Tim Thompson - Archer English Consulting
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Networking Nudges

7/13/2019

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I have a really cool project coming up​.  It's the kind of project that I dreamed about when I left my university position three and half years ago and it basically came about thanks to Twitter.  Sure, it's a little more complicated than that, but someone who read one of my tweets followed up with a DM that led to me joining a consortium of freelance consultants and now I'm going to Tunisia for a week in September to train Tunisian English teachers.  All because of a tweet, that led to a direct message, that led to a nudge to consider contacting the consulting group, to joining the group, and to letting them know I was available in September...  All those things needed to happen to make this possible (and, of course, having some relevant experiences on my CV to make me an eligible candidate), but I want to focus on the nudge. If I hadn't followed up on a friendly suggestion, I would have missed out on  this opportunity.  And there are so many other examples of this happening for me (and hopefully for you too).

Another example of a nudge (and one that also came via Twitter) was being introduced to a training director in Ukraine by someone I interacted with on Twitter.  We have never met in person but have a lot of the same people in our PLNs.  I sent the training director an email, expressed my interest in returning to Ukraine, dropped the name of a professor in Kyiv that I had done some workshops for last year, and suggested that we could all work together to organize a PD event.  Now, it looks like that's going to happen in October.  This was thanks to two nudges, first my Twitter friend's, then mine.

Sometimes nudges lead directly to good things.  A former student sent me a Facebook message one evening asking if I would be interested in going to Kazakhstan as a "foreign scientist" for four weeks. One of his mentors was the dean of a department and they were in a position to invite a visiting consultant.  Most professors wouldn't be able to leave their schools in the middle of the semester so he thought of me and nudged me to apply.  Less than three months later I was in Almaty.  It was a great experience and I hope to return for an invited lecture in November.

Finally, some nudges lead to good things but in a more indirect way.  Four years ago, one of my friends (and a fellow editor) was working with a professor from Russia who was employed by a university in Seoul.  He was editing her academic journal articles before she submitted them for publication and asked if I could take over.  I did and worked with her for around a year.  During that time, one of her professional acquaintances in Moscow asked her if she knew a good editor that could work with the journal she was affiliated with.  She introduced me and I have been working with that journal for several years now.  It has been a rewarding experience to help the authors polish their papers and the journal pays well and on time.  

When someone respects you enough to nudge you toward something that they think you would be a good professional match for, it really is an honor.  It's not easy sticking your neck out for someone and putting your own reputation on the line.  So, be sure to thank them and hopefully you will be in a position to nudge them (and others) toward a great opportunity somewhere down the line.
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Networking Thursdays - Volume 41

11/23/2017

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This week I am adding a post from Seville, Spain.

The topics for this week's post are taking chances, performing well, and patience. Last week I hoped that someone in my network would have a contact teaching here in Seville.  I saw several people reach out to their networks to try and help (Thank you for trying!) but I wasn't able to make any professional connections here outside of some people in the local craft beer industry.

Even though I didn't get any good news about giving a workshop here I did get a message from a friend in Istanbul while I was waiting to board my train in Madrid.  If you remember from Volume 4, I bought a cheap ticket to Istanbul and someone in my network connected me to a professor there.  I spoke to her students and also gave a talk at another university through one of her friends. 

In the message she invited me to come back to Istanbul to give a talk next March.  I really enjoyed my visit to Turkey last year and was happy that the new relationship led to me writing an article for the IATEFL blog.  

Taking a chance paid off when Anne introduced me to Aysegul, then it was up to me to deliver a strong session and make a good first impression.  I hoped that I would be invited back and even though it took a year, I'm happy that my new friends thought of me and extended the invitation.


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Networking Thursdays - Volume 40

11/16/2017

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This week I'm back again excited to share the 40th Networking Thursdays post.

I'm flying back to Spain tomorrow.  I'm going back because someone I met on my first trip there in March invited me to give a talk on the Korean education system at a conference in Toledo.  They even have a budget to cover some of my expenses. 

Before that I will give a talk on presentation skills at a university in Granada.  This was set up by my friend, Fernando, who I met for the first time in March through a former coworker at KAIST.  Thanks again, Xaq!

