Getting a job: Networking

When I say networking, what I’m talking about doesn’t have anything to do with plugging Cat5e cables into NICs.  Personal or social networking is a great way to find a job and to get an interview.  The best leads you will get will be due to knowing somebody who knows somebody.

The reason why networking is so important is because the interview process is inherently flawed.  Think of it – you ask somebody to come in, at their best dressed, most prepared, and likely at the top of their game to ask a few hypothetical questions with little or no consequences for wrong answers.  Networking removes some of the mystery.  Instead of hearing the best possible description of a situation (“My application was responsible for 2 million dollars in revenue!”), you can hear the whole story (“That application was responsible for 4 million dollars in lawsuits!”).

A personal reference is likely worth more than anything you can put in your resume (except for maybe “Nobel Prize in Physics” – but depending on the reference, possibly even better than that).  When somebody gives you a personal reference, they are vouching for your behavior and ability.  If this is coming from somebody whose opinion the hirer trusts, then you’ve already made a ton of progress.  It’s probable at that point that the job is yours to lose.

The personal reference only works when it’s at the beginning of the process, and works better when it’s unsolicited.  Everybody asks for personal references, but those are usually checked at the end of the interview process, after they’ve already made the decision to hire you.

With the dawn of social networking sites, it’s never been easier to nag your friends and acquaintances about jobs.  Sites like LinkedIn provide a wealth of job seeking resources, as well as a lot of job postings.  Any time you’re applying to a company, do a search in your network and see if you know anybody who works there or has worked there in the past.  If you don’t, see if anybody you know might know somebody there.  Professional networking sites make this easy.  Ask if they know anything about the job.  It might get you a good personal reference and give you an edge on getting the interview.