Life after Piedmont: Why networking is important
January 27, 2016
Forming relationships with potential employers is very important when applying for any job. Showing the potential employer a sense of responsibility and trustworthiness is a way to land that dream job.
BRANSON MIKELL
Contributing Writer
A key part to any successful career after college is networking. By definition, networking is interacting with others to exchange information and develop contacts to further one’s career.
This integral part of the job discovery process has many benefits available to the person who is in search of a job or who needs to advertise his or her business. Here is some advice on how to go about networking and how it is beneficial to the job finding process.
Networking is essentially all about relationships. Successful networking takes a relationship that is built on trust. If the relationship is strong, conntections can become walking and talking advertisements for each other.
For someone who has just graduated college and is on the hunt for a job, one should take any opportunity to get to know strangers who may be able to aid one in the job search.
This could include going to coffee with a business partner who works with a family member or attending a networking event. Always be on the lookout for those types of opportunities, and, when they come along, don’t be afraid to take them. Many times that is the first step in forming strong connections with potential employers.
By attending one of these events, one has countless opportunities to engage in conversations with successful businessmen and women. A tip that will help one through the networking process is to ask open-ended questions. Instead of just asking questions that require a yes or no answer, ask questions that involve who, what, when, where and why.
These questions open up deeper conversations and show interest in the listener. It’s importnat for the person seeking employment to show interest in the listener’s knowledge about his or her business. Communication is another important part of the networking system. The job industry is extremely competitive. In order to eliminate other applicants, students should know how to articulate what they are looking for and how can others help them. Without the ability to communicate well, one will not be as desirable to employers.
Many people go into networking situations not knowing exactly what they want. This can make them seem unprepared and unorganized. To avoid this, have a clear understanding of what to do and why. There will be many people who perform the same tasks, so students need to know what makes them different from competitors, such as special skills or other experiences that will make one stand out in the crowd.
One last piece of advice is to follow through quickly and promptly with any referrals one may receive. If one replies early, this shows one is extremely interested and excited by the opportunity. By doing this small act, one’s referrals may grow.
When responding to referrals, candidates should be sure to mention how much they enjoyed meeting the other person and how they cannot wait to meet again. This provides a personal side to the conversa- tion rather than just business.
Networking has many things that work together. If one remembers these tips, then one should easily succeed in the networking aspect of the career search.
