“I know I should be networking…but I don’t know how to go about it and I don’t feel comfortable.”

Sound like anyone you know?!

Many of my coaching clients share this sentiment. They’re trying to figure out what’s next in their career and their discomfort engaging with their network is holding them back.

If you’re not engaging with your network effectively, you may be submitting hundreds of job applications and not getting anywhere. This can lead to a high level of frustration and burnout.

You’re not alone. It can be tough to know how to conduct an effective job search. After all, you’ve probably spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours, in classrooms over the course of your life, but how much of that time was focused on learning how to build a rewarding career?!

Maybe you’ve been at the same organization or even in the same role for over a decade, and you have neglected your network. This is common. Fortunately, the situation is not hopeless! There are ways to reengage with your existing network and expand your network. With a well-informed, sustainable approach, you can rekindle relationships and form new ones. And there are many reasons to do so.

As CNBC notes (“How to get a job often comes down to one elite personal asset, and many people still don’t realize it”), research shows that 70% of all jobs aren’t publicly posted on job sites and as much as 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections. This is part of why it’s so important for network development to be a major part of your job search and lifelong career development.

Networking for a Job

When it comes to leading an effective job search strategy, you may have heard the term “hidden job market.” This refers to the common phenomenon of learning about job openings directly from people, as opposed to simply doing an online search and finding a job posting.

There’s nothing wrong with learning about job opportunities through connections…in fact, it’s how most people find their jobs most of the time!

With ready access to information about jobs all around the world, there’s a lot of competition out there. If your job search relies exclusively on conducting online searches and applying to jobs you find on job boards, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage and your search is likely much more isolating, boring, frustrating, and time consuming than if you learn to find out about opportunities through your network.

Basics of Networking

The word “networking” often elicits feelings of stress. It’s common not to know how to go about networking for a job, whether you’re early in your career or you have decades of work experience. You may think that networking is about “cold calling” people you have no connection to.

As part of your job search strategy, shifting how you think about networking is key to becoming more effective and comfortable with it.

Networking for a job is about building relationships that are mutually beneficial. It’s not just about what people can do for you – it’s also about how you can be of service to them. It may not be clear exactly how you will help someone today or how they will help you, and that’s OK. Just start with recognizing that relationships are a two-way street, and they are foundational for a fulfilling career. Instead of thinking of it as networking for a job, think of networking as building relationships for the long-haul.

Suppose there’s someone at a particular company you’d like to get to know. Instead of just thinking about whether or not they can hire you, get to know what’s important to them, and then see how you can be of service. Are they involved in an initiative or event that they’re seeking to get the word out about? Is that something you could help with, for instance by amplifying their posts on LinkedIn?

Three people bring their hands together to clink their cups. Two cups have steamed milk with a heart design. The other has an iced beverage.

More Networking Basics

Networking can happen anywhere. Networking doesn’t have to be confined to online interactions, networking events, and hotel ballrooms. Take your networking to your favorite locally owned coffee shop or park.

Employment referral programs are a common way to get a competitive edge for a job. An employment referral is when a current employee recommends someone they know for open positions within the company. Learn more by visiting the Employment Referral Guide on Indeed.

Job Search Tips

Networking for a job can feel overwhelming…where do you even start? If you’re new to networking or rusty, a good place to start is with your existing network.

People are more likely to hire people they know, like, and trust. Thanks to LinkedIn, you can easily become aware of people who are connected to you by just one or two degrees of separation, aka contacts of your contacts.

When you’re introduced or recommended by a mutual, respected connection, you benefit from a heightened level of credibility. Warm introductions can help you go from stranger to acquaintance in no time!

Think about it this way — when you’re looking for a service provider, how often do you reach out to people in your network to get their recommendations? I do this all the time! It works like this for making connections and finding out about opportunities as well.

Example of An Effective Job Search Strategy

Many of my clients have unleashed the power of the hidden job market to find what’s next and build extremely fulfilling careers, and I’m going to tell you how you can do the same thing.

Take Emily as an example (name changed for privacy). She was struggling to gain traction in her job search and was feeling extremely frustrated and hopeless when a friend referred her to me.

Through our work together, Emily identified key professionals at her target employers and extended an invitation to them for an interview she would publish on her website and LinkedIn.

Through strategic use of best practices, Emily was able to get hundreds of views for the interviews. Talk about creating a win-win situation! The interviewees got visibility for themselves and their employer. Emily got to grow her network, learn about her target roles and employers, build her portfolio, and demonstrate her skills and qualities. She built relationships and started establishing trust with professionals in her target industry.

Emily soon landed her dream job, aided by one of the connections she made. She went on to thrive in that role for several years, before landing her next opportunity, which also worked very nicely for her life.

A young man with dark hair and a short beard wears a black sweatshirt. He sits at a table with drawings hung behind him. He's listening to a woman who is sitting across from him, gesturing as she speaks. She has a clipboard and pen.

Building Relationships At Work

By building relationships at work, you can gain comfort putting yourself out there. Building relationships with colleagues is also an important part of setting the stage for opportunities within your organization, such as interesting projects to work on, initiatives that are aligned with your values, professional development opportunities, and promotions.

Even if you’re not currently employed, you can build relationships with colleagues through volunteer work, courses, or community organizations you may be involved with.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Who am I planning to interact with this week?
How can I create value with them? (aka how might we help each other?)
If I have trouble answering #2, what information would help me answer that question, and how might I learn that information?

How to Job Search Effectively

If you’re looking for support to plan and execute an effective job search strategy, reach out. By working together, you’ll have support to clarify your goals, your strengths, your skills, your interests, and how to position yourself to attract the types of work opportunities you’re interested in.

There’s no need to keep wondering how to develop an effective job search strategy. By working with an expert, you’ll be able to speed up your progress.

Instead of struggling for years, you’ll have access to frameworks, tools, and support so you can accelerate your desired transition, whether you’re looking to launch your career, change careers to a new function, switch industries or sectors, grow in your career, or launch your business.

The tools I’ve developed help my clients save hundreds of hours when it comes to finding a new job and improving their careers.

I apply my expertise in networking to help clients shift their perspective, develop and implement a plan, move past concerns about reaching out to people, and create value with new and old connections.

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