Your Guide to Networking

Your Guide to Networking

Networking Basics

Your circle of contacts is the most important resource in your job-search toolkit.

Eighty percent of job-seekers find work via networking.

Your contacts can help expose you to opportunities you might not have heard of otherwise.

Moreover, you gain a competitive edge when you can use a contact's name as an introduction

To be sure, 20 percent of graduates land their jobs through more formal efforts -- by posting resumes, responding to ads, or hiring a search firm.

But the relationships you've already developed -- be they be casual, social, religious, or business -- are likely to be deeper, wider, and perhaps more productive than you could have imagined.

A Two-Way Process

A network is a system of interconnected people. 

In the context of a job search, networking means employing your connections to help you find work.

Effective networking transcends your immediate employment needs, though. At its best, it means establishing long-term, mutually supportive associations.

It's a two-way process in which information, referrals and support are shared.

Successful networkers treat the effort as if it were a job, setting aside a specific period of time every week to develop their network. They stay in touch with their prime resources and find ways to extend their networks.

Often, when they feel stymied in their job search, job-seekers find that their networking efforts help them keep their momentum -- and their spirits.

The Limits of Networking

Some job-seekers believe networking can compensate for scholastic weaknesses or a lack of preparation.

To the contrary, it only compliments the skills and training you already possess.

We urge you to perform a thorough self-examination before beginning to contact your resources. 

You need to know yourself, what you have to offer, and what you seek in a work situation. Analyze your interests, values, abilities and talents, and the type of environments in which you function best.

Then and only then will you be ready to begin using all the resources at your disposal in your job search.