How to Effecively Network to Land a Position
Submitting a few applications with no communication with hiring managers, current employees, or experts in your network and expecting to quickly land a job is a thing of the past! Networking is the catalyst to building relationships with various individuals who can share industry knowledge, provide guidance, and connect you with decision makers to advance your career. Organizations have suffered greatly from hiring individuals lacking skills, not meeting productivity targets, deficient in cultural competence and resisting change. They are collaborating with human resource leaders to eliminate these occurrences and relying on employee referral programs.
“Building a strong network can help you get ahead in your career in more ways than one. The most obvious way networking helps build your career is that most people look to their networks first when hiring or looking for contractors or consultants. In fact, 57 percent of jobs are filled through a networking contact, and employee referrals and networking sites are two of the top ways companies report finding candidates to fill open positions. The reason for this is simple: there’s a much greater employee retention rate for employees who were hired as a result of networking—eight years on average with a referral, as opposed to four years without. You can expect to earn about 6 percent more when you are hired as a result of a referral, as well.” – Association for Talent Development (ATD)
Recommendations
Use LinkedIn as a primary networking tool – has over 548 million users worldwide, 70% fortune 500 CEOs choose this platform as first and only social network, online presence is growing and prioritized by hiring managers.
Regularly update your online profiles, leads to 18x more views.
Conduct face to face meetings with individuals in your network – don’t just focus on your needs, inquire about their well-being, and offer them support as well.
Bypass gatekeepers and get in front of decision makers – contact hiring managers directly instead of recruiters, find contact information on company website, telephone directory, check "Reference USA Business Directories Online and EBSCO Business Source / EBSCO Reginal Business News".
Join professional groups (e.g., PMI, SHRM, ADT, AMA, NLN, NAA, ABC, BPA, CFDA).
Join community groups offering networking events.
Utilize alumni career counseling services, take advantage of opportunities to connect with employers who are actively recruiting.
Stay in sync with your network on a regular basis –send emails, acknowledge their professional networking site comments, blogs, etc.
Other Benefits of Networking
Receive compensation from referrals.
Connects you with mentors.
Land a job quicker.
Allows you to receive transparent information about a company from current and past employees.
Fosters professional and personal growth.
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