Online networking – a great way to get started

Many job seekers find even the idea of networking to be daunting, yet networking can increase exponentially the likelihood of job search success and, with the right approach, anyone can do it.

If you take a targeted online process which helps establish a meaningful rapport with relevant people, you can build a good rapport with the people before making direct human contact. This allows you to avoid the awkward need to make meaningful conversation with strangers because you will have already made a strong digital connection.

Forget networking events and speed dating. Avoid cold calling and all the dreaded schemes for building a humungous network. What you need is a good rapport with a few people who can help you with your job search, and there is an easy way to get this happening. Yes, it requires work but it’s not difficult work.

To quote Bob Gerst in his recent interview with Mac Prichard, “it is not the quantity in your network, it’s the quality of your network.” The best sort of network for a successful job search may be just half a dozen people who work in, or at least know about, the organization you are targeting and who are willing to give you the advice and support you require to make a really effective application. Additionally, if you build strong relationships with these people, they will talk about you to their colleagues and their supervisors, effectively advocating for you.

Why is networking so important?

There are at least four very good reasons for establishing a network within the organization you want to work for. These are:

1.??????Many jobs are not widely advertised – some not at all. Your network can help you find these hidden openings

2.??????Your network can give you insider information and advice which will help you strengthen your written application

3.??????Your network can spread your name within the organization which can give you a much better chance of being shortlisted for interview – especially if you face any sort of discrimination

4.??????When you get the job, knowing people within the organization who can give you advice and information can make your first few weeks much easier.

According to the Canadian Headhunters website, “between 70 and 80 percent of the jobs are not advertised”. However, if you know people within the organization, they will probably know about any available openings and can alert you to them.

Your connections will also be able to give you that insider information and advice so that you can compose an application which shows how well you meet the hiring manager’s needs. Make sure that you share your résumé and cover letter with your connections so that they can both make suggestions for improvement and, importantly, so that they are convinced of your ability to do the job well and know the benefits you could bring to the organization. This will strengthen their ability and willingness to advocate for you.

If you are confident that you could do the job but think that there might be a weakness in your written application, where perhaps you don’t meet all the selection criteria, or that your application might be rejected because of your race, gender, age or disability, it is especially important to make yourself known within the organization before your application hits the hiring manager’s desk. This is so that whatever reason there might be for possible discrimination is discounted because they are already convinced you could do the job and do it well.

As I’ve said before, it’s not what you know; it’s not even who you know. It’s who knows you that is the key to job search success. Seriously, make yourself known within the organization and you’ll be a front runner. To again quote the Headhunters blog, “Employers place a considerable preference for candidates they personally know and can trust”, so make yourself known through your networking.

Whether or not you dread the idea of networking, it will make a significant difference to your success and the least daunting way is to start online.

How to build an effective network online

It’s not difficult to do. It does require work but it’s not daunting work even for the most hesitant introverts. This is because it starts online and not face to face. There are four phases to the process and they lead to establishing a good, trusting relationship with little need to get outside your comfort zone. Give them a try.

1 Identify possible contacts

Explore thoroughly the organization’s website and social media pages, check the organization’s Annual Report and Press Releases. Note the names of the people you find there. Look them up on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms relevant to your interests.

A good way to start building a rapport with them is to follow them on appropriate platforms so that you receive their posts. Read these posts, like them if you agree with them and make comments when you feel confident to do so.

Join a Community on Twitter or a LinkedIn group relevant to your industry. In this way, you can demonstrate your knowledge through posting links to articles you find interesting. Start online conversations and make yourself known.

2 Give value

An effective network is one where there is a strong rapport between you and each of your connections. Strong rapport requires give as well as take. You need to show that you can give value to your connections to persuade them to want to help you.

Giving value includes reading people’s posts and liking them or writing comments, retweeting other people’s tweets. All this provides affirmation for what they have posted. They will take note of your name and maybe reach out to connect with you because the affirmation you gave them will lead towards their liking and trusting you.

Then, as you start to communicate with them, make sure that you respond as promptly as possible and thank them for their information or help. Thanks go a long way to providing that value and strengthening the relationship.

3 Ask them to connect

When you feel that a relationship is strong enough, invite that person to connect. It is often useful to mention their posts or comments in your invitation because that, too, reinforces the quality of the rapport.

While you may have identified several names from your early online research into the organization, that number will by now have dwindled through difficulty in making that initial contact or through their lack of interest in following up online conversations. That’s all right – in fact, it’s good. To repeat Bob Gerst’s quote: it’s the quality of your network, not the quantity, which is important. You want people who are keen to connect because these are the people who will be motivated to spread your name around the organization and advocate for you. So don’t try to get everyone to connect; just those who show a real interest and with whom you are starting to build a strong bond.

4 Cultivate and nurture that connection

Once you have established that connection, cultivate it by providing information and items which you believe your contacts would find useful. But don’t overdo it; you don’t want to pester. When you find an article which you think will interest one of your contacts, send them the link. It is essential to give value so that they want to help you. For more on this topic, read Robert Half’s article, ‘Online Networking for Professionals: How to Get It Right’.

To facilitate giving value and future communication, share email addresses. This could be followed when appropriate by phone numbers which would facilitate voice and video calls as the relationship grows.

Building a network the traditional, offline way

All this, of course, does not mean that online networking totally replaces the more traditional, offline way of building a network. It doesn’t; it’s another way to build an effective network, a way which is less daunting to many people and which can easily lead to the face-to-face meetings and relationships of an offline network.

Once again, I urge you to ignore networking events and speed dating because that does not get the results you want for a job search network. Your aim is not to collect as many business cards as you can. It is to gather a small group of people who know a bit about you and who are willing to give you information and advice, and to advocate on your behalf within the organization you are targeting. That is an effective network and the way to start it is to start small.

Do you know anyone who works in the organization? If not, do you know anyone who might know someone who works there? If the organization is a local one, ask friends and neighbours if they know anyone who does. It’s so much easier to build a relationship if you get some form of introduction and referral.

But, of course, to make use of those referrals or introductions, you need to have done your online research so that you can ask sensible questions and make knowledgeable conversation.

The last word

So online networking can be an additional as well as an alternative and equally effective way to build the network you need for job search success. For those who are introverted – and they are just as much needed and valued in the workplace as those who are more extrovert – for those who feel unsure about the whole networking business, online networking is a great way to get started. But online networking is not just for introverts - it's a valuable strategy for every job seeker. Give it a go!