaps they prefer a CV which is sent by post with a cover letter. Perhaps they are employers who search your Facebook and other social media platforms and observe if you are reliable, if you post inappropriate comments and all sorts of things like that. With each communication line that you find, discover what is really needed and/or wanted by the person on that line.

Continuing on from my apprenticeship fair experience, once I made myself known to the two Flybe UK engineers, I asked them what would I need to do or present to the company in order to be considered for a work placement. What does the company need and/or want from work placement students or job seekers? They explained to me that what would be needed would be a letter to Human Resources that explained clearly why I wanted the work placement. And that due to many applications, they want to see someone with a true enthusiasm for the work. They explained to me that on many occasions, they had granted students work placements at Manchester airport, but when the students came to the airport, some only stayed for a day or two, and then complained that they did not want to continue as it was 'not for them'. Arranging work placements at Manchester airport cost time and money for the company, and basically they did not want time wasters. This leads me onto Step 4 .

STEP 4: DO, PRODUCE AND/OR PRESENT IT

This is very straight forward and exactly what it says. Don’t over-complicate it!

Once you have found communication line(s), that you have made yourself known to the persons on those lines in relation to your objective, and that you have discovered what is needed and wanted by each in relation to your work or objective, then actually do it, or produce it or present it .

To finish off my real example with the two Flybe UK engineers, I decided after speaking to them, that I would complete the first year of my aircraft maintenance engineering degree before applying for a work placement. I felt that I needed a little more knowledge about aircraft maintenance before presenting a case for a work placement.

So towards the end of my first year, I did exactly what they had suggested. I wrote a long email (because in this situation, I did not have a contact number to phone or a mail address) to the Human Resources department and mentioned the names of the two engineers whom I had spoken to at the apprenticeship fair. The fact that I had actual names of persons I had spoken to made a HUGE difference.

I explained my circumstances, when I could work at the airport, and demonstrated my enthusiasm for the subject. I also offered to pay for my own airport passes so that it would not cost the company any money. By offering to pay for my own airport passes, I showed commitment and that I was serious about doing the work placement.

My email was received and was forwarded to the team leader who managed one of the engineers I had talked to at the apprenticeship fair. The team leader was then able to speak directly to the engineer and ask him about my letter. The engineer was able to confirm that he had indeed spoken to me at the fair, and recalled that I had been enthusiastic. I was then invited for an interview at Manchester airport which was successful. As a result, I was able to complete two summer work placements on aircraft maintenance at Manchester Airport during my degree studies.

While on the work placements, I arrived on time each day, I did all that was required, listened to instructions and worked at developing my skills. I consider to this day that the work placements with Flybe UK at that time were instrumental in getting me on the career ladder. To this day, I am very, very grateful for the support and help from Flybe aircraft maintenance engineers.

But it all started with simply the four steps of the Non-Existence Formula :

1) Find a communication line.

2) Make yourself known.

3) Discover what is needed or wanted.

4) Do, produce and/or present it.

In the above examples, I translated the steps into the following actions for what I was trying to achieve:

1) finding a communication line at the Apprenticeship fair;
2) making myself known to the Flybe UK engineers at the fair – honest and open conversation;
3) discovering what was needed and/or wanted in order to get a work placement opportunity; and
4) actually doing and presenting what I was told was needed and wanted.

That one set of step at an apprentice fair catapulted me up the career ladder.

Now you try it!!

I am always happy to hear of any successes. Also, if you come across some difficulty in getting steps 1 to 4 done, I may be able to help. Email me with any successes or difficulties at delphineryan@protonmail.com .