Print This
Email This
It’s job hunting season - but if you are looking for a job, the last thing you should be doing is building a network. Counter-intuitive, perhaps, but here are three reasons why:
It’s Too Late
Building a network is a lot like planning your retirement; it takes a lot of little inputs over a long period of time. Both are built so you can cash in when you need it the most - at retirement, or in this case, when you need a job (or some other huge favor).
But if you need a job now and you haven’t been building your network, you are screwed. You may as well try opening your 401k at 50 - the math just doesn’t add up. And just like you won’t get by for 20 years on $100,000, you won’t land a great gig on a network held together by shoestrings.
So stop trying to build your network in hopes you will get a job from it. It’s too late. Instead, work on your charm and get a job that way. Then work on building your network in case your charm runs out and you need a job again.
The Law of Diminishing Returns Doesn’t Lie
Here’s what it takes to build a network: Emails. Lunch dates. Networking events. Social gatherings.
All of these take time. In fact, each thing on this list takes the same amount of time the first time you do it and the twentieth time you do it. So when you build a network, you are giving the same amount of time to each network connection. After a certain number of people, though, you start building very weak ties that aren’t going to help you in the end - when you need a job.
This is the law of diminishing returns. Same amount of input for each person, less results as you spread yourself too thin.
So consider first, how many people you can actually fit in your network. A strong connection is worth much more than ten weak ties - put your time where it matters, preferably before you need a job. Then when you need a job, use the strong connections you’ve built to get one, instead of wasting your energy on creating more weak ties.
You Already Know the Right People Anyway
Here’s the thing about getting a job: no matter how much you need a job to pay the bills, you should still try to get the best match that you can for your personality. Not only will you perform better, but you will also stay longer, which means less job hunting. Finding a job that matches your personality comes down to finding the types of people you should be working with.
It turns out you already have plenty of good network connections to find a group of people you will work well with. Like your ex-boyfriend you still talk to sometimes. Because really, good dating skills = good working skills, and people are drawn to others like them. So if you know someone you thought was a good date, he probably works with other people you will like too. Or if you have a friend you meet up with for lunch regularly, she might be able to score you an interview with her manager pal in another department.
In the end, your friends will get you a job, not your “network,” because your friends will connect you with people they like, who are probably like them. And you like your friends, right?
For more timely, relevant, and engaging articles, subscribe to Brazen Careerist.
Recent Comments
Popular Posts
8 RESPONSES TO "OUT OF WORK? FORGET ABOUT BUILDING YOUR NETWORK"
I think that the best network possible is the 'organic' network, one that grows on it's own, rather than being forced and 'built'. My wife makes comments about me always 'knowing someone' whenever a particular situation presents itself, however, I've done about zero work in 'building' the network I have. I have friends.
Networking is vital and, in many cases, subconscious...no matter what your employment status.
If you're out playing football in the local city rec department club, you're still networking.
So really, successful people in all walks of life never consciously stop networking.
Ryan, I think a job is a bit different than a favor though. Personally, I wouldn't recommend someone for an interview unless I knew them and had a decent idea of their work ethic/skills.
Maybe I'm relating this too much to grad school, but people from my school sometimes get the perception that they can just call an alumni from the directory and instantly get an interview with their company. Maybe it works in some cases, but it's definitely not a good backup plan for losing your job.
I think you make some great points about weak ties, particularly that they bring new perspectives. But I also think if someone is bringing you these great new perspectives you would probably have a deep respect for that person and want to be their friend. So perhaps the only weak ties I don't value are the ones that remain weak ties, rather than developing into strong friendships.
Ben, I like that you think of networking this way. I feel a lot of people think they have to attend business networking events or go to lunch with their CEO in order to network. In the end, network is just about meeting people and developing relationships (friendships) with them, so that you can help each other when needed.
Jonathan, I think what's interesting about your comment is that you think you got your job from being on the networking site but you actually got it because your profile was interesting. So you weren't just aimlessly trying to contact people in hopes someone would hook you up, you were charming, self-aware, and good at managing your personal brand.
My guess is that you would have found a job anyway, and the networking site was just the means in which you found it.
Also, I think you bring up a good point. Building a network can help you get the next job down the line. But when you need a job you should focus on getting a job, not building a network for the next time you need a job.
I don't entirely agree. I just got my latest job via a professional networking site where my profile drew interest from my new employer. Yes, the site was designed to create these kinds of links and yes it took a little longer than I would have liked but what it requires is stark self awareness of personal brand, a good strategy and time management. At the least it is an investment for the next job down the line.
I think some of your points are valid, but don't discount weak ties. Like you mention, creating strong connections takes a ton of time and effort. The time is often worth it, but if you only develop strong ties, you won't have anyone to call on outside of your close group for a favor.
Also, people you are strongly connected to often have the same general ideas and beliefs as you do. You should branch out and create tons of weak ties with people in all walks of life to get new perspectives.
Strong ties and close friendships are extremely important, but weak ties are much more likely to help your career and allow you to appreciate new and different ideas.
Miriam,
I agree with you that network=friends. For me, my entire network is only people I'm friends with or would be friends with, but I think a lot of people view networking much differently.
You are definitely right about the key point - it does take a lot of work to have a great network because a great network is based on the foundation of friendship. Friendship takes time.
You are probably right about weak ties. But it's really hard for me to get weak ties to amount to anything productive or useful. Maybe I'm going about it wrong.
I still think, however, if you need a job now and you haven't been working on your network then it is probably too late to utilize your network to quickly find a job.
But I do look forward to your post changing my mind. A post on the opposite end is a great idea, and I'll be looking out for it!
Monica...
I think the key point here that is true is that having a strong network takes work and time!
However, I would never tell my clients not to bother building their network or that it is "too late." In my experience, that is not true. The fact is, it only takes one person to connect you, and you never know where that person may be found or how long (or not) it takes to find him/her.
The issue of friends vs. network is interesting as well...I guess you can make a case that your friends are not the same as your "network," but it seems as if connecting with friends of friends is the same thing as networking.
I would hate for people to rely only on their close circle of friends for networking (even last-minute networking). While it would be great if a close friend could hook you up with a job or a manager she knows you'll love, unless you have a very well-connected inner-circle, it's a long shot.
Also, I just want to throw out the idea that it is equally possible to find a job through a loose or weak tie. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point, suggests that weak ties can be as helpful as strong connections when networking to get something done. Strong connections are great, but they are not the "end-all."
I could write a whole blog about this topic. Mine would be called, "It's Never Too Late to Network." Maybe I will! Thanks for the food for thought :-)
Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?