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Where to Network Your Way to a Job

Recently the Independent Business Networking Inc. reported that networking was responsible for 55%-80% of employment. Instead of spending all your time applying for jobs listed on Craigslist, invest time in networking your way to a job. Here are some ideas of where you can go to find networking opportunities to help you land a job.

Connect with your network. The people who are going to help most in your networking efforts for a job will be former bosses, colleagues, college professors, friends, and contacts through social media. Reach out to them through email and by phone and see if they may have valuable job connections for you. Even if you haven’t spoken to them for years, their social media status updates may give you a good conversation starter. A whopping 80% of job seekers say that people in their personal network have helped in finding work. Don’t underestimate your current contacts!

Get social. Set up a LinkedIn account and set to work on making connections and getting recommendations. The fastest way to do this is to sync it with your email address and start with people you already know personally. To get recommendations, write recommendations for people that you’ve worked with in the past. You’ll be surprised how many will return the favor by writing a kind recommendation for you.

Start at school. All of the networking in the world isn’t going to land your dream job if you don’t have the right education and experience. Work towards a college degree in the industry you want to work in and kick-start your networking at school. You’ll be in a prime environment to meet with people that share your interests.

Join interest groups. Being social isn’t just all about social media! Look for organizations in your college and community that relate to your major. The relationships you’ll develop will help you to grow your network and have more people to ask favors down the road. Check out meetup.com to look for networking groups in your area. You’ll be surprised by what you find.

Join networking groups. Check out your local chamber of commerce, BNI (Business Networkers International), or related networking groups to see which has the connections that will be your best resource in your job search. Networking can feel like a full time job in some cases, with organizations like BNI requiring members to attend a weekly meeting. Before taking the plunge and joining a group, make sure you have time to commit.

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