When Do You Start Networking for Your Career?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 12:54PM Don’t wait until you’ve landed your first job—start networking early. Those you have met through university such as lecturers and tutors or those you have met at social events have connections that could be useful to you. They’ll be able to give you invaluable advice, feedback, and support.
Not really sure how to foster these relationships? Sign up to networking events and seminars, attend conferences - basically anything that will get you more exposure. They are a great way to meet some useful contacts. You could also talk to existing contacts or organisations where you hold membership. Don’t become another one of the 90% of graduates who don’t know how to network. Be in the 10% minority of networkers—it will give you a huge advantage.
Many people say “I already have heaps of friends and family who know some people.”Sadly, this just isn’t going to cut it. We’re not dismissing the power of friends and families. However, it’s the people furthest from you who are going to be the most helpful. We all assume our friends and family know us best. Unfortunately, that’s wrong; we only think they do. They don’t know what we really want from our careers.
The ‘Theory of Weak Ties’ tells us that the benefits from social networks are much higher when ties among people in the network are weak. They let you get away from your narrow social circle, letting you explore your options and different environments. This theory stresses that weak ties are far more effective for ‘well-educated job-seekers.’
Here’s another fun fact about weak ties: higher wages, more job satisfaction, and a closer relationship between job and university degrees are more likely to be associated with weak ties being used in finding employment.
Vanessa Gough, recruitment manager of IBM notes: “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. Your network is where your next role will come from, where you get support and information, and where you develop the relationships with your colleagues that will be valuable as you progress through the company.”[1]
Maximise your opportunities by getting out there, going to seminars and functions. Go and talk to a few complete strangers—you might surprise yourself by making a new connection, it may dramatically improve your chances of landing a dream job later on. What have you got to lose?
[1] Caroline Parry (2010) http://www.topmba.com/articles/careers/MBA-business-networking
Reader Comments (1)
Maximise your opportunities by getting out there, going to seminars and functions. -online replica Nina Ricci