A little bit more on Networking......
A little bit more on Networking......
Who are your contacts?
The starting point of any networking
campaign is to identify your contacts.
Brainstorming is a good way to start
identifying your networks and contacts. This exercise will help you set up an
initial contact list to start your networking. The following is a list of
suggested contacts:
1. Friends/Family
2. Relatives
3. Sport club members
4. Neighbours / Community
5. Current / past part-time job contacts &
customers
6. UL Alumni that have done my course last year and the year
before etc
7. UL Staff & Careers Office
8. My contacts on LinkedIn
Put a simple plan in place
List every last
contact you can think of and beside each name in a spreadsheet gather all their
contact details in on place and timeline it, setting a reminder on your phone
to ask such a person when I am home or training or in my part-time job. Track
the progress, literally write down “x said he would check and let me know” you
need to loop back and remind “x” so follow up is key so set a reminder for
yourself.
Figure out what to say to potential
connections
Decide depending on who you are going
to speak to what do you want from it?
To make the most effective approaches:
·
Do a little research prior to
establishing contact. You will make a good impression if they feel you already
know something about their work and their company.
·
Prepare a list of relevant questions
for your discussions so that you know what you want to get out of the
conversation. There are some suggestions below.
·
Use the telephone or face to face
approaches in the first instance. It is more personal and you are more likely
to get a response than if you write a letter or send an email.
·
Have
some ideas on what target job you want or else no one can help you with your
job search
·
Have an up to date CV to hand at all
times that shows clearly what you have to offer.
·
Be
ready to tell your story in a minute or two
·
Always use someone's name when you are
contacting them and state clearly your connection with them when you introduce
yourself.
·
Outline at the outset the help that you
need. Always ask for help and advice rather than a job, in the first instance.
·
Have
some ideas on what you want workwise or else no one can help you with your job
search
·
Record the result of each approach and
make a note of any further contacts that they offer you.
·
Send
them a nice thank you message after
On-campus networking Opportunities
There are weekly on campus events during
semester advertised by the UL Careers Service through careersconnect.ul.ie ,
email, social media, campus screens etc
Review the campus events announcements
and schedule in time to attend. Try not to judge a brands value from a distance,
just because you never heard of them, go and check them out and then make up
your mind.
Say hello or ask a question to the
company contact after employer on-campus presentations or at information stands
Consider asking company contacts you
meet on campus would it be okay to connect on LinkedIn? Nearly all will say yes.
Attend the UL Careers Fair held
annually, it is the largest graduate fair in Ireland and takes place
traditionally on the first Thursday in October every year. To make the very
most out of it you need to prepare in advance. See our helpful guide (below at the end of this post) on how to
prepare for the UL Careers Fair.
Contacts can assist you in the following areas:
·
Finding out what a job is really like
by telling you about their work or arranging some work shadowing for you in
their area.
·
Advising you on the skills and
qualifications that you will need for particular jobs, and the recruitment
processes used.
·
Offering you an insight into a
particular company and working culture.
·
Reviewing your CV and suggesting
changes and improvements.
·
Recommending other sources of
information that will help with your research, including introducing you to
other contacts.
·
Informing you when any opportunities
for work placements or jobs arise at their company.
·
Suggesting employment avenues that you
may not have considered exploring or even know about.
·
Offering general advice based on their
personal experience of work.
Good
to remember that companies like their employees to refer in potential
candidates as the research shows that referrals have higher successful hiring
rates. An employee referral is a structured program that companies and
organizations use to find talented people by asking their existing employees to
recommend candidates from their existing networks. In return, companies offer
their employees different types of employee referral rewards such as cash
bonuses or gift tokens depending how far their referred CV gets in the
selection process.
Being
able to develop and use contacts is an important skill that will help you to be
successful not only in your search for job opportunities but in all areas of
your life.