Network while on that job hunt

“After graduating from university, I knew that a job search would be hard. I did not know how and where to start from. However, after months of submitting application letters and CVs to different potential employers with no luck, I learned the hard way the importance of networking,” Solomon Muliira, a marketer, shares.
This was after Muliira attended a professional workshop in marketing.
“From all that was shared about networking in the workshop, I started by building a network of people. I started by catching up with my former classmates. I found out what jobs they were doing and organisations or companies they worked for, I connected with popular people in different fields; almost everyone that was reachable,” he shares, adding: “I specifically didn’t go with a mind of begging or pleading with them to find me a job, and I simply shared my experiences and skills, but also went an extra mile to find out what they did, the people they know,” Muliira notes.
In a nutshell, Muliira took his time to build a network of people and it was out of those that he started getting phone calls.

Networking pays off
“About seven months ago, I had gone to attend some training in marketing, when we started a conversation with a man seated next to me at the training. We talked about current trends in marketing, about what we did, and I told him I was looking for a job. We talked about politics and general life issues. At the end of the training, we exchanged contacts. Coincidentally, that man knew a friend who was a marketing manager at my current place of work,” he says.
After about three months, the man called Muliira and connected him to his current place of work. “I was given the job. That was because I took networking as a means that would open up opportunities for me,” Muliira says.
According to a report from ABC News, 80 per cent of today’s jobs are got through networking. Additionally, a survey by LinkedIn and Lou Adler, chief executive officer of Adler Group, an American consulting and training firm, shows that networking trumps applying directly for a job by a factor of 3:1. For the true passive candidates, the ratio of networking to applying is a whopping 7:1.
“Given this data, it’s pretty clear that people searching for jobs today need to emphasise networking,” Adler notes.
The job market today has been influenced by a number of changes, which have caused shifts from the traditional and usual way of a job search to new possibilities - networking being part of it.
“Networking is simply an interaction with a group of people or an individual. The purpose is to be able to contact them at a professional level, so essentially, one is building a connection or network of people, who can connect him or her to the bigger world,” Claire Kasozi, a career coach Inspire Consultants, explains.

Where and how to network
Networking can be done in a number of ways as Kasozi explains. “This starts with your friends, relatives, old students, teachers, neighbours, churchmates. Every time you connect with people or an individual, you are networking.
“The only step one has to take is to make those connections more beneficial. Not by manipulating them, but by making them worth. Learn new things, meet more people through the connections you make, and take opportunities your network brings. That’s the way to network,” she explains.
This can also be called personal networking – taking a personal initiative to meet new and more people, to build a circle or network of people with whom you have the same goals and can share them to better each other.
Online networking
The most popular online professional network is Linkedin, where people professionally connect online. “Opening a Linkedin page is simple, one signs up for the account, builds their profile and the public can view their profile and learn about their abilities for free. These are platforms where one can connect with people within and outside their professions, in and outside their country, expanding one’s horizons to connect,” Samuel Muhangi, a social media specialist, says.
He further adds that people can still connect using their social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogs. “Just cut out yourself to be known for something. If you are a photographer for example, exhibit your work on your social media platforms and people will connect to you for that.”

Networking events or social networking
Stop thinking of events or parties as being just for fun, but think of them as avenues to connect to people and so, attend as many as you can and make them beneficial.
“These include professional or sectoral trainings, conferences, discussions, marches, charities, workshops among others,” Kasozi notes, adding that you do not necessarily need to talk about your job hunt right away, but one can start by making a good first impression and then pick it up from there the next time.

Professional bodies
Joining a professional organisation could be another way to connect to your future job. Various professions have different bodies that bring them together. Joining such will help connect you to important people in your field, but also, give you a wider perspective of what is happening in the field, loopholes and opportunities.