Networking is More Important Than Ever for Job Searching

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In this Economy, Networking is More Important Than Ever

In a Forbes.com article entitled "How to Headhunt the Headhunters", a recruiter is quoted as saying that he gets about 100 résumés a week, but rarely looks at any of them.  What?  A recruiter that doesn't even look at the resumes he is being sent?  How can that be?  That's because the number of unsolicited resumes a recruiter receives grows exponentially as more and more people become un-employed.  And that means there isn't enough time in the day to work on making matches between clients and candidates whose resumes they sought and the numerous resumes that come in – many of which aren't in their area of specialty.  Recruiters do want to know about you, you just need a new way of getting in front of them.

If sending unsolicited resumes isn't going to work, there is something else you can do to get seen by hiring companies AND recruiters.  Fortunately it's the same thing – networking.  Over the years, there have been hundreds of articles on the internet about networking but the current economical climate creates a whole new level of importance.  It's no longer about networking on your own and if that doesn't work out then you turn to a recruiter, it's about networking even to get to the recruiter while simultaneously networking on your own to get to hiring managers.  To understand the basics of networking read The Practical Guide to Networking.

Professional Networking Sites
If you haven't heard of LinkedIn.com, you need to pull up a browser and jump on immediately.  It's the leading professional networking site that can put you in touch with many many people in your field. According to an article in Chief Executive Magazine online, membership in professional networking sites is expected to soar as the economic downturn continues, and a Time.com article notes that LinkedIn is signing up 1 new member every second.  That's a lot of people out there networking where you are not.

On business networking sites, you can join interest groups with whom you can network to find out who is hiring, ask a question to people in your network to find out what's happening in your industry's job market, and you can view job posting by companies whose employees are on the site.  You can also locate people at the hiring level for your specialization and introduce yourself to them.  Plus, being a part of a network makes you feel less alone in your job hunt, which helps you with the emotional side so you can stay positive during your job hunt.

Social-Networking Sites
Believe it or not, social networking sites can be a very helpful job search tool.  Sites like Facebook have Marketplace sections where they list jobs, but more importantly, you can tap into your network of friends to spread the word about your job search.  The more people that know what you are looking for, the better the chance your name will come up in conversation at the right time.  People want to help. But remember, you have to be very careful about the content you put up on these sites because Social Networking Can Damage Your Job Search, If You Let It. 

Blogs
According to BlogCatalog, there are 1,916 Career and Job Blogs.  Some of them useless and some of them gold.  If you search for your area of specialization, such as "engineer", you will find blogs in your field.  Blogs are a great place to find out what is happening in your industry.  Connect with people in your field, look to see who is commenting on the blogs – are they working at a company you want to work for?  You can't be afraid to introduce yourself.

Helping Others Network
A down economy is an even more important time to make sure you are helping others network as well.  Try to approach meeting anyone as an opportunity to learn something about an interesting person and maybe put two people in touch who can help one another.  Keeping eyes and ears open for opportunities to help connect other people will earn you points that you can redeem later but more importantly, it will make you feel good about yourself, your professionalism and your own career. 

Networking is by no means new, but the economic landscape and technological developments have brought the methodology and importance to the forefront of career development.  Even if you are not currently looking for a job, in this economy, you should always be making contacts.  You never know, with the contacts that you make, you may be able to help a friend – or yourself.

Source: http://www.fpcnational.com/index.php/career-tips/managing-careers/8-managing-careers/43-in-this-economy-networking-is-more-important-than-ever