The 3 Things You Must Have to Network For a Job or Your Career

In this multi-part series on networking strategy, I've written about the key insights I picked up as an executive recruiter at a top 20 firm.

Recruiters are, by necessity, professional networkers. They need to get it right. And while you're not a professional networker, you need to get it right, too.

The insights I’ve shared cover the time from when I was first starting out in executive search, worried that I’d make a fool of myself, to when I had grown comfortable reaching out to dozens of people a week, most of them complete strangers.

I observed my colleagues, got their advice, and then developed an approach that worked for me individually.

You’ll need to develop your own.

No matter what your approach to networking is, it will likely incorporate three key components. You’ll need a strategy. You’ll need a process. And you’ll need to have the right mindset.

1. Have a strategy

If there was anything I learned about networking as a recruiter, it had to be that you need a strategy if you're to have any hope of being successful. Just sending off a bunch of random emails and messages and making a few calls to the first people that come to mind just doesn't cut it. 

Whether you’re currently looking for a job or you’re networking with a longer-term career goal in mind, your success will be determined by your ability to identify and target the right community of people. After all, when you apply for a job, it’s not the job that hires you or serves as your reference, it’s the people connected to that job. The people who actually do the job, supervise the job, support the job, or are connected to the job in some way. 

If you want to think about like a marketer, you need to know who your target is. Who will make the buying decision when it comes to hiring you, and who in that hiring manager's circle will influence their buying decision? You need to reach those people — the decision-maker or decision-makers and the influencers. They comprise a community, and you need to reach the people who are a part of it.

Who will make the buying decision when it comes to hiring you, and who in that hiring manager’s circle will influence their buying decision? You need to reach those people — the decision-maker and the influencers.

Your understanding of who's in that target community may change during the course of your networking, but your ultimate goal should be to gain entry into that community and then become a part of it. You can increase the chances of that happening by making it easy for your networking contacts to agree to spend time with you. It’s not as difficult as it might seem. 

2. Have a process

Once you have a target (or community of people) in mind, your networking success will depend on having a well-thought-out process to support it. I’m not suggesting that you need to recreate the systems that I relied on as an executive recruiter and invest in expensive software. I might do that, but I’m a little crazy that way. 

However, you need to organize your thoughts and track some basic information related to your networking. And you need to be diligent about doing it. Consistency is vital, or you could end up coming across as uninformed and directionless. 

You’ll also need to leverage the powerful technique of using referrals to maintain your networking momentum. Too many people I work with are discouraged after making a handful of calls to the obvious people, only to find themselves with no one left to call and no hot job leads. If you remember to ask for referrals in most or every conversation or exchange of messages, then you’ll never run out of people to reach out to. Your networking effort can go on forever. 

A never-ending networking campaign might not seem like an appealing prospect, but it’s essential that your networking be open-ended. If you want to maximize your career potential, you should never really stop doing it. You can just slow your networking down to a more leisurely pace once you’re in a job that you like and that supports your career aspirations.

3. Have the right mindset

None of the topics I work on as an executive and career coach elicit as much self-doubt and guilt as networking. Even salary negotiation, which can definitely set people on edge, only comes in a close second.

I have this to say: Stop feeling guilty about networking. Just stop. 

Most people need to network at some point in their career, so they’ll understand when you need to do it. And as I point out in some detail, you’ll be doing them a favor by reaching out to them. Really. Read the post.

If you incorporate asking for referrals and introductions, the people you reach out will have an expanded and strengthened network simply because you were in touch. They’ll be grateful to you for reaching out to them. Well — a little after you reach out to them, to be exact.

And finally, please don’t set yourself up for failure. 

Keep your networking goals attainable, especially when you’re first starting out. Networking is more than just sending a few emails and messages on LinkedIn. If you’re successful, you’ll end up having quite a few conversations and substantive exchanges. That takes time. 

I’ve worked with many people who don’t account for the time that the follow-through requires when they set their networking goals. As a result, they always feel like they’re falling behind. Spare yourself that disappointment and feel good about the time people are willing to spend with you.

Conclusion

Speaking of people choosing to spend time with you — talking about their careers and showing an interest in yours — remember that networking is mainly about making new friends. Friends help each other out, and that’s what the people in your network will do for you. And you’ll likely return the favor at some point.

Now, these networking contacts might not end up being your best friends, but you could end up staying in touch occasionally throughout your career. So they’ll end up being old friends at a minimum.

I didn’t expect it, but when I worked in executive search, I did come to feel that some of the people in my network had become friends. I knew that I could rely on them for a friendly ear and sound perspective when I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing. They’d make time for me and listen patiently. They’d share their experiences and perspectives, as well as their honest opinions. 

My network helped advance me towards my goals. And I’m hoping that yours will do the same for you. 

After all, that’s what friends are for.

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If this series on Networking Strategy has been helpful, but you still think you need coaching, whether it has to do with your networking strategy, finding more meaning at work, or interviewing effectively, consider getting in touch.