Module 2 - Job Search

Unit 2: Networking

Establishing Relationships

Networking is the process of establishing relationships to obtain career-related information or to alert employers that you are seeking work.

Networking is critically important because firstly, it allows you to gather specific information about jobs and employers, and secondly, it facilitates your access to the hidden job market.

Only 15-20 percent of all jobs are advertised, which means that the other 80-85 percent of available jobs are filled through personal contacts.

With this in mind, it is worth considering how hiring decisions are made. The graduate recruitment process is often highly structured but, if there was a one-off vacancy, the employer would probably start by checking their contacts to see if anyone can recommend someone. "You wouldn't happen to know someone who might be interested in…?" Usually, someone in the employer's network knows someone. Interviews follow, and the person gets hired. The moral of this story is that we hire our friends because we don't like to take chances.

So what does this mean for you? It suggests that your job is most likely to come from one of your friends, or one of their friends. Not from a recruitment agency, not from an ad, not from cold calling or pounding the pavement!