[2021-08-15] Networking

Throughout my career, I frequently had colleagues, former colleagues and even strangers reach out to me when looking for a new job. I still have people contact me to seek my advice.

Without exception, I recommend that people network, and by that I mean reaching out to prospective employers. Networking allows you to showcase your skill set and to signal your availability. Think of it like selling a house: you display what you've got and you share that you're on the market.

But like many concepts that are easy to name but harder to understand, networking is not something that comes naturally to everyone. One of my favourite resources on the subject is a Harvard Business Review blog post called Find a Job with Massive, Structured Networking. Author Bill Barnett offers six tips for active outreach:

  1. Broadly define your network. Don’t stop at your close friends, says Barnett. Contact classmates, former colleagues, people from your community. I remember reading somewhere that when you’re looking for a job, you should tell everyone you know. Make that list of "everyone" as broad as possible.
  2. Create a new network along the way. Barnett writes that you should ask people you know to recommend others whom you should meet. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, the third and final question that I recommend you ask in an informational interview is this: Is there anyone else I should speak to?
  3. View discussions as learning opportunities, not just job inquiries. Make your conversation about more than your job search. Barnett suggests: "Ask about the industry, how to succeed, and how to position yourself." I would go one step further. The most fruitful discussions are those that are rewarding for both parties, either immediately or in the days and weeks to follow. If you discover a shared interest, use that as an opportunity to send a link to a useful article or resource. You could even combine it with your thank you: "Thanks for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I enjoyed our discussion on leadership. I thought you’d like this article that was posted today in the Harvard Business Review Blog."
  4. Contact people in different ways. As your network extends beyond close professional friends, Barnett advises, use an email or a letter to connect with people you know less well or those you don’t know at all but whom you’d like to meet. Follow up with a phone call, and then—if all goes well—a meeting. Send a thank you by email or letter if you end up having a substantive discussion. After a few months, round back with the people you’ve contacted to give them an update on how your job search is going. I would further advise that you make use of social media, especially LinkedIn, to connect with people who work in your field or the field you're trying to enter.
  5. Be systematic with good record keeping. If you’re going to do massive outreach, you’ll need a system to keep track of your contacts. Barnett recommends an Excel spreadsheet. Capture name, job title and organization, logistics (e.g., email address, phone number, mailing address), key points raised in the meeting, people the contact recommended you meet, and the contact’s interests. Barnett also advises that, after each meeting, you write down what you learned and what you'll do as a result.
  6. Periodically evaluate your progress and whether to change the approach. View your outreach efforts as an experiment, says Barnett, and be willing to alter your methods and your direction based on what you’re learning.

The other piece of advice I would offer is to see networking as an ongoing activity, not something that you do just when you're looking to get something. View networking as an opportunity to give. Giving could include helping someone by sharing a talent you have or passing along a resource that the other person would find helpful.

You might also consider choosing a job that has networking built into it. I define such a job as one that involves interaction with an extensive range of people and that carries a higher profile. An example is working in the office of a deputy minister or assistant deputy minister.

Of course, higher profile positions often come with significant expectations for the incumbent. And when you’re the point of contact for many people, it can sometimes feel like you’re being pulled in multiple directions at the same time. These types of jobs also bring greater risk. If you fail, you do so in front of a bigger audience.

But I believe that the rewards outweigh the risks, and can position you well for a future career move. One of my jobs that involved extensive outreach was the position of Director of Client Services for the Shared Services Office (SSO) at Natural Resources Canada. In addition to being a face for SSO client liaison, I was responsible for regional service delivery. As a result, I met regularly with regional executives from all parts of the department. The profile and reputation I garnered in my SSO job as well as the knowledge I acquired about my clients’ business proved valuable in the interview for my next job.

See networking as an ongoing enterprise, an opportunity for give and take, and an activity that can be part of a job and not simply something you engage in between jobs.