When you think of looking for a job, you probably think
immediately about newspaper classified ads, or perhaps
online job boards where employers can post vacancies and
review online resumes. But did you know that a significant
number of jobs are filled not through advertisements but
rather through personal contacts—otherwise known as a
network?
A network is basically a big web of contacts in your
professional field or area of interests. The individuals in
your network might be current or former colleagues,
employers, or acquaintances with expertise in particular
areas that you are looking to get into. They might be high
school teachers who have friends in high places, or a
family friend who works at a company that you'd like to
land a job at. There is virtually no limit to who can be a
potentially useful contact.
Keep your options open and make friends, not enemies,
wherever you go. I have heard of people sitting next to
useful contacts on the train, or on a bus—you never
know when a cordial exchange with the stranger next to you
may wind up in a trading of business cards.
Remember that any "in" at a company is a useful way of
stepping ahead of the pack of competitors and getting an
advantage over them. If a friend of yours is at a low level
within a company, for example, at the bottom of the
corporate hierarchy, he may not be able to secure a job for
you. Still, he will be able to pass your resume on to
someone at a higher level who may have more authority and
the power to offer you a position.
In order to make a network work for you, you have got to be
persistent. Success in the job market is all about timing,
and it may not be the case that a contact will have a job
for you the moment you inquire about one. But you should
make a point to stay in contact—send an email or make
a phone call every couple of weeks to check in. That way,
you will be strongly in the contact's mind if a job does
open up.
Of course, you should be judicious in terms of deciding
which contacts to follow up with and which contacts are not
likely to lead anywhere. If you've put in multiple phone
calls or send several emails to someone who you thought
might be able to help you, but they haven't responded, it
may not be worth your while to continue pursuing them. In
this case it may be a better use of your time to focus on
contacts who are more responsive and who reply to your
inquiries and correspondence.
The key to great networking is to build relationships over
time. Don't give your contacts the impression that all
you're out to do is secure a job. Rather, make them feel as
though you're sincerely interested in building a
friendship—which, of course, is what you should be
doing. If the contacts feel a connection with you, that
will make them all the more likely to help you in your job
search.
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Ken Anczerewicz is an author and publisher devoted to
providing time & money saving resources designed to help
students of all ages achieve their financial goals. Learn
how to create your own income stream by clicking here now:
http://www.resourceriver.com
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