For anyone who has researched what it takes to find a new job, it’s a sure bet that networking has surfaced as one of the most effective approaches in learning of potential opportunities. After all, networking consists of making contacts and finding out about jobs that you may not have otherwise been found on your own. Networking also allows you to tap into the “hidden job market” – jobs that have not been advertised publicly.
Once you’ve mustered the courage to announce that you’re on the market for a new job, don’t think you can kick back and wait for the phone calls and e-mails to start rolling in with promising leads. Too often, job seekers make the mistake of reaching out to their friends, family members and former colleagues with the expectation that a single request for assistance will suffice. It often is not. While your contacts earnestly want to help your job search, it is easy – and understandable – for them to be distracted by the demands of their own responsibilities and forget about your situation.
In order to stay fresh in their minds, it’s essential you periodically keep them apprised on your efforts such as past or upcoming interviews, employers you are pursuing and networking events you have or will be attending. A good balance between maintaining an informed and active network and becoming a nuisance by over-communicating is to limit your correspondence to every four weeks. As discouraging as a prolonged job search can become, it’s essential you don’t fade away until you’ve landed a new job.
Did you find this article helpful? Learn how to get a new job fast with more insightful tips by visiting www.navinstitute.com.
Prior to launching Navigator Executive Advisors and the Navigator Institute, Matt Durfee held Senior Vice President, Vice President and executive-level Human Resources positions in a number of the world’s most admired companies including Pepsi Cola, Nestle, Frito-Lay International, Hard Rock Cafe, Bank One, Cendant, and Centex Homes. His expertise in career development & leadership transition, change management, and executive development is supplemented with extensive experience in roles ranging from the business unit level to the Board of Directors. His international corporate experience is supplemented with a two-session assignment for the U.S. Council for International Business to represent national employer interests at the European United Nations/I.L.O. in Geneva, Switzerland. Matt earned his Master’s degree in Labor & Industrial Relations from Michigan State University and subsequently completed an executive program in Financial Analysis at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
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