28 Oct The Importance of Networking in Your Job Search

This is why networking during your job search is so important. A man I didn’t know, helped get me a job.

It’s true. A total stranger was responsible for helping me land a great new job.

Here’s how.

A few years ago, I was researching available positions on all the standard job boards. Excitedly, I found one that was very promising. I had all the skills and experience they were looking for. I hadn’t been in the exact industry but in a complimentary one. It seemed to be a great fit.

I responded directly to the post as instructed, but would it be enough to get my resume seen? Would I get an interview? 

I wasn’t going to bet on it, so I went to work.

Thanks to some LinkedIn research, I discovered a former colleague of mine who worked with me at the job that was aligned to the open position, used to work with a senior executive at the company I was applying to.

That discovery was all I needed to get the ball rolling.

I reached out to my former colleague, who reached out to his former colleague, who agreed to forward my resume to the CEO of the company.

I was called in for an interview and after several rounds, I was offered the job.

And that is the short story of how a man I didn’t know (and didn’t know me) helped get me hired into a new job.

Would I have gotten the job if I didn’t have that introduction?

I’ll never know for sure. But statistically, probably not.

With an employee referral, you have about a 50% chance of getting an interview. Without one, it’s about a 3% chance of getting an interview. 😲 (Thanks to Michele Lando of WriteStylesOnline for introducing me to these stats). 

That’s why I am always, always, always saying how important it is to get someone, ANYONE, to forward your resume to the hiring manager.

They don’t have to know you. You don’t have to know them. You don’t need a direct connection to the hiring manager (although, it’s wonderful when you do). But you DO need a connection who will forward your resume to someone, ANYONE, in the company you are applying to. Then let THAT person get your resume to the hiring manager.

TIP: LinkedIn makes this pretty easy. Search for the company you are applying to and look at the employees at that company. If you don’t have any first connections at the company, click on your second connections to see who your mutual connections are. Those are the people to reach out to with a request to forward your resume.

When Forbes asked for my thoughts on how job seekers can best get their resume seen and land an interview, I shared this exact tip. I’m pretty excited it’s included in the article “6 Recruiter Tips to Getting Your Resume Seen and Landing an interview”.  I just spilled the beans on the tip I gave Forbes, but you should definitely check out the remaining tips from others in the industry for some additional advice on the topic. 

And for even more of my tips on how to stand out and get a job interview, especially in today’s job market, listen to my interview on the Careers by Jenn podcast where I share “3 Ways To Boost Landing Interviews In A Virtual Job Market.“

I cannot promise that finding someone to get your resume into a prospective employer will get you an interview or the job. But I can promise you that by not doing it, you are greatly diminishing your chances of either happening.

And I don’t want that for you. And I know you don’t either.

Have you gotten an interview or job offer by using a connection to get your resume into the employer? Let me know how it worked for you! I especially love hearing how people got very creative in finding a connection to help in their job search!