Who is being hired for coveted roles and landing their dream jobs? Research shows it’s usually people with the most personal contact to decision makers.
Due to the rise of social media, it’s easy to think you aren’t doing enough in your career or are as successful as you should be. Constant comparison online causes many life science professionals to think they should just “do more things” to reach their career goals. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a new position that has a slight shift in responsibilities from what you’ve done in the past. Many people think if they just sign up on more job sites, send out more resumes, and research more jobs that they will be successful. With so much happening online and fierce competition in the job market, unfortunately even high-caliber candidates can be overlooked.
So who is being hired for coveted roles and landing their dream jobs? Research shows it’s usually people with the most personal contact to decision makers. It has been found that employee referrals account for only 7% of job applications, but 40% of those applicants are eventually hired.* One survey even suggests that 85% of jobs are filled via networking.*
These statistics can be frustrating. How could a company not choose the most qualified person for the job? The answer is simple. They don’t know you. A lot of hiring managers and companies aren’t orchestrating long, drawn out searches for the very best job candidate. They will choose the safest and most familiar option.
One of the best ways to position yourself for success is to get out and meet more people. This isn’t always an easy thing to do. Many introverts enjoy being in smaller groups and crave alone time. However, if you’re serious about your goals, you won’t let fear or discomfort hold you back. The following are 10 powerful networking tips to further your career!
- Have a goal- There’s no point in wasting your time and money going to networking events without a purpose. Are you looking to meet new industry contacts? Are you trying to find a new job? Understanding your goal before you start anything puts you in place to actually achieve it.
- Know who you want to meet- Who specifically can help you reach your goal? A lot of people are just out to meet any and everybody. While that’s great in a purely social sense, it’s better to have clarity in career networking. Are you looking for people in management at a specific company?
- Find the right events- Let’s expand on your goal for networking. Where do the people you want to meet hang out? Are they at lunch meetings for professional organizations or industry conferences? One of the fastest ways to get discouraged is attending the wrong types of events.
- Practice what to say- Once you get there, what are you going to say? Come up with a short statement about who you are, what you do, and rehearse it. Try saying something brief about yourself and engaging the other person in conversation.
- Eat before you go- You want to have lots of energy at networking events (especially if you’re an introvert), because they can be overwhelming. Your focus should be on meeting new people, not the appetizers. This also makes it easier to avoid accidents that ruin outfits or embarrassing moments with food in your teeth.
- Go with a friend or colleague- It can be very scary attending an event alone. Having a friend or colleague with you for support can be helpful, so you won’t feel awkward standing around by yourself. You could have a signal planned out with your colleague, so they know when you want to have a one-on-one conversation with someone else.
- Start the conversation- You’re a brave person to even be attending a networking event, but reaching goals requires boldness. Start conversations with those who you make eye contact with or want to meet. If they’re at a networking event, they came to meet people too!
- Be positive- You’re making a first impression on everyone that you meet. It’s important to leave people with a positive impression. Even though it might be crowded and loud, if that’s all you talk about, that’s all people will remember about you.
- Work the room- As part of your goal, come up with a number of people to meet before you leave the event. Starting with a goal of three people can be helpful. You want to have three, quality conversations with new people before leaving an event.
- Follow through on follow up- Let’s bring it back full circle to number one. You came to the networking event with a goal, which usually can’t be accomplished by meeting someone once. You need to contact them again and start to build a relationship. You can invite them out for coffee, go to lunch, or have a phone call.
In today’s professional world, networking can’t be avoided. Who you know can be more important than what you know. Often times professionals focus so much on improving themselves and acquiring knowledge, but still don’t get the opportunities to take their career to the next level. Which of these networking tips can you use to see results in your professional life?
Source 1: http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_WorkbookPt3-1.pdf
Source 2: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-survey-reveals-85-all-jobs-filled-via-networking-lou-adler/
Porschia Parker is a Certified Coach, Professional Resume Writer, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. She empowers ambitious professionals and motivated executives to add $10K on average to their salaries.