​On my way to Granada I will stop in Seville for a few days.  I don't know anyone in Seville (yet) but I plan to post on Facebook and ask if any of my friends have contacts there.  Stay tuned to find out if I get introduced to any educators in Seville.


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Networking Thursday - Volume 39

10/26/2017

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Things have been a little slow on the guest submission front so I'm going to share a personal story from this week.

On Monday and Tuesday I served as the MC for the Global Symposium on Ageing in Seoul, an event that was co-organized by Statistics Korea (KOSTAT) and the United Nations Population Fund.  My oldest client works closely with KOSTAT and arranged for me to serve as the conference MC.  This was a meaningful opportunity for several reasons. 

First, I got to audition as an MC for an event planning company that might use me again.  I enjoy hosting conferences and this is the second government organization that has asked me to MC their events.  Hopefully more opportunities like this will present themselves in the future.

Second, I was able to introduce myself to several new potential editing clients.  Serving as MC means everyone in attendance sees you when you make an announcement so when you approach someone to say hello during a coffee break they are more receptive than if you were to approach them as a total stranger.  They naturally ask about your day job and quite a few said they would contact me about editing.

Finally, I sat at the same table with the director of international relations for a government organization at dinner and one of my clients who was sitting with us introduced me to the director and talked me up big time.  The person in that role is definitely the person you want to meet for future work opportunities in editing, training, and hosting international events.

When an interesting opportunity comes your way I hope you not only take advantage of it in the short term but also use it to create long-term opportunities for yourself as well.  Hopefully, I will be able to share some of the dividends that came from this event in a future post.



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Networking Thursdays - Volume 38

10/19/2017

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This week I have a personal "pitfalls of networking" story to share.

It's not easy telling someone you can't recommend them for a job but sometimes it's the right thing to do.  About ten years ago the director of the EFL program at the university I worked at asked my opinion about a teacher that had left the school without giving proper notice to take a job in Seoul.  A few years later he moved to another school back in Daejeon so I had seen him around and, since we shared many of the same friends, I saw him out socially.

For some reason, he wanted to return to his original position at my university and that was when the director casually asked me if I thought he had "matured". While I wasn't close to the guy and knew that he was prone to make bad decisions I did think he had changed somewhat and would be grateful for the opportunity so I told the director I thought he would be better this time.

Fast forward a couple of semesters and the guy took a job in another country and pulled a runner just before the exam period.  To make matters worse he had a going away party so everyone knew except for the director.  Long story short, I ended up losing credibility with the director twice because I stuck out my next neck for someone who didn't deserve it.  

As I said, it isn't easy telling someone you can't recommend them but when you put your stamp of approval on someone you because responsible for their actions and anything negative they end up doing reflects poorly on you, so choose wisely.

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Networking Thursdays - Volume 37

10/12/2017

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Richard Sung is currently a Master’s student at the KAIST Graduate School of Science and Technology (STP). His interests include philosophy of science, psychology, and foreign language studies.

When I was an undergraduate student, I took two courses taught by a professor at KAIST. One was named “Current Affairs in English” while the other was named “Business English Projects.” Though the two courses had different objectives, they relied on the same educational principle: It is entirely up to the students to determine how they will make the most of their time and resources. In other words, rather than following a pre-designed syllabus with selected text books and articles, the students were expected to come up with their own topics of interest, project objectives, research plans, and ways to evaluate their performances as well as the success of their projects. In other words, it was all about autonomy and drive.

At first, naturally, I was surprised by the sheer amount of freedom given to the students. Unlike the majority of the courses I had taken, the two courses were very much akin to survival programs that not only shed light on difficulties of orienting oneself, but also the thrill of becoming more resilient and proactive in the face of uncertainty and pressure. With such impression in mind, I quickly became enthusiastic about the atmosphere of the two courses, and I was fortunate enough to share my enthusiasm with motivated peers that helped me to discover more colorful aspects of undergraduate life. There were many fascinating projects with various interests and objectives, ranging from initiating public awareness of media neutrality in India to engaging in the dilemmas of demand and supply in the renewable energy market where many crowd-funded programs compete for success and support. Though everyone had his or her sense of tension, the class groups were able to share their experiences and efforts with a sense of enthusiasm not easily found in other programs.

