They’re Always There When You Need Them
➔ How many times can we say it? How many times can you hear it? From how many different people can you hear it? Networking is the cornerstone of all job seeking. It’s the people you meet and impress who are most likely to steer you to your next job.
Beyond the numbers
The statistics vary. Notable and credible sources from all walks of life confidently state that networking can be responsible for upwards of 70 to 90 percent of all job search successes. Great! But where are all these champions hiding?
The fact is, they’re everywhere. And some you can find without leaving home. One of the most popular today is LinkedIn. In addition to individual and company profiles, LinkedIn features an enormous number of online “groups.” These are people with similar (often business or professional) interests. There are groups for entrepreneurs, for specific industries, for local economic growth, etc. It’s almost guaranteed that you can find a group that fits who you are and what you do. Some of the local groups even have live, networking events.
Similarly, there are MeetUp groups online. These are very similar in kind and in function to the LinkedIn groups mentioned above. You can search at meetup.com
Don’t overlook professional societies. Here we have groups of professionals usually dedicated to a particular industry or job function. Most have local chapters that host local programming and/or networking events.
Last but not least, there are actual job seeker groups. These usually are local with meetings at libraries, churches, schools, community centers, etc. Getting together with people who share your circumstance you’ll find that they share leads, tips and even success stories. Alumni from these groups tend to be very helpful as mentors or lead generators.
People helping people is a good idea since most job experts typically explain that, in the end, people hire people.