Free Harper's Rules by Danny Cahill

my cell phone went off at the table. The golf course and grill room were the last refuge from otherwise constant connectivity. I looked down quickly at the number. Peter Bonetti again! How the hell did he get my cell phone? This geek has crossed over from tenacity to harassment. I powered down my cell as Harper cleared his throat and began his chapter.
    â€œSo what’s the first lesson of finding your own job, Casey?”
    â€œUh, get a job as a cart girl?”
    â€œGee, I’m sorry, I thought you were unemployed and needed help. When is open mike night?”
    â€œOkay, Harper, the first lesson, obviously, is you need to leverage your contacts before you send out résumés to people who know nothing about you.”
    Harper shook his head and leaned in. He really was passionate about this stuff, even after all these years. Was he this passionate at home, with his wife and daughter? He clicked the power button on the micro recorder without losing eye contact.
    HARPER’S RULES
Finding Your Own Job—High Touch and High Tech.
    The first lesson in finding your own job is understanding that high touch comes before high tech.
    Tactic 1: Before you turn to the Internet postings or the Sunday classifieds, you put your personal supply chain on notice.
    Everyone has a personal supply chain. We think of supply chains as things companies have when they want to schedule, distribute, track, and ship product. Walmart uses a vendor supply chain to make product and get it in the stores.
    And that’s true of every working professional on the planet. You have a supply chain of vendors who have a vested interest in your welfare. If you’re like most professionals, you have a supply chain already in place. A travel agent? Personal trainer? Jeweler? Real estate agent? An accountant? A lawyer? A psychologist or therapist? Housekeeper? How about all of your doctors? Your dentist, your vet? The guy who set up your high-def TV?
    Every one of these people should be alerted to your need for a job or a future relationship. Any one of these people could refer you to someone who knows someone who might be ‘the someone’ who could hire you or fix you up.
    â€œSorry to interrupt, Harper; I know you’re making this up as you go along. But how does telling my housekeeper or the guy at Jiffy Lube help me get a job as a senior sales rep, to say nothing of how they would know the kind of person who is right for me to date?”
    Harper sat back stiffly. “You, Casey Matthews, are a snob.” He leaned in toward the recorder again.
    Six degrees of separation doesn’t discriminate. It knows no boundaries. It has no attitude. You don’t know who people know. You think they don’t have a sense of judgment because they have low incomes? You think their powers of observation are limited by their station in life?
    â€œOkay, enough. I feel terrible about myself. I will contact my personal supply chain and let them know what my needs are. But it’s hard.”
    â€œSure, because you’re proud. How’s that working out for you? Let that go and you’ll be surprised how much more help you’ll get from people and how much more they’ll like you.”
    I thought of all the nights since the divorce, and more nights since I have been unemployed, when the phone hasn’t made a sound. I have made it a lifelong habit to convince those around me I have no needs; they all assume I’m okay. I instantly made a pact with myself to come clean with everyone in my personal supply chain as Harper continued.
    â€œPeople want to help, but the power of word of mouth has to come from you. You have to be willing to ask the two questions that have made me wealthy: Can I ask you for some help? Who do you know?
    Tactic 2: Call your professional references. Let them know that you are active in the job market and ask them if you can count on them for a recommendation.
    Do this for all of your old