NETWORKING

This leaflet is revised from material written by Jonathan Wolff now a Careers Adviser at Loughborough University. Worksheets and extra resources he has produced can be viewed at: www.lboro.ac.uk/service/careers/advice/networking/resources.html . Our leaflet The creative job-search complements this and can be found online at www.bath.ac.uk/careers/springboard/jobs.

Its not what you know but who you know and who knows you that matters

Networking, the skill of using contacts for discovering opportunities and helping you to make decisions, is one of the most important skills you can develop to be successful in your career. Networking is not just for the well connected. Even if you dont have friends in high places you can learn to network effectively.

What is networking?
To be successful in applications and interviews for jobs that you have not done before, you will need a very clear idea of what the work is like. Networking is the best way of gaining this knowledge. The idea of networking is to approach people you know or who are known to people you know, for help and advice. Every time you make a new helpful contact you then tap into their network and get introductions to a new range of contacts. Through this method you gradually build up a large list of people who can help you. In addition to gaining information and advice about the selection process, contacts can be useful if you are looking for jobs that arent normally advertised. It is said that a majority of job vacancies arent advertised in general newspapers or job vacancy websites. Jobs are often filled either through personal contacts and recommendations or through specialist publications. Youll need contacts who work either in the organisation or in the industry to hear about these jobs or find out the best places to look for adverts.

What kind of help can contacts offer you?

Questioning someone about the job they do will give you a better idea of what is involved and whether you would like this work. Outline the range of jobs within their field and the level of competition for them. Look through your CV, suggesting improvements. Advise you on other skills or experience that you might need. Recommend other sources of information and advice, including their own contacts. Researching firms you are applying to Contacts can be invaluable in giving you insight into the activities, culture and history of their company.

Organise for you to work shadow i.e. unpaid work observation. Work shadowing might lead to work experience or even a job. Helping you to find a job directly Your contacts may be able to tell you which papers and agencies to use for vacancies, give ideas of firms to apply to and let you know about openings within their firm.

When you make contact, however, always ask for information and advice first NOT if they have any jobs. If youre not sure about networking, bear in mind: Youve probably already used networking skills, e.g. in finding a weekend job or finding someone to fix something for you. There are many established networks that you can use. Most people are flattered to be approached for advice. Other people do it so if you dont you'll lose out to those who do! Many people establish successful careers through networking. You can ask politely for help and they can always say no. You'll still need to prove you have what it takes to do the job so it is just a way of identifying opportunities.

Creating a List of Contacts

It is likely that you already belong to many useful networks without actually realising it. Obvious examples are: Your extended family The university, school and colleges you have attended Clubs and societies that youve belonged to Places that you have worked Your parents or friends networks of friends. Warm leads are easier to use than cold ones so it is always best to start with people with whom you have an acquaintance in common. As you get more confident at networking you will find yourself asking for help from people who you dont know at all. Step 1 Start to identify your contacts by brainstorming" a list of all the networks you have belonged to, expanding the list above to include every circle of friends you can think of (e.g. people youve met on holiday, friends at your local pub etc.). Also try to think what other networks might be attached to those listed, e.g. Old pupils associations of schools. University alumni association. Step 2 List all individuals known to you within the groups youve identified. Have any of these people worked in jobs or for firms where there might be someone doing the kind of work that might interest you? Even if you cant think of individuals who could help you directly, someone from within these groups is likely to know somebody who could give you some advice. One of your contacts may belong to a well established network, such as a Rotary club or sports club. As you think of new individuals and groups, add them to your list this will continue to grow as you network. If you are familiar with the techniques of Mind Mapping, you may find this helpful to use.

Developing contacts from scratch

There are many other people with no connection to you at all who may be able to offer you advice. Those most likely to help are people whose job role involves providing help and advice. Whilst an email is fine for establishing initial contact, try to find people youll be able to telephone or speak to face-to-face for advice as not many people have time to write lengthy replies to letters or emails. Professional bodies are a good starting point they often employ information officers and training advisers who can talk to you over the phone. They may publish careers information and a directory of members. They may have a local branch that you can join or a network of regional advisers. Ask Careers Advisory Service Information staff for advice on how you can do this. Courses and events are a good way of meeting people who could give you advice e.g. graduate recruitment fairs, specialist recruitment fairs for specific industries, trade fairs, conferences and short courses.

When attending any of the above events take copies of your CV with you.

Other sources of contacts

You may be able to think up lots of other ways of making contacts. Here are two methods that have been used successfully: Identify adverts for jobs you would ultimately like to aim for (but don't feel currently qualified for) contact the employer for advice on how to get into this type of work. Identify experts on your chosen career through articles they have written or talks theyve given contact them for advice.

