Networking is always going to be a part of your career. This is not a one off experience or a thing you do every once in awhile. In order to get the most out of networking and your network itself, it must be a consistent effort. Networking is not asking someone for a job, instead I would encourage you to ask people for their time. Ask them about their career path or what it has been like to work at a company. Start to build relationships organically as opposed to on convenience. It can be awkward at first or maybe even nerve-wracking to reach out to people. However, find comfort in knowing that many, if not all,
people at some point had to network on some scale.
This looks differently for everyone, but you have to find which strategy is going to work the best for you. Maybe you are comfortable starting out by
asking a friend about their job or career path. Using tools like LinkedIn can also make networking for more introverted people easier as the
conversation can happen at one’s individual pace. Another tool that you have access to through our office is CareerShift, which can help to ID contact information as well as companies themselves during the networking phase of your search. Nearly 80% of people secure their job through a variation of networking. If you are having trouble landing a job, find ways to work into that 80% figure.
