Weekly Job Tip - Network with Absolutely Everyone

For this weeks job tip we are discussing improving your networking when searching for your next job. Networking has long been an important method for obtaining work. How and where you network can have a dramatic effect on if or when you find a new job, and for the overall choices you’ll have.

Put yourself in the situation of an employer for a moment. You have an open position you need to fill (and fill fast). You have a variety of methods available to you to find skilled applicants. You could post the opening on many different job boards (i.e. Monster, Careerbuilder) or in the regional or national newspapers. If you do this, you’ll probably get hundreds or thousands of candidates who may (or might not) be qualified or eligible.

You could also call the local staffing service, however they will charge you thousands when the job is filled. While you’re considering this a long-time co-worker stops by your office and says to you they know someone from a prior company who would be a superb match for your opening. Which choice are you going to pursue first?

The truth is obvious. Employers love referrals! And why wouldn't they? It’s a quick, low cost way of looking for a skilled job candidate. They will begin the interview process with some background on the applicant and confidence that they're not wasting their time.

It costs companies a great deal of money to fill an opening. These costs go beyond the fees etc. for job boards and staffing. It takes time. The more time an opening takes to fill, the more money it ends up costing. The longer a position is vacant, the more time the duties (or initiatives) that position is needed for goes untouched. They want to locate you via referrals.

So just how get referrals? It’s in fact easy and it’s up to you. You have to network with everybody you think could be able to help. This includes family, friends, neighbors, ex-coworkers, ex-bosses, ex-whatever! Employ Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn along with other online social networking sites which were designed and created to facilitate just this type of networking - often without charge! Go through your address book and connect with people you’ve forgotten about or lost touch with. You never know who can assist you in finding work.

So remember - networking is an necessary aspect of your job search! Employers want to find people through referrals. Talk to everyone - you never know where or how you will find your next job. Good luck!