Hot Tips for Leveraging Your Professional Network as the Job Market Cools
What you will find in this blog:
- Build relationships
- Keep in touch
- Provide value
- Lean into LinkedIn
- Attend events
- Produce content
- Request informational meetings
- Be yourself
- Keep your network hot
The new year hiring rush is over. As the job market begins to cool, what can you do to stay active in your job search? Now is the time to invest in and leverage your professional network. Being an internal referral will always give you a leg up on other candidates. This is not to say that you will not land a job by simply applying, you certainly can. However, if you know someone on the inside who is happy to refer you, the likelihood of at least getting an interview, and potentially then an offer, goes up.
However, you cannot be an internal referral if you do not keep up with your network. Check out my hot tips for leveraging your network as the job market cools.
Build relationships
Networking is not transactional; it is all about building relationships. This means knowing about your contact and their life. How are their family, pet, favorite hobby, recent trip? Check in just because, not because you need something. Listen to their challenges, and provide assistance when you can—without the expectation of quid pro quo.
Keep in touch
In order to build a relationship, you need to keep in touch. That means regular connection. It does not have to be every day or week. Consider once a month for closer contacts, and once a quarter for those more removed.
Provide value
Send articles and resources freely. If someone asks for your advice or help, do your best to assist. Make introductions and connections for others where appropriate. Make yourself a network asset with whom people will want to be connected.
Lean into LinkedIn
I know I say this a lot, but LinkedIn is important for professional networking. Make sure all your information is up to date and that you are posting regularly to stay top-of-mind. Share valuable posts from your feed, so that your connections feel supported. Seek out connections and request to add people to your network. Once connected on the platform, do your best to build a relationship from there.
Attend events
In-person networking can be a great way to meet new connections within your industry. Once you establish yourself within a networking group, offer your services as a guest speaker to set yourself up as a leader. This will also prompt others attending to want to stay connected with you, as you will be positioned as the subject matter expert.
Produce content
Depending on your industry, it might be beneficial to produce your own content. Blogs, videos, social images and posts, and other types of content can again set you up as a leader in your industry.
Request informational meetings
When the market has cooled and hiring is slow, you might see that you are getting less face time with important people in your vertical. This is a good time to request informational meetings so that you can still learn about a company and get leadership insights on the current landscape. Keep it simple. If they are close and have the time, a coffee meetup is fine, but for busy executives, suggest a short virtual call.
Be yourself
When I say be yourself, I mean be your professional self. Still wear appropriate attire, and keep conversation fitting for the situation. It is also okay to laugh, smile, ask questions, be curious, and in general let your personality show. People want to connect and build relationships with other people, not with a talking resume.
Keep your network hot
Even though the job market is cooling, that does not mean that your networking should be left out in the cold. In fact, now is when you really need to turn up the temperature on leveraging your network, as securing a role might come down to who you know.
Are you ready to heat up your networking skills?
Connect with me and we can chat about updating your LinkedIn profile, identifying good connections, and crafting messages to ask for informational interviews.