There are many different ways to find a new job, from online seaching (eg: Seek) to mobile alerts (eg: www.jobezy.com.au), from recruitment agencies to government schemes, but there is one method that time and time again works as THE most successful tool for securing a new job!  In fact study after study lists networking as the dominant method used by successful job seekers – more than 75% of the time!

Think about it from a prospective employers’ point of view, if you had a choice between:

  1. a stranger: someone who has responded to an ad, who interviewed well and seems to have the right qualification and experience.  They have good references and their work history seems pretty stable, OR
  2. a referral: someone that a co-worker has worked with before.  Your co-worker can vouch for their strengths and abilities, the person is well respected and has a good reputation.  They also interview well, have the right qualifications and experience, good references and stable work history.

Who Would You Hire?

The simple fact of the matter is that hiring someone is a massive cost to any business and even worse if the new hire doesn’t work out.  Employers will always hedge their bets!  You can bet that an employer is always going to choose someone when they know more about their suitability to the company and the role, the known is always safer than the unknown!

How do you start to network?

This is the part that can be most difficult if you have never thought of networking to find a new job.  But it is really easier than you think!

  1. Tell a trusted friend or colleague in your industry that you are perhaps on the lookout for a new job, if you know that it can be kept confidential from your current employer – tell more than one!
  2. Find out what events are attended by people in the same industry/roles you are interested in and go along!
  3. Ask your recruiter to steer you in the right direction to events or groups that would assist you in your endeavours!

What is the secret to successful networking?

Once you have found some events to attend or people to connect with, the most important thing is to ensure that you maximise your time networking.  The BIGGEST mistake people make networking is going into it thinking it is all about them.

REMEMBER: networking is a two-way street!

Remember that networking is about listening as much as talking and about helping others as much as helping yourself and you will always find that networking is enjoyable and beneficial!

Come along next week when we’ll give you specific steps in how to network successfully!