Networking Hints & Tips

Category: Tips and Advice Publish date: 30/07/2014

A high proportion of jobs are obtained by people taking the initiative and being proactive. The 'hidden job market' includes all those positions that have not yet been advertised, nor indeed been conceived. This means competition will be low or non-existent, and your best way of accessing these opportunities is via networking.

Networking is more than shaking hands and exchanging business cards. We network every day without thinking about it – from talking to your barber about business during a haircut to being introduced to a ‘friend of a friend’! Of course there are more formal ways of networking, but the thing to remember when job searching is that everyone you speak to offers a potential networking opportunity.

Some examples of potential contacts in your network are: Neighbours, Co-workers, PTA members, Teachers – including college professors and advisors, Training Providers, School and college alumni, Politicians, town council members, Service providers – doctor, dentist, lawyer and Trade Association & Institute contacts.

So how can networking help find you a job?

Although, when job searching, one of the main aims of networking is to secure employment, there are other areas where networking can help. For example:

• Generating career options
• Helping with decision-making
• Assessing your transferable skills
• Finding job leads
• Shaping up your CV
• Rehearsing for interviews
• Gaining access to role models and mentors

As you continue your job search, your network will expand through visits to job fairs and other events (see the CTP events calendar for details of all employment fairs, industry days and employer presentations), classified ads in newspapers, industry publications and newsletters, and Internet communities.

Expanding Your Network

You can expand your network in a couple of important ways:

• At structured events with networking on the agenda: scheduled one-to-one meetings, career or job fairs, networking clubs, events sponsored by Chambers of Commerce and recruitment agencies, civic conventions, professional association meetings, trade shows and Internet communities.

• At unstructured settings where you can turn on your networking skills: restaurants and clubs, continuing education classes, parties and other social occasions (although don’t become the party bore here – it’s often best to note the name and contact details of the person you’d like to talk to and call them after the event), on the bus or aeroplane, and Internet chat rooms.

4 Steps to Networking Success

1. Develop your database of contacts
The first step is to prepare a comprehensive list of people you know.

2. Make an appropriate approach
So how would you make an initial approach? The answer is it depends on the strength of your existing relationship with the contact, personal preference of you and your contact, and what is personally or culturally appropriate. You could approach face-to-face, via letter, email, telephone or social media. In all cases, make an effort to find out something about the person, something you could use as an acknowledgement in the approach letter/email and when meeting them in person. This will help you to quickly establish a rapport.

Whatever method you use to approach the contact, the main purpose of your approach is to get a meeting, so you need to give them just the right amount of information about you to make them interested in meeting you.

3. Conduct a networking meeting
Contacts are only useful when you are involved in an exchange with them. The main purpose of a networking meeting is to collect information, get advice, ask for feedback and referrals and maybe uncover a hidden job.The meeting can be very formal or more casual; it will depend on the industry and the type and level of people whom you meet.Your goal in these meetings is to gather information that will help you make intelligent decisions in your career search – decisions regarding possible options, hidden opportunities, whether certain types of occupations would be a good fit, etc. You should plan the meeting and have an informal agenda in mind, which you will agree with the contact and cover during the course of the meeting. You need to prepare yourself – here is your opportunity to make an impression; make sure you have thought about what you want to get from the meeting, how you want to present yourself, and what questions you want to ask.

4. Follow up and record
Always send a personal thank you letter or email within 24 hours of your meeting. It provides an additional opportunity to maintain contact with the individual. In networking, you are engaging in a business activity and you must do it as professionally as you do your work. That means keeping detailed records of all the contacts you have made and referrals.Complete a meeting report immediately after every networking meeting to ensure you don't lose important information or contact details.

There is an old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. This is often said in a negative sense but this does not mean it is not a legitimate way of finding staff (employers) or in job searching (you). Fear of refusal or being a nuisance is often cited as a barrier to networking but remember, most people want to help others – they never know when they might need help, so approach your contacts with confidence.