The Quick and Easy Guide to Networking For Your First Job

Networking is the number one most important asset for any entry level job hunter. Networking is not just a small tactic for when you meet people at a bar or a friends graduation party, but a life long strategy that will eliminate your need to pursue this horrendeous process every few years. Most governments, companies and organizations hire through an intricate network of friends working with friends. By the end of this post, you will know who to network with and how to make it a vital role in your current and future job hunt.

Networking is both passive and active. Passive networks consist of friends, colleagues, teachers, family and anyone that you have a close relationship with. The passive network group should be the easiest and most productive group to see results from, depending on the level of personal interest involved. The passive network has a vested interest in you and will work their connections to find you a job. I began to interact with my passive network when I began my first job hunt; it was very casual and informative, letting everyone know that I was graduating or looking for an internship. This was barely effective, I was telling the people what they already knew. The best way to interact with your passive network is through close, intimate conversations. This doesn’t mean taking your Aunt out to a fancy restaurant and and begging her to get you a job at her company. Be very casual and ask your passive network what they do for a living, where they work, and how they got to the position that they are at today. Make this first conversation heavily focused on them, after that your passive network will begin to ask what your goals and aspirations are and how you plan to get there. At this point you should go in for the big close, ask your passive network to let you into their network. If no one in your passive network is in your preferred career field, I guarantee they know someone that is. You should begin with your family and move out to the other groups that you consider to be in your passive network.

Passive networks take only a minimal amount of hustle and communication; getting true results from your active network will require a little bit more sweat. Active networks includes alumni, friends of friends, trade organizations, and complete strangers that are working the job or at the company that you are trying to get into. The active networking group can become a huge weapon in your job hunting arsenal by getting your foot in the door quicker than you have ever expected. For example, imagine if you want to work in marketing at Fedex and you currently work at a local business. When the fedex guy comes in every morning to get the packages you casually make small talk with him for a few weeks and, when he becomes familiar with you, he could send your resume to corporate or to his manager. Most companies actually pay their employees to provide good candidates to them for open positions. If you work where a sales rep from the company that you want to work for comes in on a regular basis, ask them to submit your resume. Sales reps love money (broad generalization that I will stand by) and will hopefully get your resume to the top of the food chain much sooner than you would expect. The key rule to make active networking productive is to first become interested in your new contact and then have them become interested in your career aspirations. Developing relationships is the foundation for all networking. Don’t jump the gun on the relationship building or you will never effectively use networking to become employed. I can personally thank someone from my active network (that I now consider part of my passive network) for my first career out of college.

The common ingredient between passive and active networks is your ability to communicate. Listen to your contact’s advice, criticism and opportunities and then speak about yourself. Using the insight that your networks provide will put you head and shoulders above anyone that you may compete with for a job at every stage. Use your contact’s experience to your advantage and allow their information to build up your confidence during interviews and to customize your resume and cover letter to that specific employer.

Remember this: the fundamental building block behind networking is friends hire friends before they hire strangers.