By this time, you’ve probably noticed a bit more movement on the jobs front: you’re starting to hear back about things you applied for before the holidays, and you’ve seen the number of posted jobs increase. Welcome to the second week of the year!
How can you take advantage of all this?
Well, this is where your relationship-building skills come into play.
Who do you already know who’s doing an interesting job? Who would you like to get to know within an organization? Focus on the people who are genuinely interesting to you, and work to find ways to interact with them. Coffee (or virtual coffee) is an ideal first step, but you can also exchange a few messages, comment on their posts, and so forth.
Networking can be a bit of a long game, so the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be. Remember, don’t focus on connections who can get you somewhere. Instead, focus on finding those people who are truly people you want to talk to, learn things from, get to know. That will keep you having genuine conversations and building real relationships.
For your search now, look at who you’re already connected with, and ask for help as appropriate. This doesn’t mean asking for job, of course, but tips, advice, etc. If you haven’t done so recently, you can also remind your existing connections what kinds of roles you’re looking for, and ask them to send appropriate postings your way.
Times are far from normal now, so don’t fret too much if you’re finding the job search harder than usual. Chances are good that it’s not you, it’s the whole system.
