Networking | CentraCare

Most career specialists feel that a network of between 40-75 people is required for the network process to work. Overall, the more quality network contacts you have, the more likely you are to find a good job. You probably “network” more than you realize already.

10 Networking Tips, Tricks and Techniques

Generally, avoid asking for more than 20 minutes of someone’s time in person, or more than five minutes of their time on the phone.
Return all phone calls within 24 hours.
Present yourself and your needs concisely. Do not talk too much about personal or unrelated matters.
Look for “leads,” not for “jobs.” “Leads” will lead you to “jobs.” If someone suggests getting in touch with someone else, ask permission to use their name and then follow up as soon as possible.
Focus your networking on people who have direct links to the people with the power to hire.
Always be prepared to present your strengths, goals and how you’ll benefit your next employer.
Never speak poorly of someone in your network, your school or your former employer.
Practice, practice and practice your verbal and phone presentations.
Learn more about the field you’re currently pursuing.
Be ready to handle rejections.

Network Your Resume
Networking is a great way to circulate your resume. It's all about establishing relationships and sharing information — not asking for a job.

Here are some guidelines:

Before you offer your resume to a new contact, wait until you’ve established a relationship (offering it right away may be viewed as asking for a job)
Focus on getting information and referrals from your contacts, then use that information to do additional research and target your resume to a specific opportunity
Since there’s always a chance someone will ask for your resume, always have copies available when networking (make sure your resume is on high quality paper)
If a contact does ask for your resume and offers to circulate it for you, follow up promptly with a thank you note or email message (keep them informed on any resulting activity) The same resume etiquette applies when you’re using social networking tools such as LinkedIn.

Social Media

An online presence or "digital footprint" is the broad spectrum of the identity that you have created for yourself online, both personally and professionally. Your online presence changes each time you publish new content or interact with someone on any public domain. Essentially, your online presence is the information that can be found about you when an online search of your name is conducted.

There are two parts to building your online presence:

Establishing yourself on key websites
Creating online activity and content

Your online presence shows who you are, helps build trust and credibility between you and potential businesses, shows that you are passionate about your career field and helps distinguish you among jobseekers.

General Social Media Tips

Keep it Clean: Remember, anything you put on your social media profiles can be found.
Be Consistent When You Are Online: Make sure that the information on all of your social media profiles is the same.
Highlight Your Skills: Share examples of your work on your social media accounts. Employers are interested in seeing what skills you have to offer, so make sure you showcase them online.
Help Your Contacts: Network with your connections by writing them a recommendation on LinkedIn, introducing them to another one of your connections or sharing an interesting news article with them.
Reach Out to Contacts: Whether this person simply left a nice comment on your blog post or helped you form a connection with a client, it is always important to say thank you.
Quality Over Quantity: Instead of focusing on being the account with the most followers, focus on creating meaningful relationships with those who you know will be a good contact.

Research Businesses or Employers
Researching businesses or employers on social media before you get started is a smart idea because it can give you a direction for your job search.

What to Research:

Primary mission of the company
Services or products they provide
Work environment
Job descriptions of your preferred position

Social Media Platforms to Use During Job Search:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a social network for people looking to find new opportunities, grow their careers and connect with other professionals. In a recent survey done by Jobvite, 92% of recruiters that are actively searching for candidates online have hired a new employee through LinkedIn. Businesses claim that they are using LinkedIn as either their primary or exclusive job-posting website.
Facebook: Make sure your profile is complete and add past work and educational experience. Clean up your page and change settings to private if there is something you don't want a business to see. Like, follow and engage with the pages of prospective companies.

Placement Agencies

Recruiting and staffing services can be excellent resources in your job search. Also consider using placement agencies. These agencies work with jobseekers to develop their job seeking skills. Placement agencies provide temporary (a day, a few weeks or longer) job search services.

Benefits:

You often get access to unadvertised openings
A third party (the recruiting firm) is working to match your skills and long-term goals to a job
You can gain work experience, develop skills, obtain training and increase networking contacts
You can earn money while you look for permanent work

Tips for Working with Employment Agencies:

Be professional
Be available
Expand your job search
Check your benefits