The Importance of Networking
Updated: Apr 27, 2020
By: Reagan Bradley
Why Network?
Ask any employer the best way to land a job. They’ll always say the same thing – networking. When you leave university, you’ll have a degree in hand but the most it’ll do for you is help land you an interview. What’ll get you the job is what you’ve actually done with your time and even more importantly, your connections who are routing for you. So I’m going to pass along a little insight on the importance of networking:
Access to Unadvertised Job Opportunities Did you know about 70% of jobs are never advertised? Why you ask? Well because they don’t need to be. Hiring managers seek references from contacts in their network to find the best talent. There’s no reason for them to go online if they can connect with applicants brought in by people they trust. You never know who might reference you for a job!
Mentorship Opportunities It never hurts to get yourself connected with someone who currently has your dream career. You’d be surprised by how often professionals are willing to share their personal experiences and insight on how to land your own professional career. Networking is all about relationship building – utilize these relationships!
Competitive Advantage Like I said before, a degree is just a degree. You’re not hirable unless you can be differentiated amongst other similar-experienced applicants. Getting a leg-up on networking while you’re still an undergrad gives you a competitive advantage against your graduating class. You could be the first professionals turn to when they’re looking for an eager recent-graduate looking for that entry-level job.
And that’s that. If those reasons don’t make you want to get out there and know people, I don’t know what will. I know networking may seem scary at first but I encourage you to get out there! Professionals are nice and understand you don’t have experience in the working world, they’ll chat about anything!
So get out there! Trust me, it gets easier with time and it’s so so important if you want to land a job right out of school.