It’s All About Who You Know
Like For Reals.
You know that old saying ‘It’s all about who you know’? When it comes to getting a job, it’s a jillion percent accurate. Whether you are tapping into your network, or you are tapping into a recruiting agency that is tapping into its network, it’s still about who knows who. Maybe it hearkens back to humans’ tribal tendencies — we are constantly forming groups and networks and subsets to call our own. And we like to do commerce within those circles. Regardless of why, it’s the truth. So how do you work within that truth to land a position?
● Build your network:
o Use LinkedIn to connect with everyone you know. Include friends, family, current and past co-workers, professors, alumni from your alma mater, etc.
o Go to networking events, even if you hate going to networking events. Some tips for those in the latter camp here .
o Expand your existing network by volunteering, joining a non-profit board, or mentoring at an incubator, accelerator, etc.
o If you want to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to snuff, click here.
● Use your network:
o If you are in job hunt mode, exhaust all other options for getting your resume into a company’s hands before you submit your resume to The Black Hole.
o If you see a role that is interesting, go to LinkedIn, and see if you have any 1st degree connections you can hit up. Even if it’s not someone in the same discipline as you, they can forward your info along to the right person (either the hiring manager or someone in HR) and at least you know your info will be considered. If that doesn’t work, and you see a 1st connection of yours that is a 1st connection of someone at the company, ask them for an intro. Don’t cry wolf. People are very protective of their networks, and if you hit them up 20 times a day, you’ll lose them as a facilitator. Another pointer to avoid losing your connectors — if they go to the trouble of making an intro for you, respond within 24 hours. Period.
o You can pay for aggregators like ContactOut, Connectifier, Zoominfo and others — they will pull whatever contact information they have, and often spit out an email address. Be brave, and send a direct email to an Exec at the company.
o Guess at the email address of the likely hiring manager, or someone senior enough to get your resume into the right hands. There are only so many formats. Worst case, you get a bunch of bounce backs.
Build your tribe, and they will help you to land in a perfect position!
Related posts you may want to check out:
· Creating a Great LinkedIn Profile
