Saturday 9 April 2011

Best Ways to Find a Job? Network! It's Easier Than You Think

We're always hearing that one of the best and most sure fire ways to find work is to network. But somehow it sounds complicated! We picture men in power suits trading business cards after a meeting, or executives chatting and making connections while flying at 2,000 feet on their private jets.
That's one kind of networking. But the reality is that networking also includes you calling up your grandmother and saying, "I'm looking for work, Grandma. Can you pass that on to your friends?" Glamorous? No. Effective? Yes, highly! There's a reason for the expression, "It's not what you know, it's who you know."

While thinking about this topic I did a very unscientific poll, starting with someone I know extremely well - me. I thought back and was very surprised to realize that the majority of the jobs I've held in the last 15 years were jobs I got through someone I knew. When thinking about close friends and family members, I realized that the same was true for all of them, even though I'm talking here about a very wide cross-section of people and employment, including entry level retail jobs, service jobs, skilled labor jobs, all the way up to upper level management jobs.
I'm not talking about nepotism here, where people who own businesses give jobs to their relatives. Rather, I'm talking about people getting jobs because when they were job-hunting, a friend said, "Oh, you're looking for work? Did you know that my doctor's receptionist's husband is hiring? He needs someone right away. Call him!" (Seriously. This is how I got one of my jobs.)
I got one of my best jobs ever when a friend who knew I was looking for work called me and said, "I just heard from a friend that Company X is hiring. Call them immediately." I did and was told the job had been filled. Two days later, the company office manager called back and said, "Turns out that person can't do the job after all. I don't have much time left for interviewing, so it's yours if you want it."
So how can you make networking work for you? Here's what worked for me:
1. Make a list of everyone you know - relatives, friends, acquaintances, people you do business with, social media friends, the lady who checks your food out at the grocery store, the man who pumps your gas. You won't be asking them anything difficult or personal, so you don't have to limit your list to close friends. (If you're currently working at a job you want to leave, you may want to be cautious about putting co-workers on the list, unless you totally trust them to be discreet.)
2. Over the next few days or weeks, try to get the word out to all of them that you're currently looking for work, and ask if they know of any openings in your field. If not, ask if they could keep their eyes and ears open for you, and let you know if they've heard anything. You can do this on the phone, by social media (although if you're currently employed you need to be very careful what you post here, in case your company does random checks), in person, by e-mail or letter, or as you just run across the person in your daily life.
3. As people get back to you with possible jobs and ideas, it wouldn't hurt to write down the details so you can follow up. If you're like me, you think you'll remember it all, but you won't unless you write it down.
4. You might want to touch base with your friends and relatives from time to time, in case they heard something and forgot to tell you. I wouldn't recommend that you keep going back to question people you don't know as well, or the lady at the checkout. They might get a little annoyed. Your family and friends, on the other hand, are probably quite anxious to help you find work. (Especially if you owe them money!)
Did you know that a large percentage of job openings are never advertised at all? These are the jobs you're targeting. The jobs that go to the people who are in the right place at the right time, and who just happen to know the right people.
Think about the benefits of this type of personal networking. Let's say you contact 100 people. Each of these 100 people will have numerous contacts with various workplaces, possibly their own, plus the workplaces of their children, spouse, extended family, friends, etc. You could never contact this many businesses on your own.
Obviously, you'll want to keep pursuing other job-search avenues, online job banks, newspaper ads, employment agencies, etc. And don't forget that you'll still need an up-to-date resume - most companies like to have one on file for each employee. But be sure to make networking one of your priorities. There's a very good chance it will be the path that leads you to your next job!

Lorraine E. Wright

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