THE ROLE OF NETWORKING IN JOB HUNTING

Have you ever wondered why alumni of some institutions have formidable bodies which cause members religiously commit their resources to?  The main goals are social and economic. But there is the career aspect too. This is one of the major ways networking can be useful in job hunting and movement.

But what is networking?

Networking is the use of contacts, formal or informal, to benefit. Gale encyclopedia of small business defines networking thus: the process of intentionally meeting people, making contacts, and  forming relationships in hopes of gaining access to such business-related  benefits as career advice, job leads, business referrals, useful information and  ideas, and emotional support.

How does networking come into play in job hunting?

Networking, as it relates to job hunting, basically serves as the bridge between job information and the job seeker. Some employers just don’t think spending millions to advertise a single opening is worth it. For some, it may be because they think head-hunting gives them better results than advertising to the whole world. They have not done anything wrong, inasmuch as it is not against their internal policies.  Consider this scenario:  my head of department, during lunch break, tells me that he needs a sharp tax accountant to man his tax desk. He tells a couple of other staff of his in the organization. Naturally, the first set of people I will recommend are my friends.  In 2009, in my then company, I once overheard the HR officer joke with a manager that they needed a Chartered Accountant. The manager replied, more or less jokingly, that can she offer ten million Naira per annum for the person?  Definitely not a 10m job, so the matter was laughed off. Few minutes later, I called the HR lady telling her I had a couple of hot guys – both qualified accountants. She replied that if they wont ask for too much I should send their CV. I quickly called two of my friends from university days and asked them to send their CV. They did, and within hours, their CVs reached my HR. Both being truly hot, they scaled the recruitment process, but since it was just one opening, one of them got the job. That is how useful networking can be.

How do people build network?

The school is the first place one can build strong relationships that can be useful in post-school  endeavor.  Most of the strongest ‘cliques’ I know of started from their university days.  The bond continues after school and they share valuable information that are usually helpful in securing jobs or moving from one job to another. It should be noted that not all jobs are advertised.

Networking aids the prepared

Networking only gets you access to job information that may or may not be available in the public space, it doesn’t get you the job. At best it gets you almost automatic invitation for the recruitment screening (provided you meet the minimum requirements). Even in the case of head-hunting, you still have to go through the selection process – all levels of tests and interviews – and you are on your own if you don’t do well in the selection process.  This is the difference between networking, which is legitimate, and abuse of connection, what is called who-you-know.  Getting a note from a Senator and being automatically handed the job without going through the normal selection process or getting undue waiver despite performing poorly in test/interview, all cross our definition of networking.  So networking can also aid you when you have good credentials yourself – like having good grade from school, having good professional qualifications, being versatile etc.

Other ways to build network

Apart from friends from school, another way of establishing good network is joining mailing groups of your class and/or school. I belong to a couple of  yahoogroups where job information are shared first hand. Sometimes, someone just posts that he needs a mechanical engineer urgently and people should send their CVs  within the next couple of days. These are things you wont find in Tuesday Guardian.

Participating in social, religious or students group leadership can also be an avenue to network. One of the most important VIP I have in my network is the CEO of one of Nigeria’s biggest consulting firms that starts with ‘A’. I met him in 2006 when I was president of my faculty Muslim association and I brought him to Ife to deliver a lecture on job hunting for us final year students.  I have kept in touch ever since.  I also know people that have also ridden on the crest of departmental association leadership to strike friendship with people that matter in the private and public sectors.

For those that fly, the airport and inside  is another place to build network. It may not be too helpful for lower level positions, but definitely for management to executive level positions, it can be useful. Consider this scenario:  in a journey as short as Lagos-Abuja, you sit beside a man whom you don’t even know. But with your socializing skills you are able to initiate a discussion (you may start from borrowing his newspaper or magazine). You chatted throughout the 45 minutes journey, discussing every topic from football to politics to management. He senses you are brilliant (again, networking aids the prepared) from the discussion he had with you.  You are able to collect his card and you find out he is the GM of a bank.  You never can tell when he is going to be useful.

Social media is another platform to meet people that can help you in your career.  I have met a couple of people through Facebook that have been helpful, not necessarily on job.  Linkedin was also helpful in getting useful information when I changed job last year. If you get invite for interview from a company, apart from sourcing for useful information about the company from their website, Linkedin is another tool that can be helpful. Search for the company on the platform and you can meet a couple of employees of that company that can be useful in offering helpful information about the organization, beyond what is in their website, which your competitor for that position also has access to anyway.

In the final analysis, networking is only a plus, it is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for successful job hunt.

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