WHY NETWORKING WORKS
(May/June 2005 Issue)

It is a prominent and oft-repeated truth that networking is the best approach to finding and landing job opportunities. Yet our clients are often slow to learn the lessons of networking and put them into practice. Perhaps it will help to look at some underlying reasons that networking is effective. Some will still balk at networking, but at least they will understand why things are going wrong as they gather the courage to go forth.

Trust
Networking is built on a foundation of trust. When you are referred by a friend to a friend, it is because the person knows what you can do, based on years of experience. I would always rather have a recommendation from a friend or colleague, because it is easier to believe what that person is telling me. Compared to wading through inflated, distorted, dressed-up resumes from people I know nothing about, a referral from someone I know is pure gold. Or at least the person warrants a closer look. People hire people based on personal recommendations because they don’t want to get burned by candidates who have negative qualities that do not become apparent until long after they start work. In hiring, we don’t like surprises. "Well, that’s what the interview is for," some would say. Sure, the 45-minute guessing game where there’s more acting going on than a lifetime of Broadway auditions. It’s hard to trust what you see or hear in an interview with someone you’ve never met before. That is why the internship is fast becoming a very popular hiring method. The job candidate has been establishing her credibility all during the internship work period. In the job search and hiring processes, both candidate and employer are looking for information they can believe and trust. That is why networking is really about relationships. "Making contact" is not meant to be isolated and superficial. So how does a person "network" into a new field when they truly do not know anyone in it? As always, begin with the people you do know, and find out that they know people in these "new" fields that you did not expect. Or, begin your relationship building by doing temporary or volunteer work in that field. People learn to trust what you can do if you start doing it for them.

People are natural networkers. From school-yard days on, we cultivate our talent for connecting with people. We gather information from others about the clothing we wear, the cars we drive, the houses we fix, travel destinations, plumber recommendations, and everything imaginable. Networking works because a person can always begin with the people she already knows and work outward. Some have learned to be seriously shy. They must be gently encouraged to do the people contact thing, because in-person communication is the coin of the realm. There is no substitute for it. When we avoid contact with people, we delude ourselves into believing it’s like, totally a dog-eat-dog world. Human contact reminds us that it’s a cooperative world out there if you ask for help. Employers like it when you have the "gumption" to seek information interviews, find or create internships, and seek temporary or volunteer work opportunities. Networking works especially well for the job candidate who still isn’t sure what she wants to do work-wise. Meeting people in-person (information interviews) enables you to tap your intuition about who you would really like to work with. This "gut sense" is not possible when you’re limiting your search to phone calls and e-mails.

Mathematics
When a job hunter believes she "knows no one who knows anyone," support may come from an unlikely source _ mathematics. The typical working person knows at least 100 other working people. And each of those 100 knows 100 people, so that in two handshakes, you have potential contact with 10,000 people. One more handshake and it’s a million. That is why your friends can connect you to a vast range of people. It is why your neighbor who is a carpenter may know a book editor in Topeka, Kansas who knows a butterfly expert in Boise, Idaho that you would like to meet. The numbers are persuasive. They represent opportunities

Cross-Connections
Networking works because, unless you were raised by wolves, you have people who know what you can do and can vouch for you. You’ll be amazed to discover that your neighbor Sarah, for whom you baby-sat, knows investment bankers in Minneapolis where you’re wanting to move soon. And Uncle Harry the rug doctor cuts cards with the Chamber of Commerce president every week. Networking is the way of the world. I would not want it to be any other way. If networking were not allowed, job hunting life would be miserable. Endless paperwork, unanswered phone calls, never knowing "where the jobs are" People would take any job just to end the frustration. Some already do. People who learn to build good friendships and effective working relationships will create opportunities for themselves. Networking is one of the great American freedoms. Networking works because job hunters and employers alike trust what they see in front of their eyeballs. The more electronic the working world becomes, the more we value face-to-face contact.

Howard Figler, Ph.D., is the author of seven books, including The Complete Job-Search Handbook [third edition, Henry Holt & Company, New York, 1999], a best seller for many years. He is co-author [with Richard Bolles] of the Career Counselor's Handbook [Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1999]. His most recent book is Keys to Liberal Arts Success [Prentice-Hall, 2002]. He can be reached at: Howard Figler, Ph.D., and Associates, 9542 Shumway Drive, Orangeville, CA 95662 USA.
Tel: 916-988-6464;
e-mail: hefigler@pacbell.net.