Networking for Employment
This overwrought word is too often misinterpreted and/or misunderstood in the context of a job search. Networking as most people understand it is networking for business and you are not networking for business. You are networking for employment and this is more about making connections with others to get them to want to help you and to know you well enough to be effective at doing so. For networking for employment to be effective, you need to make strong connections with those you already know and expand your connections to others you do not now know so they too will want to help you achieve your goal - Employment.
In my book, 12 Steps to a New Career, I use the acronym IOU to help people understand the objectives they need to achieve by networking and, when they find success, it is a reminder to thank everyone who helped them along the way. IOU means the following:
I – This is phase one and stands for Initiate. You are attempting to initiate a relationship, similar in approach to how you do it when you meet people in a social setting. You are trying to get to know them and if they are interested in you, they will want to get to know you better.
O – This is phase two and stands for Obtain. You are building on the relationship you created in the first phase so you get them to want to help you and be effective at doing so. Your objectives are to obtain information, help, suggestions, support, referrals to others for more information, etc.
U – This is phase three and stands for Use. When you have developed good relationships with others, you will get help, information, suggestions, and referrals that you can use to help you achieve your goals.
For more details about how to achieve the objectives in each of these phases and see what your conversations might sound like, go to the Networking section in the Career Center.
For career changers:
A career coach in a book.
For employers:
A lifeline for departing employees.