The U.S. Labor Department released it's highly anticipated job report Friday, and their news was not as good as it had unexpectedly been just a month ago.
The December 2009 report revealed that jobs were actually created in the month of November, marking the first increase in employment since the onset of the recession almost two years ago. Unfortunately, the Labor Department's latest jobs report did not maintain the same positive indication. In the last month, employers cut 85,000 jobs, suggesting that optimism regarding economic recovery may be a bit premature. The unemployment rate remains at 10%.
With the job market lagging and unemployment on the rise, competition is sure to be fierce for what few job openings do exist in an expansive market. In such a climate, networking is an absolute must, though it may make some people uncomfortable. Many opportunities are never announced to the public and employers are generally more likely to grant greater consideration to applicants who can be vouched for by reliable sources.
According to Brad Karsh, president of JobBound, a Chicago-based a career consulting firm, "If you're a passive job seeker, you're likely to remain unemployed. You have to be an active networker to land your dream job."
With that in mind, there are successful ways to network and there are counterproductive ways to network. Networking effectively can land you a job, but going about it the wrong way can hurt your chances. Take a look at the following video which takes a lighthearted look at effective and ineffective ways to network:
Instead networking brings you closer to an understanding of what people are doing, wanting and needing as well as who is doing and saying the most interesting and influential things. Networking within your profession exposes you to a diversity of thought about the things you all do and how you do them, networking outside your profession exposes you to an even broader perspective.
You will always find someone you can do a favor for, and in time those people will be willing to do favors for you.
And in time what you think you want to do now may morph into what you really want to do that the market also will accept.
I cannot believe with how much positive info out there about how to social network for a job that people aren't realizing this is the future. I think we need a dummies guide to networking for a job or something! It is just so FAR OUT of an idea for most for some reason.
My advice- always have a smashing resume on hand because you NEVER know where you will need it. Heck even the Barista at Starbucks might know a friend of a cousin of a friend of an in-law that knows the CEO of the company YOU want to work with...
There ya go - that was the networking idea on a very simplistic level!
Google me for any resume advice- it's FREE as always! I'm The Resume Chick.