Making The Most Of Your Connections

One of the most important things you can do when you are looking for work is talk to people. It’s great if you manage to get a couple of resumes out here and there, put some cover letters on them and hope for the best, but generally it’s not going to get you very far without some help.

Some people get very lucky and they are picked up fairly quickly, but this is not the norm. While it may be true that job boards match hundreds or thousands of people to jobs every day, most people don’t obtain jobs through these methods. The overwhelming majority say that they were in the right place at the right time with the right person.

Building a rapport with people in your industry allows you to have the inside track on what new and exciting opportunities might be available around the corner. Instead of waiting for the jobs to come to you, like through LinkedIn or Indeed alerts, you may be the first one to hear about it because your connection remembers that you made a good impression and wants to bring you on board.

While this can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door, you’re going to have to do it strategically. It’s never a good idea to approach someone with the mindset of looking for a job. They are likely very busy with their own work and don’t have the time to deal with someone looking for handouts. Instead, it’s usually a better idea to find a way that you can be of use to them. You should find a way to connect in a way that mutually benefits both parties.

I’m going to use myself as an example, and how my relationship with FOCUS Inspired’s very own career coach Luki Danukarjanto has helped the both of us to grow in our fields. Luki reached out to me on LinkedIn initially in a career coaching role. We started up a conversation and quickly got to know each other, talking about strategies on how to put my best foot forward in the working world. We had a look at resumes, job postings, and developed some strategies for connecting with new people. But when it came down to it, I was a writer looking for something to write.

Luki and I agreed to enter a working relationship together, as he was unhappy with how much content he could put out on his blog at any given time. As someone with a history of writing, it comes fairly naturally to me, so we decided to give it a shot. I would gain some valuable experience writing web content, and Luki would have some useful content for his website.

Of course, you don’t need to have someone like Luki to do what you want to do. At the end of the day, I could have taken the initiative and written for other blogs, or trying my hand at other sorts of writing to help build my portfolio. Indeed, that should be something you do anyway, as having a variety of experience never hurts. The main point however, is that we continue to talk on a fairly regular basis, and he is a very good connection who I can count on if I need an opinion, advice or assistance. Because we fostered our connection and put some effort in on both sides, he is now a great part of my ever-growing network. If you have stumbled across this blog and haven’t reached out to Luki already, I would always highly recommend it. He is an excellent mentor who can help you become the success you always wanted to be.

This is only a single example of what good networking looks like. Finding a way you can be of value to anyone you connect with will inevitably create longer lasting and more meaningful connections in the long run. Right here at FOCUS Inspired, there are frequent events which you can attend to help you network, whether it be in-person or online. These events are either hosted by Luki himself, or by a guest mentor with whom you can connect and learn fascinating facets of many different industries.

Make your connections count, and turn them into friendships. If nothing else, you might learn a few things along the way, and meet some great new people you wouldn’t have otherwise.