After a number of colorful projects, as per the grading process, I had the consultation session with my professor to determine my understanding of my performances as well as my expectations. Since I had neither a broad background in entrepreneurship nor education in disciplines pertaining to my programs, I tried to evaluate myself according to two basic perspectives: motivation and coherence of methodology. Though I was initially nervous about expressing my opinions and concerns, I was able to honestly talk about my performances and limitations, which eventually became an exciting experience. I was happy to see myself discovering a certain sense of closure to engage with my initial impressions of the two courses. Furthermore, my professor appreciated my reflections, which made the sessions memorable.

And after my time in the two courses, I mustered the courage to ask my professor to formally express his confidence in my ability to understand and anticipate what I want the most from my education. After some discussions, I was fortunate enough to receive his recommendation, which helped me to continue my journey as a graduate student.

Overall, the two courses were unique in the sense that they helped me to rethink the meaning of capacity. This may be a very “sciency” analogy, but I can say that the two taught me how to be more aware of the direction of the vector of personal drive. Though respectful attention is necessary for meaningful learning, through my experiences in the two courses, I have come to better appreciate how personal drive can antecede the immediate breadth and intensity of many syllabi and programs offered to a student. It is a kind of experience I would recommend to any student, especially a student who wants to know more about how to make the most of anything he or she may come across along the path of learning. At the end of the day, with the right sight, one will hit a thousand.

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Networking Thursdays - Volume 36

10/5/2017

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This week's post is one of mine.  

It's hard to complain about a ten-day break but long public holidays can be rough on freelancers.  This year in Korea two holidays combined to make a really long holiday period.  I was hoping for a project to work on and it was just my luck that a friend wasn't able to take a proofreading job with a publishing company that she had been working with on a freelance basis and was looking for someone to recommend to them.  This friend has helped me before by connecting me with some teachers she knew in Istanbul and we have chatted on Facebook about freelance opportunities.  

She contacted me this time about my availability and interest and then recommended me to the publisher.  Sure, I had to send them my CV and negotiate the terms but now I have a project that I can work on during my free time over the holiday period and not take a big hit in my income this month thanks to her.

It sure is nice to have people who think of you when they aren't available to do a job themselves and you can bet that I'll do everything possible to return the favor when I have an opportunity to pass along.

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Networking Thursdays - Volume 35

9/28/2017

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Susan Kang, born and raised in Seoul, likes to go biking and didn't realize how important staying connected was--fortunately, it wasn't too late for her. You, too, can stay connected!

I was always fortunate to have my neighbors in California, Peru, and, now, Korea find my next job for me so when I hear someone is going off the grid by choosing not to have Social Networking Services (SNS) like Facebook (FB), I can understand. Especially, since I didn't jump on the bandwagon for Twitter or Snapchat either (I've downloaded both due to peer pressure, but less than two months later both were unused and deleted). Yet, one serious thing to consider is now, thanks to Facebook Messenger, I am employed and work Monday to Friday at a university in Seoul!

People can feel busy, but thankfully one afternoon I learned from my past not to ignore messages. So, in the instant that I received a relatively short, but prompt message from Tim, I became delighted that I didn't choose to live alone like a hermit crab. It was a job offer he saw on Facebook. Due to the promptness of seeing this fresh post and my ability to apply in a timely manner, I was able to edit my resume that day and have it proofread by Tim and another friend. Then, by the next day, I sent in my application package via email. It had been three days since the job was posted.

Unlike applying to government jobs in the US, quickly closing on time-sensitive private-sector jobs in Korea always seemed common. Thus, having SNS accounts is crucial. At least, this was a grave element in my case. (I couldn't imagine email being more satisfying or instant nor waiting until word of mouth to apply since, in my eyes, it could not have been as efficient as FB Messenger.) It was because Tim saw the opportunity and then went the extra mile to share it with me (someone who doesn't use SNS often), that I immediately saw it as a blessing. This series of events felt like magic to me--unbelievable that it happened to me. Thus, I felt tremendously honored as a result.

Although, Tim is yet to be my neighbor, I can really appreciate the networking he's done for me and I can imagine a plethora of other people he's met as well! Honestly, the first time I met him at an annual Korean TESOL event, his frank attitude about employment was so alluring; I constantly felt the urge to go get to know him more! Absolutely a delight and amazing for the amount of knowledge he has!


