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Networking for better jobs and a robust career

What typically drives a job search and ultimately powers a career is how people prospect for opportunity in the marketplace and how they position themselves in the workplace. The tipping point in both job hunting and career building is networking. Rather than wait for the market to come to you, make the connection yourself.

Surveys have reported that anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of people find jobs through other people. While everybody knows somebody, it ultimately is not who you know or who others know, but who in the chain knows you. Networking adds a dimension that makes a difference whether you’re in a job search or recareering mode. It’s the gateway to the hidden job market.

Health-care professionals looking to maneuver to higher ground should treat hiring events, trade shows, continuing education classes, workplace committees and professional organizations as prime networking opportunities. But persons who venture forth on a meet-and-greet mission to generate job leads likely discover such encounters generate few “hits” unless they step to the plate.

First, interact and work the crowd, don’t sit and talk with people you already know. Make efforts to be visible, not just blend in with the masses.

Second, establish a connection at that first greeting. Distributing business cards establishes a “cardboard connection;” effective networking, however, involves finding a reason to reconnect later. It’s usually the follow-up to an encounter that locks in a relationship — typically a scheduled breakfast or luncheon meeting.

Network also enables health-care professionals to pursue moves inside their existing organizations. The strategy is to maximize exposure and contribution by developing an internal campaign. Employees gain visibility and insider contacts volunteering for assignments in other departments and serving on teams.

One caution: Rebuild your career vertically not horizontally by undertaking work that adds quality, not quantity, to your day.

Even a chance meeting with a manager on an elevator or seatmate on a plane represents a networking opportunity. The practice affords you new knowledge and experiences and the chance to build relationships that could result in the breakthrough you’ve awaited.

But why wait for an internal posting? Another way to advance yourself is to submit a proposal that solves a critical problem or improves performance. The insight you acquire networking may suggest areas where the organization needs help. And the contacts made can mentor you on the project and steer your idea to the right decision- makers.

Author Harvey McKay (Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty) argues that most people make the mistake of only turning to their network when they need it, for example, when they’re looking for a new job. Mackay considers networking a lifelong practice and suggests that devices such as the Rolodex, Franklin Planner and Blackberry may be the most valuable career tools you have.

Priceless!

While everybody knows somebody, it ultimately is not who you know or who others know, but who in the chain knows you. Networking adds a dimension that makes a difference whether you’re in a job search or recareering mode. It’s the gateway to the hidden job market.