How to Build a Professional Network from Scratch: Where to Meet People
Did you know that 80% of employers prefer to fill job opportunities through networking?
This has been true for decades. Yet, when you look at articles on how to find a job, they only talk about a small part of the process. They suggest things like:
Be specific about what they type of work you are looking for
Hire a recruiter
Search online job boards
Customize your résumé and cover letter
Organize your job search and track responses
These steps are the beginning, and they are important, but they are not even half of the story.
Some articles will add a paragraph on activating your network. One paragraph is not enough! The key to accessing the hidden job market should not also be hidden! It makes no sense.
Fact: The better your network, the faster you will find work, and the better your opportunities will be. Once your network is established, it’s possible that you will never have to look for a job again. This is not a joke. When you tell your network you’re looking, they will send you information as they receive it. You could also receive surprise requests from employers.
Many people find networking to be challenging and uncomfortable. Deliberately forming new relationships can take us outside of our comfort zone, but the advantage of networking is invaluable!
Whether you have a network you’d like to grow, or are just beginning, the same strategy applies: If you want to meet employers who are hiring, the best approach is to meet new people and develop relationships.
If I could read your mind, I think you’d want answers to two questions:
1. Where do I meet good networking contacts?
2. How do I build connections?
The previous blog post Grow Your Future: The Secret to Better Networking Results with Less Frustration talks about a helpful approach to take when networking. To ensure that your efforts are sustainable, so you can benefit from your network, take a look at this short post. A few minutes a day will change your future.
Now, let’s talk about your important questions. Where can you meet people to build a professional network? The short answer is literally anywhere.
You could meet people through people you already know, at parties or other social events.
You could also meet people simply because you see them regularly and become familiar with them. They could be people in your neighbourhood, people you see on the bus every morning, at the dog park, or on your lunchtime walk. Our routines always cross other people’s routines. This is a great way to meet people!
Some of the clients I speak to think they need to meet Vice Presidents, CEO’s and hiring managers for their network to be valuable. But this is simply not true.
Although it can be very helpful to know people at this level, it’s more important to know all sorts of people. Each person in your network has a network, so your access to different types of people gives you access to more diverse networks.
Take a moment to think about the barista at coffee shop on your street, your neighbour who is a personal trainer, your barber or hair stylist, and the clerk at your local bookstore. Now take a moment to think about how many managers, corporate vice presidents, CEO’s (or their family members) buy a coffee, get a haircut, go to the gym, or buy books.
If you said, “All of them!” you’d be right. People at all levels are connected to people at all levels.
A highly effective network is big (lots of people), deep (a good number of strong connections) and diverse (people from different personal and professional backgrounds, with a variety of interests).
Building a diverse professional network is an important factor that is often overlooked in favour of familiarity and convenience. A strong network will help you with your current needs. If you want to continue to do similar work in a similar industry, you’ll do well.
But what happens if your industry changes, or there’s an economic shift, or you simply change your mind and want to do something new? The more diverse your network is, the more variety of opportunity, knowledge, and insight you have access to.
For a long time, my network was not very diverse. I was working in Learning in the public service, and so were most of the people in my network. If I wanted a new job in this area, I had no trouble finding one.
But imagine what happened when I started talking about entrepreneurship. Most people in the public service value stability, most entrepreneurs value innovation and adventure. The portion of my network related to the public service was not very helpful.
If you would like to expand your network (and I hope you would), there are many ways to meet people. There are situations, both online and offline, that are designed to help you meet new people. Here are some of the best places to meet people for professional networking.
Conferences, career fairs, networking events, workshops, trade shows
Professional organizations (and their events)
Local Meetups (see if there’s a group for an interest you have on meetup.com)
Community events, community activities, sporting events and interest groups
Volunteering (Pro tip: this is a great way to get free access to paid events)
Social media
Online communities and forums
Based on the current job search information, the length of time it takes to find a job is 3-6 months. Other sources confirm that 5 months and 5 or 6 months are normal.
These statistics clearly indicate that most people don’t have a good network. If it takes more than 4-6 weeks to receive a good job offer, you don’t have a strong enough network.
If you don’t have a strong network, it means you are competing with everyone else who doesn’t have network!
Competing is not fun. It can make you feel that there are more job seekers than there are jobs, which leads to feelings of frustration and hopelessness. There is a labour shortage in both the US and Canada.
There are lots of jobs and not enough workers. When you have a good network, you will experience the truth of this.
Get involved. Meet more people. Develop relationships. Employers are looking for you!
Your relationships are an investment in your future security.
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In the next post, we will talk about the specifics of how to build a network and will answer the question, “How to build connections?”