Job Search News

Networking opportunities can happen in the strangest times and places.  (I once witnessed friends connect with their new jobs at the funeral of a former co-worker!)

Hurricane Sandy is one of those strange times.  If you know someone who might have been in the path of  Hurricane Sandy (basically anyone in the Midatlantic or Northeast regions of the USA),  this storm is a great reason to get back in touch.

Even though the storm has passed, Sandy can be a topic/excuse/reason for sending someone an email or giving them a quick call.

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When you are in job-search mode, networking is a critical component of your success.  Countless studies have shown that networking is the way employers prefer to hire, must more effective than endless applications on job boards.

Referral is the number 1 way most employers hire people from outside of their organization.  Often, employers reward employees for referring someone who is hired, so employees are motivated to help you and their employer.

Expand Your Job Search Network

Basic Law of Networking: “Networking” happens everywhere people have a chance to meet and to talk!  

It doesn’t happen only in large meetings filled with strangers.  And, it may happen in the most unexpected places and times. But it may also happen when and where you are focused on your job search.  These days, of course, networking happens online as well as off-line.

Find Local Networking Groups Off-Line (IRL – In Real Life)

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In early June, I attended the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas at the beautiful, relatively smoke-free M Resort - tough duty!

Billed as “a conference for search and placement professionals from the publishers of the Fordyce Letter,” the Fordyce Forum brought together over 120 independent recruiters (a.k.a. “head hunters”) to network and to learn new things.

These independent recruiters are a very interesting universe that most of us glimpse very briefly - if at all - in our careers.  They make their living by finding appropriate job candidates for their clients (employers) who have high level opportunities.  Not an easy way to make a living, but it can pay very well, apparently, if you are successful.

As described previously on Job-Hunt, head hunters, like all recruiters, work for employers, not for job seekers, because the employer pays them.  They are paid a fee either when a job is filled by someone they referred for the job, or, on a continuing basis  (a.k.a., “retained”), they are paid by their client employers to keep a look out for good potential employees.

Head hunters are relentless networkers.

Fordyce offered several unstructured networking opportunities in the 2-day Forum, and they were all very well attended.  These people definitely understand how to leverage networking opportunities, and watching them in action was quite educational.

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“We get by with a little help from our friends…”

That’s what the Beatles told us in 1967, and many times that line has run through my mind when yet another good thing has happened for me as the result of the actions of one of my friends.  Or when I help a friend out with something.

On the other hand, when I talk with job seekers, I often hear comments like:

• “I hate networking!”
• “Networking is just another name for using people!”
• “Networking doesn’t work for me.  Going to an event.  Collecting business cards.  What’s the point?  It just doesn’t work.”

Those are comments I hear often from people who are struggling in their job search.  Because if you aren’t doing well in your networking, your job search will be harder and longer.

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