This is the first in our series of lessons on how to use networking to improve your job search results, even if you hate the very idea of networking. Many job seekers feel awkward about networking. However, it's an extremely effective way to find a new job. In fact, a recent survey from LinkedIn revealed that 85% of new jobs were found through networking. That's a pretty incredible number. However, most people don't take full advantage of networking as a job search strategy. For some, networking comes naturally. However, for many of us, it's something we avoid and dread despite all of that advice telling us to network. The good news is that networking is a learnable skill. That's why we created these lessons for those of you who are new to networking, or who could use some help learning to network more effectively. In this lesson, we're going to cover networking 101 and get you started on identifying your current network and opportunities to reach out. Then you can continue with our other lessons which get into how to make the most of your network to support your job search. What is networking exactly? Let's start at the very beginning. What do we mean by networking in this context? Oxford has a nice, simple definition. Networking is interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. Networking gets a bad rap. We've all seen the ugly side of networking, people who are pushy, entitled, self-centered, or just annoying. And you've probably also felt the pain of a bad networking event, where it seems the only way to connect is to be aggressive and shameless. I've spent some time hanging out in the corner at events like this, reluctant to even try to push myself into the mix. But the truth is, there are many different ways to network. You can network in a way that fits your personality. You don't need to be an extrovert or a social butterfly to get a job through networking. So let's start with the simplest and most effective way to start networking, seeking support from people who already know and respect you, from family and best friends to former colleagues, bosses and acquaintances. The first step is to sit down and identify the network you have. You probably already know people who would be happy to support you in your job search. I promise you that you have a network, even if you haven't ever actively networked before. And don't worry, I'm not suggesting that you immediately start calling up everybody you've ever met to ask them for favors. For now, we're just taking inventory. If you haven't downloaded our networking worksheet yet, please pause and do that now. Seriously, I recommend having it handy, because you're likely to come up with ideas you want to jot down as we go. I want these lessons to coach you through the process of networking, not just dump a lot of information on you. Got the worksheet? Okay, so this is a very simple tool. However, it can be incredibly useful, especially for people who are leery of networking, or just don't know where to start. The idea is to just do a brain dump of all of the people you know, from all of the areas of your life. Your network consists of all the people you know, and who know you. All of these people have their own networks, and you never know who knows someone who's looking to hire someone just like you. At first, just focus on adding as many people as you can think of, filling in the first few columns for each. Start with their name and how you're connected. For example, family member, former classmate, friend of my friend Jen, etc. If it comes easily, you can also jot down a number in the column headed potential. By potential here I mean potential to help you in your job search. You can rate from one, which is very low potential to help, to five, which is very high. I suggest looking at potential from a couple of angles. First, someone can obviously be high potential if they're connected in your industry, work at a company you're targeting, or could offer great advice. Even if you don't know these people well, they likely qualify as high potential. On the other hand, there may be others who aren't as connected in your field, but who you have strong ties with, maybe you know them to be very helpful and open to making introductions. These are people who would be happy to help you out, and they certainly have their own networks, even if they aren't obvious job leads themselves. When you assign a number rating here, jot down a few words about why you gave that rating. If you're not sure about someone's potential just yet, skip that field for now and just capture as many names as you can. Don't just consider your strongest relationships, a classic sociology study actually indicates that you're 58% more likely to get a job through an acquaintance than through a best friend. Our closest contacts tend to know the same people we do. However, our acquaintances or weak ties as the study called them, usually travel in different circles, and can offer access to a greater variety of advice, job leads, and contacts. Later, we'll get into how you can reach out to both your strong and weak ties. But for now, start with the idea that you don't have to contact any of these people. You can delete names later. I want to challenge you to write down at least 20 names, even if you have to stretch. Remember, you don't have to contact all of these people. However, I found that sometimes it's easy to fall into the trap of limiting yourself to the obvious. If you're struggling to come up with names, here are a few prompts. Start with family and close friends to get the momentum going. And don't forget extended family and family friends, close friends of your parents or siblings for example, parents and relatives of your close friends. Next, brainstorm work connections, current and former colleagues, bosses, boss's bosses, clients, vendors, industry contacts. If you're active in an industry organization, even a little, you can count other members as part of your network. Later, you may consider reaching out to members you don't know to strengthen those connections, everybody you can think of from your work circles, present and past. Again, you can cut names later. Now how about school contacts, your classmates from high school, college, grad school, professors, career counselors? Research your alumni network. Many schools have strong alumni networks with members who are eager to help. We'll also talk later about how to use this alumni network to meet new contacts. If you've taken continuing education courses or training seminars, did you meet anyone interesting there, even if you haven't kept up with them? And then we've got personal contacts, friends and neighbors, fellow parents from the PTA or the soccer team, people you've met through volunteer work, community service, or hobbies, gym buddies, dog park pals, friends of friends that you've met in passing. And then of course, there are your online social networks. Do you have online-only friends or friendly acquaintances from LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or anywhere else you hang out? Okay, you get the idea. Just trying to make sure you do a thorough inventory. Make your list as long and optimistic as possible. Will your boss's boss from 10 years ago really remember you? Will your cousin's ex-girlfriend really want to help? Worry about that later. Push yourself to dig deep and edit tomorrow. And if your list still look short in terms of people who can really help you, don't worry, we'll get to techniques for expanding your network in a bit. But for now, your best bet is to start with those people who already know you and mostly like, respect, or at least cheerfully tolerate you. Once your list is done, go back and fill in those potential ratings for any that you skipped. Don't overthink the rating, but be honest with yourself about who the biggest potential contacts are, even if some of them intimidate you. Believe me, when I first started my business, I held back from contacting some people who could have really helped me because I was intimidated. I hated the idea of asking people for help, and I hated networking. But some smart mentors kept pushing me to network in my own way. I learned what worked for me and what didn't. I learned not to take it personally when I didn't get a response. And you know what, when I pushed out of my comfort zone, a distinct contact helped me get my first agent and subsequently my first book deal after months of trying through other channels, that was when I first realized the power of networking, even for people like me. Networking contacts have introduced me to new clients, new mentors, and new friends. I still hate most networking events, so I pick and choose how to network, and you can too. So with that pep talk in mind, it's time to finish completing your worksheet. Once you have a list of at least 20 possible contacts, it's time to move on to part two of this lesson. In part two, we'll get into the best ways to make the most of your network during your job search. ♪ [music] ♪
