How important is networking? Networking is the most crucial thing you can do to aid your job search, and there is no better time to do this than over the holidays. The holiday season allows you to expand your network and rebuild relationships with old contacts.
Make networking a priority
Throughout the festive season, managers are more relaxed, as they are receiving fewer phone calls, emails and work activity in general. This is where you can take advantage to increase your contacts during the networking process. If you have identified your target companies, there is no harm in getting in contact with them. Most likely, they will be up for having a face-to-face meeting when things are quieter.
Holidays make it easier to meet in person
The holiday season, especially during the festive period, is extremely busy with gatherings, parties and general celebrations. Making it extremely easy for you to engage with a large number of interesting people. If you are extremely clear with your family and friends about what you’re actually looking for in terms of networking contacts and give specific companies you’re interested in, then this allows anyone in the family who has ‘’friend of friends’’ to reach out and find potential suitors.
Prepare for opportunities
By choosing to network over the festive period you are giving employers the opportunity to think about what and who they want to bring into the New Year with them. Businesses want a fresh start to the year, with plenty of roles opening up in the month of January to potential future employees.
Although some companies may be slower due to the heads of the companies taking a vacation, this presents you with the perfect opportunity to move your search forward with strategic networking.
Do’s and Don’ts of Networking
Do
· Set goals for yourself. This can be anything from identifying a target or monitoring how you are doing during your meetings at the end of each week.
· Make sure that you are well prepared. Ensure that you are researching the company in advance, as well as the person that you are going to be speaking to. Having questions prepared will also benefit you highly.
· Follow up on yourself. After you are done speaking with someone, make sure that you ask them who they think you should be speaking to, and if there is a chance that they could refer you to them.
Don’t
· Don’t ask for a job. Remember what networking is about, you are there to build a relationship, not to ask for a favour.
· Don’t be rude. You are speaking with another human being, remember you are dealing with a human being and not just someone who could potentially help you in your future career, always have manners.
· Don’t waste their time. If the information that you need can be found on the website then do not waste both of your time.
Get in Touch
Networking is a crucial part of the job for any recruiter, if you want to find out more information about this process then we would be happy to help, contact us now.