Why Networking

Essentially we do it in every day life. We chat with neighbors and exchange recommendations about babysitters or landscapers, we recommend a colleague to a friend, or we simply sing the praises of our new Gardner to a co-worker. These are all examples of networking. It is advancement through word of mouth, and it can be extremely effective. Networking often generates more activity than a high priced advertising campaign.

It’s no wonder that it is such a powerful tool in business. Many high level industry and company leaders rely heavily on networking for their personal and professional gain. Using networking as an approach to finding a job has been extremely successful for decades. In fact before the information age, it was the hands down single most successful tool. And it works both ways.  Employers utilize networking to fill a position while job seekers utilize networking to find one.

In the job market, word of mouth still carries a lot more weight than modern staffing techniques.  A candidate who comes recommended by a colleague is miles ahead of even the strongest competitor. Employers recognize that job seekers who respond to a posting are coming in prepared to make the best impression. They’ve put their best foot forward, and they have polished their self-marketing campaign. But this says little about their day-to-day performance at work, and offers no guarantees. When a candidate’s performance can be verified and affirmed by a colleague, it immediately removes the element of risk that every employer faces. It’s like an insurance policy.

A lot of potential employers will resist posting a job until they’ve exhausted all potential of filling the position through word of mouth. They will often contact other experts in their field looking for a recommendation. They will effectively put out the word that they are looking, and then wait to see if a candidate turns up. Posting the job is often the last resort.

If you have conducted a thorough networking campaign and met the decision makers at each of your target companies, you are potentially well positioned with this employer already.  If in fact you were referred to this employer by a trusted colleague in the first place, you will like get a phone call and a formal job interview before there is a job posted anywhere. And that is the ultimate goal of networking. To create an opportunity for yourself where none exists and to position yourself top of mind with a potential employer before he even identifies the need for your services.