Professional networking

Discover new opportunities

Why is networking important to job search? Networking allows you the opportunity to:

• Tap into the positions that may never be advertised through traditional channels, what is called the “hidden job market”
• Obtain important industry, occupation and company information
• Gain tips, referrals, references and leads which may lead to a new job opportunity
• Develop a "web" of supportive relationships around you
• Discover new career directions and paths that you perhaps weren't aware of or didn't know much about
• Meet career influencers and mentors in your field

A great place to start is simply developing and maintaining your relationships with your current personal and professional contacts. These might include friends, previous colleagues, classmates, sports teammates, or neighbours.  Take a moment to begin a mind map. 

Each person we meet has an interesting idea, new connection or piece of advice that will point you in a different direction.  In these conversations, remember to focus on takeaways and maintain a growth mindset.  Challenge yourself to respond positively to all suggestions and ideas, take notes, and express appreciation. 

Networking can simply begin with speaking to your current network of people about your work goals and interests, and maybe your uncertainty of where you want to go next.  Ask for their thoughts, feedback and ideas. 

Ace your first networking event

People rarely ace their first networking event. Besides, networking is a mutually beneficial investment of time and effort. If you are nervous, look around the room and look for someone who is standing alone or looks uncomfortable. They are also probably nervous and would appreciate a friendly greeting.

• Ask questions!  Make the focus of the conversation more about them and less about you
• Think conversation, not pitching
• Be truly engaged and think about how you could help that person...not the other way around
• Don’t ask for a job--asking directly for a job is always a conversation stopper
• At the end of the conversation ask if there is anyone that they might recommend you speak with
• If appropriate and desired, determine the next steps with the person:  will you or they follow up, have coffee, make introductions, or send information?
• Don't stick with one person for too long. You want to make your conversations meaningful, but you also do want to allow both them and you to meet other people at the event
• Pull others into the conversation

Be ready for when the other person asks you about what you do (just as long as your whole conversation isn't you…) and who you are:

• Be clear on your skills, experience, and career goals
• Aim for a "tell me more" response
• Focus on what makes you unique

What kind of system would work for you?

Contact management is the practice of, well...managing your contacts!  There are many ways to keep track of the people you're meeting, their contact information and notes on your connections.  We are all different in how we manage information, and few of us can truly keep large amounts of disconnected data in our heads, so it pays to have a system for contact management. 

What kind of system would work for you?

• Paper calendar/daytimer system
• Electronic calendar system, taking advantage of reminders and tasks options
• Spreadsheet or table 
• Word Document Internship Sheet 

Whatever system you choose, make sure to not only start it but also tend to it often. It will only be useful to you if you keep it "alive" and up to date.

Informational interview

Informational interviews are different from job interviews.  In an informational interview, you are the interviewer with all the questions and your purpose is to gather labour market information, seek advice, and create new contacts.

Do your homework!  Before reaching out to arrange an interview, read through the person’s LinkedIn profile (jot down any questions that come up for you) and research the companies listed in their work and volunteer history.  This homework will lay the foundation for a successful interview.  

When you do reach out, introduce yourself and ask to schedule a 20-30 minute informational interview.  You can reach out initially through LinkedIn or by email to establish a date and time for the interview. 

Always thank the person at the end of the conversation, you may wish to reiterate some of your key takeaways, action items and request if you can follow up occasionally to stay in touch.  At this time ask if they have other referrals to connect with.

After the informational interview, send a thank you message by email or LinkedIn for taking the time to meet with you. If you can provide a resource or information that might be helpful for the person or company that you could share, provide it as a way to connect at a later date.

Attending events and conferences

Why attend events and conferences? It is a way to stay up-to-date with news of your industry. It can provide you with networking opportunities within your sector. Learn about potential career advancement opportunities, knowledge of what is going on in an industry, create new ideas, career advice from others, promote your brand, and build confidence!

Strategic volunteering

Volunteer work is a great addition to your resume, and allows you to implement tools you learned in the classroom, hone newly-acquired skills from a workplace, gain new experience and meet new contacts, references; you may also hear of employment opportunities before they are posted. 

Start by connecting with your local volunteer centre.  For example, Volunteer Victoria has a volunteer listings page or uses their website to search their members’ listings.  Remember to be strategic: seek out and apply only for positions that will fulfil you personally and professionally.  

Cold calling

Cold calling is the practice of outreaching to potential employers you have not yet been in contact with, marketing your skills to their needs, and exploring future job prospects.  Before making this step, consider conducting your own research on the company and the person you wish to contact

What are the benefits of cold calling or emailing? Some of the benefits of cold calling or emailing companies or specific professionals in an industry are it provides more information about industry or position, research not advertised, network, referrals, fine-tuning your elevator pitch, and easy strategy to implement.

Talking to past employers

Why keep in touch with previous employers? Staying in touch with previous employers is a great way to hear about:  what is going on in your industry; potential positions opening up within the company; different professional development opportunities, events, or other industry referrals.

What are some ideas to stay connected? Send a quick email or LinkedIn message to share information that might be useful to your previous employer, follow your previous employer on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date, comment on previous employers' LinkedIn posts, connect on a personal level, meet either a supervisor or colleague for coffee, send cards on special occasions (anniversary, expansions, holidays).

Networking via digital media

The virtual/remote world is becoming the new norm.  It is important to balance your person-to-person connections with your digital network.

There are too many digital media platforms to effectively and professionally engage on all channels.  Typically, LinkedIn is considered the professional networking platform; however, you may wish to explore how companies also use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Meetup.  If you decide to engage on these platforms, be extra vigilant on your privacy settings to ensure you present only what you want your next employer to see! 

What are some of the benefits of using social media to network?  With zero cost, you can build a network that spans sectors, geographical barriers, and career positions and build your digital presence that provides you with a deeper understanding of labour markets and connections to companies or persons.