Prioritizing Your Job Search Networking For Better Results & More Interviews
Having a network that will help you is key to your job search and career success. The first step to your next job is being invited to an interview and if you want to stand out from all of the other applicants in the inboxes you need to activate your network and ask them for help.
You do not need to feel weird asking for help but it’s understandable if you do… do it anyway!
Would you use 5 minutes of your time to help someone you know or a friend of a friend have a better chance at a better job? If you wouldn’t then maybe don’t ask others for help but most of us are happy to help someone so ask someone to help you. And, if you follow our process for messaging it will not take them more than 5 minutes (usually 2-3 minutes) to help you.
Would you use 5 minutes of your time to help someone you know or a friend of a friend have a better chance at a better job? If you wouldn’t then maybe don’t ask others for help but most of us are happy to help someone so ask someone to help you. And, if you follow our process for messaging it will not take them more than 5 minutes (usually 2-3 minutes) to help you.
[Option] End your message with an offer to help them too when they have a need.
Creating a job search networking plan works best when you create an organized list of people from your network and then map them to each target company or role they might be able to help with. Once you have an organized list and a plan in place, this process is not as intimidating as it may seem, especially if you haven’t done it before. We provide a Networking Planner to our clients as part of our Allora Tools because this is a timeless career strategy and always improves results.
Your first choice are referrals, your second choice are introductions, and your last option is messaging people you do not have a connection to.
- A referral from an employee of the company who you know or is your 1st connection on LinkedIn
- An introduction to an employee from a shared connection (someone you both know or are connected to on LinkedIn)
- Message a recruiter or someone on the team that you don’t have a connection to on LinkedIn
When you ask someone to help you, be direct with what you’re asking them to do and give them exactly what they need to help you in one step.
TIP: Looking for a template to get started? Use the search tool on our website and search ‘templates’.
Now you’re ready to ask for help but do you want a referral or an introduction?
What action can they take to help you?
What is the best way to find them in your network?
A REFERRAL is when an employee at a company adds their name to your job application, submits it for you or forwards your resume to a recruiter or hiring manager.
An INTRODUCTION is when your connection sends a group message to introduce you to an employee to ask them to help you so your job application is not overlooked. They introduce you so your message doesn’t get lost in their inbox. They will typically use LinkedIn or email to do this.
These two options are the best way to help your resume, CV, portfolio or application be considered for an interview.
Do NOT waste these opportunities with ineffective or incomplete messages. You have to make it easy for someone to help you and send them a message they can easily forward or share in one step that specifically describes why you belong in the role.
For the easiest and best way to find your referrals and introductions, an outline to draft your messages and a schedule to follow up read this blog The Allora Job Search System For Applications And Networking That Gets Results.
Finding a new job is personal for candidates but transactional for companies. Regardless of what you read or see about ATS, AI or other technology being involved in the process, humans are still the interviewers and hiring manager.
Help each other and let others help you. No recruiter or hiring manager wants to read hundreds of resumes, and most of the time they don’t read them all. They only need to read enough to select a qualified group for the interview process until they close an offer. Give yourself the best chance of being seen and considered with a simple note from someone you know.
Looking for personalized support to make your life easier? We help our clients edit, personalize and prioritize their messages to create a set of templates from their career examples that they can reuse for their job search and career networking. Our clients can also access our networks to request introductions for their next job if they don’t have connections in their network.
Questions? Book a free session with an Allora coach and we’ll get you started.
Kelly Kugler
Kelly is the Founder of Allora Collective, a career manager with two decades of experience, and a relocation strategist for expats and digital nomads in the US, Europe, and LATAM. After creating talent programs for startups and global companies, including General Assembly, NFL, and Booking.com, she built Allora Collective. She manages the careers of individuals providing one-on-one coaching and partners with companies to customize workshops and coaching packages for their teams.
