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Effective Networking for Professional Success

The Big Idea

In an uncertain world where we are all effectively self-employed, networking skills make all the difference for freelancers, job changers, and career climbers. Increase your chances of landing that all-important job or business contract.

1. Why networking skills are vital

• Networking is essential for job hunting and business contracts.
• Effective networking can be 12 times more effective in getting a new job than answering advertisements.
• Advertising is becoming ineffective except on a big scale.
• Networking helps you find hidden opportunities and can help you differentiate yourself from the competition.
• You can overcome your natural shyness, your fear of using people, and your fear of rejection.
• Continuing lay-offs, and the fact there is no real job security makes networking and self-marketing important. We are all “self-employed” now.
• We are moving more and more towards a service economy.
• 30% of the UK working population are working for companies with fewer than nine employees
• Roughly 15% of the working population in many countries are self-employed
• Over 80% of jobs available are not advertised
• It’s not what you know, but who you know.

2. Three key networking techniques

• Build a network of partners to be able to hear about any new opportunities.
• Reach targeted individuals in two ways: directly or indirectly. Indirect approaches are made through a network partner, by exploiting connections. This may be more effective than a direct approach, like a letter or phone call to a decision-maker whom you haven’t even met. . . . . . .