Hardly do many people are aware that only less than 40% job positions are advertised. The majority of job positions are occupied through networking. What is even more interesting is the fact that almost all of us are involved in networking in our daily lives, in some way or the other. Whether it is a hairstylist, a cosmetologist or a restaurant owner, networking continues in our lives, regardless of our realizing it or not realizing it. So, what does networking actually means? Well, networking simply means passing on information. As you can see, we continue to network in our personal lives. In a similar manner, we can use networking as a wonderful tool for making contacts with professionals in an industry and enhance our chances of landing jobs.
Why Network?
Most of us believe that networking means ‘asking people for a job’. Not at all. Making contacts with professional people does not mean you have to go to people and ask them whether they can offer you a job. All that you need to do is make some honest efforts, spend some time with your contacts sincerely and the job information will travel to you on its own. All networking requires is that you should build credibility and people will be eager to provide you job information and recommend you job positions available.
Through successful networking, you can also learn a lot many things about a career of your interest. You can find out about a particular job and the responsibilities involved by contacting with people who are already into that job. You can discover the mantra behind people’s career success. All these things, knowledge and skills are certainly going to help you immensely in your job hunt.
Where Do I Begin?
As a beginner, you may be a little anxious about where and how to start networking, how to contact more and more professionals and expand your network. Given below are a few steps that you should follow. Have a look.
Prepare a list of all those professional people you know
Identify opportunities and network platforms
Make a plan of action
Know your role, stuff and networking guidelines
Customize your communication to the requirement
Get organized
And just be yourself!
Who Should I Contact?
Well, there are a number of sources that you can use to help you. You can network with professionals you know. You can contact human resource departments and gather job information and career advice. You can also have a chat with influential people and professionals on web forums. You can meet your contacts in person, telephone them or contact them on popular networking sites including LinkedIn, Facebook etc.
Tip: Have patience and make sincere efforts to establish your credibility among your contacts. It may take a while before you start getting results.
Career Counseling & Development 