 (Tim here.  I did not pay her to write this.) 

In all seriousness, thanks to Tim, the 40-minute interview went great. Actually, I ran into Tim a week before this D-day with a set of questions I could ask the university before they considered me or thought of even wanting to hire me. (This was really the best move, in my opinion. The amount of good feedback was unimaginable from Tim. No lies.) Next, the reference calls were all recommendations in Korea who believed I was an excellent pick for the job. (So, that went well, as well!)

I can't emphasize enough how valuable SNS accounts really are. For instance, after a reunion dinner, I also discovered that my college buddy found an ad on Facebook which got him into the Abnormal Summit (which is also known as Non-Summit) on JTBC's Monday night variety talk show. This was a great part-time gig for him and it as funny because he told me he had never imagined himself on TV. , I, on the other hand, always knew he would be on the screen because of his charming looks and charismatic personality--yet, all he needed was that opportunity! Can you believe it? He found it all on his own while using his phone, just as Tim was graciously perusing opportunities online for others!

My message to the readers of Tim's blog is don't lose hope; widen your horizons by continuing to hunt on social networking sites and find what you never imagined possible! Keep an open mind. Who knows who will be there to help you...

Cheers!


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Networking Thursdays - Volume 34

9/21/2017

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Hi. I'm getting ready to buy a used car. Do you have a car guy you trust?
A few readers have been asking me to post some "anti-networking stories to show that now everything is rosy in the world of networking.  This week's story is a good example.

The author is a PhD student in the U.S. studying engineering who asked to remain anonymous.


“A Warning”


My advisor bought a $100,000 piece of equipment a while ago for our lab and some people in the lab were supposed to get trained to use it. The company sent two people to do the training but no one CC'ed me on the email that the training was on that particular day.  I had to ask around the week before to make sure I make it there.  On the day, my advisor was surprised that I wanted to learn about the new machine, but he didn't stop me from sticking around, and then he suddenly started bragging about how I was using 3D printing to build new samples to use in experiments with the machine this company makes and supports.  They wanted to see my parts and as I walked to my desk to take them out to show them, a labmate jumped forward and started showing the samples he makes and explaining how he makes them.  It completely took away the opportunity to explain that 3D printing is not just for toys and I was able to use it for practical projects.  They saw my parts in the end, but the moment was gone and the conversation went in another direction.  It made me realize maybe I should have samples, resumes, anything on me or in my phone right away to show people.  Always be prepared because you never know when a door will open.

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Networking Thursdays - Volume 33

9/14/2017

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This week it's me again, this time with a post about networking via social networking sites (SNSs).

I've just returned from four days of training on Geoje island in the southeast part of Korea.  I was teaching presentation skills to employees of one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world.  I learned about the opportunity because someone posted they were looking for someone with my qualifications in a private Facebook group that I joined.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of things needed to go right for this to happen.  First, I needed to be qualified since they were looking for someone with a lot of experience teaching presentation skills; second, I needed to be available, which was tricky since there was less than one week's notice; and third (if we're being honest), I needed to be willing to work for less than I normally make since it was ultimately through a recruiter that facilitated the training program.

Why did I do it?  Most of my experience is with government organizations and this was at a company so now I have experience in corporate training.  Additionally, I am now on the recruiter's radar if other (better) jobs come up.  I have also now "auditioned" for the shipbuilding company if they need someone again with my skills and qualifications.  Finally, while the hourly rate isn't great, it isn't a bad chunk of change for four days of work and I had already planned and conducted similar workshops in the past so there wasn't a lot of prep required.

Getting back to SNSs, I have actually gotten several excellent opportunities by joining Facebook groups which focus on job posts for specific demographics (teachers, expats, even dads).  There's something about being a member of smaller online communities that helps people feel closer to complete strangers.  If you are looking for extra opportunities, whether they be freelance gigs or your next big career move, don't overlook smaller SNS groups where people are offering opportunities to people similar to themselves.  Somewhat surprisingly, I've only had one employer contact me via LinkedIn.  This was the SNS that was meant to be for professional networking only but the people in my network seem to use more for self-promotion that for headhunting or advertising jobs that match my interests and qualifications.

If you have a story (positive or negative) about networking via SNSs, please leave a comment on this post.


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