The importance of networking

As someone who is looking for my next employment opportunity, I have learned that I need to make use of all of the opportunities at my disposal.

When I started my job hunt, I went down the route of looking on LinkedIn and various job boards for the next role. For several months, I spend many hours plugging away, applying for suitable positions that looked interesting. After a while, it became apparent that this was not working for me and that I needed a change of strategy.

I’m fortunate that in my local area there are a number of job clubs which are aimed at supporting professionals looking to get back into work. It was at one of these that I had an epiphany and realised that I needed to change my approach, as clearly my approach of just applying for jobs was not working.

A recent survey shows that 85% of all jobs are filled by networking.

So, what’s my new approach? Well, I’m still taking the time to apply for suitable and interesting jobs via LinkedIn and job boards, however I have also shifted my focus to spend more time on networking. I’m not someone who has historically been great at networking, but I figured that nothing bad can happen from trying — the worst case scenario is that someone won’t want to talk to you, and generally if you are prepared to actively listen and ask interesting questions, this shouldn’t happen!

My first step was to become more active on LinkedIn, joining a number of groups and engaging in relevant and interesting conversations. I’ve also taken the step of engaging with every person that engages with my profile on LinkedIn — as a result in the last couple of months I have added nearly 200 more connections.

My second step has been to set up a local networking group for unemployed professionals, which my local Holiday Inn is happy to host for free. I’m really surprised at how this has taken off — the first meeting had 3 attendees, and every meeting since then has had 12 or more participating. It’s really reassuring to meet with other job seeking professionals, it makes me realise that I am not the only skilled person that is unemployed!

So has the networking paid any dividends?

Well, being more active on LinkedIn has given me a higher profile and more connections with recruiters.

I’ve even had one interview as a result of a lead through a connection of a connection.

The weekly, in-person networking continues to be a success, with a great group of people turning up every week for interesting conversations and coffee. I have also met a great group of people who, without this event I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to meet. We have the opportunity to share job seeking strategies and as we get to know one another more, we are able to give each other leads and support with potential business opportunities. Last week a few people came with good news of job offers and positive interviews. So while it is sad to lose these people from the group, I am really pleased that they have found a job that they will enjoy. I’m also sure that we will keep in touch going forward.

I heard another great example of networking success from a fellow jobseeker just yesterday — a former colleague of his, who he is in touch with happened to mention his situation to a golf partner — this has led to a great telephone interview!

Networking really does work!

Another not so obvious benefit to networking is that it can really help you to stay motivated in your job search and boost your resilience.

So, if you are local to the Thames Valley in the UK, you are welcome to come and join our networking event — it runs every Wednesday morning from 10:00–12:00 at the Holiday Inn, Maidenhead.

I’m also very happy to engage via LinkedIn — you are welcome to connect with me to continue the conversation.

If you don’t have an event in your area, why not set one up? You’ll be surprised at how easy it is and how quickly you will meet new people.