What is employment networking?

Basically, it's the process of using your personal and professional contacts to gather career information that you need to plan your career development, or to gather employment leads to help you find a job.

For example, you could use your network to locate such information as:

How well does it work?

Most employment placement experts agree that networking is one of the most effective ways of gathering career information or employment leads.  Therefore, it should be one of the main strategies that you use in developing your career or in finding employment!

Why does it work?

It works for several reasons.  First, people are social animals and like to talk to each other.  As a result, every individual is "connected" to several people, and those people are in turn connected to even more people. This creates a web of connections known as a "network" that ultimately links each individual to hundreds of other individuals.

Through this network people constantly exchange information on all sorts of subject matters including career information and employment opportunities.  You can gain access to this information by connecting yourself to your network.

The second reason why it works is that people in general like to help other people, especially people that they are related to or know as friends and colleagues. This helping hand spirit can be utilized for the benefit of all members of the network.  But, remember, it's a two-way street, you must be willing to help others in your network if you expect them to help you.

The advantage for you!

Once you understand how networking works, you can use it as a giant ear to gather career or employment information and to do it far more comprehensively and more quickly than you could as a single individual.

Your network can be as large as you want it to be, as long as you're willing to make the necessary connections by seeking out and meeting more and more individuals.

How to tap into your own network

Make a list of relatives, friends, neighbors, classmates, co-workers, professional colleagues and other acquaintances that you know.  In general, anyone from teenagers to retired individuals are ideal candidates for your network.  Over time it is not uncommon for some networks to contain hundreds or thousands of individual names.  For each person on your list, gather as much of the following information as possible:

Store this information on index cards, or more preferably in a word processing document, especially one that has a "mail merge" feature.  This will enable you later to more quickly communicate with your network contacts.

Continue to expand and update your network

In theory, your network can continue for as long as you live.  Naturally, certain individuals will exit your network for various reasons at various times, while other individuals will join your network as they become known to you.

How to use your network

When you need career information or leads to employment opportunities, all you have to do is broadcast your need throughout your network.  You can do this in a number of different ways.  For example, to broadcast your need you could:

• speak to members personally face-to-face,

• call members,

• text a message to members,

• email questions to members (most ideal!)

• fax questions to members,

• post questions to an online blog or bulletin board used by members.

Basic rules to follow

1. Be specific in terms of what information you need.

2. Don't ask for unrealistic amounts or types of information or assistance.

3. Give your network contacts a date when the information is needed.

4. Provide your network contacts with several means of returning the requested information, such as email, phone, etc.

5. Promptly thank your network contacts when information is returned to you.

6. Respond to requests for information when submitted by any member of your network.