Making Effective Use of Contacts

To be successful, you will need to plan your networking and keep good records of all that youve done. There are many outcomes that you can expect from using networking and they can be grouped into six main categories: Self reflection & awareness Action planning Acquisition of knowledge and understanding of opportunities Experience and observation of work activities Increasing access to contacts, and information Skills development. Set yourself objectives for your networking Before you start contacting people for help, decide what you want to get out of your networking campaign. Research each contact, their role and their organisation, before making an approach You will impress a contact more at a first meeting if you already have some relevant knowledge. If you have found out about a contact through someone you know, then you should be able to get some background information on the individual. You will be able to do some preliminary research on the career area and the company. Prepare a list of questions for each discussion e.g. What are the major tasks/responsibilities of your job? How did you get into this job? What are the skills/attributes required? What are the positive/negative aspects or challenges/problems of your job?

How are vacancies in the industry or at that company advertised? Could you tell me about related jobs in a similar field? (to broaden your outlook). Could you refer me to someone else to talk to in the industry? May I use your name?

Some points to consider: A particular method of approach may be acceptable to one contact yet not to another. The better you know someone, the more informal you can be in your approach to them. The better your communication skills the more success you will have with direct approaches. Contacts will often find it easier to respond to a telephone call than to reply to a letter or email. Most mail you send wont result in a reply and any response may take weeks. Telephone or face to face enquiries usually result in some kind of immediate feedback. Before you telephone a contact, write down what you are going to say and keep this by you. It is possible to combine a written approach with a direct or telephone approach, e.g. you can email each contact a copy of your CV to introduce yourself and arrange to phone them on a specific day. After each talk with a contact, note any action points. Be sure to follow up all your action points. You should also write to thank each contact for their help.

Networking without being a nuisance

Nobody likes to be bothered by nuisance calls or junk mail. Here are some tips for making sure you dont come across like an unwanted salesperson: Start with contacts that have a fairly direct link to you theyre more likely to want to help. Only approach people for whom you have a definite name. Clarify how you got the contact and outline the help you need. Always ask initially for help and advice NOT for a job. Dont be too pushy! Always thank people straight away and follow up with written thanks. Safety first! Because most networking involves meeting with people that you know something about, personal safety is not normally an issue. However, you should try to get a personal introduction to each new contact you make. If you are meeting with a complete stranger then to protect yourself you should: Meet in a public place. Tell someone where you are going and with whom. Avoid getting into a car. Walk away from any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, after making a polite apology. Use your common sense! Effective networking requires effort, organisation and a certain amount of courage, but: It will greatly improve your career direction and prospects. It will prove useful to you in other aspects of your life. It will help you improve your interpersonal skills and develop your self-confidence.

Social Networking
All of the advice above takes no account of the growth in social networking media. Social media creates unprecedented opportunities to network with employers and other professionals in your areas of interest. On-line networking tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs are a must rather than nice to have for job seekers. Effectively you could become a much better informed candidate as well as raising your professional profile which might just get you hired.

Facebook will be your normal social networking medium; however LinkedIn provides a professional network focused on the world of work. It has members in countries around the world and includes both senior and junior managers. You can create your own profile and even include your CV. Once youre in you can search for contacts. You can join groups which reflect your area of interest and communicate with people in your group to ask and answer questions as well as contribute to discussions. For example if you are interested in the field of renewable energy you could identify possible information or employment contacts in smaller companies that might not otherwise be easily identifiable through other means. A use for all students and graduates is to search for people working for a company you may be thinking of applying to. LinkedIn seems to make the networking process easier but it appears approaching someone without having a contact in common (cold calling) is not any more successful through social networking than by the old fashioned direct ways of phone calls. This YouTube video explains a bit more about it www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocp1MNpSkWs&feature=youtu.be. Twitter is used by many businesses, mostly for marketing, but professionals use it to share knowledge and opinions with their community. It is also possible to follow topics and pick up news in a business sector. The current awareness possibilities are obvious if you are going for an interview in a particular field. There are already examples of people finding jobs on Twitter either through seeing jobs advertised or by promoting themselves through their Tweets and carefully selecting who they follow. See this YouTube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXgcQ_sZvU&feature=related. A UoB student who successfully applied to the Universitys China Study Programme investigated, in advance of his visit, the manufacturing of a product in China which was relevant to his final year project. He made some contacts while away and found out even more. He saidI would advise that all those who take part in the program in the future to set-up meetings with people and companies that would help their course or career. We cant argue with that especially now social networking could give you so many warm leads to many potentially useful contacts.

Careers Advisory Service July 2012 University of Bath This publication is available online at www.bath.ac.uk/careers/springboard/networking If you need this information in another format, please contact us. www.bath.ac.uk/careers