One of the most effective ways to find a job is through networking, with between 50-80% of jobs being found through networking, not online job boards, etc. (insert reference) That may be surprising to you if you haven’t heard it, but I can testify that it works, as 3 of my last 4 jobs came through networking of some form or another:

• Job 1: through a friend working at the company, who introduced me

• Job 2: through a contact I made at an industry trade show (he worked at the company I later joined)

• Job 3: (non-networking) in-house recruiter reached out to me about a role

• Job 4: through a fellow classmate in my MBA program, who introduced me to a contact of his, who introduced me to his friend at the company I joined.

As you can see, the power of networking is REAL, and the best part about it is that, when done correctly, networking can be simple and natural. The first question you may ask yourself is “how do I build a network?” or “what is my network?”

You already have a network. You just might not realize it.

If you already have a network, then where does it come from, or who’s in it? Put simply, your network is made up of people you’ve come across throughout your life, including from:

• previous jobs
• school (high school, college, etc.)
• affinity groups (alumni groups, community groups, volunteer organizations)
• sport teams (my kids play sports, and we’ve become good friends with some of the parents)
• church groups
• meet ups, etc.

That’s a lot of different people for you meet, or that you have met already, and that’s great news. This also doesn’t include what I would call your “secondary” or “extended” network, which is people you could have access to based on a referral from your friends in the groups above. In short, having a network of isn’t going to be the problem for most people, it will be using that network effectively to find work and progress in your career.

I’ve lived in isolation my whole life, had private tutors, a home gym, and never stepped outside before today – I have no network! Am I doomed?!?!

OF COURSE you are! Seriously though, I’m kidding, and you aren’t that person anyway. In case you legitimately had a smaller network and needed help growing one (this could be because you’re new to an area, for example) then there are steps you can take to rapidly grow your network.

If I was brand new to an area and knew literally no one, I would do the following:

• Contact people within the local church group (ours is worldwide so I can already make connections in a new geography quickly)
• Look for alumni from my college (under grad and grad school) and reach out to make connections
• Go online and look for local meetups for things I’m interested in, using sites like www.meetup.com. There are TONS os groups there for all sorts of interests, from hiking to motorcycles to religions, yoga and more. That site is designed to foster introductions, so don’t hesitate to use it!
• Use LinkedIn to find people at companies and roles I’m interested in and ask if they’d be open to grabbing a bite
• Go to the local park and see if people are playing pickup games at night. This will sound funny, but it truly works. I love exercising, and I have a group of 12-15 guys I’ve played ball with over the last 5 years. Without a doubt I know they would help me if I asked.

In another article, we’ll talk about how to use your network to grow personally and to nurture those around you. Stay tuned!