To network or not to network? Here are the most relevant benefits of networking that will motivate you to keep in touch with current industry experts.
Have you ever walked into a crowded meeting room and felt embarrassed that you didn’t know a single person? In this particular situation, you have two options: to stay in the corner and wait for someone to start a conversation with you or approach people and start building new relationships. The latter is crucial if you’re looking to expand your network.
Since the recruitment industry is a competitive one, doing everything you can to stand out from the crowd is a bonus. The point of networking is not to increase your profits, but to build your reputation as a reliable and knowledgeable recruiter or agency that can offer useful information to those who need it. You can also promote your job openings and attract a larger number of qualified candidates.
The trick is to stay open to meeting new people and nurture your network. You should set aside an hour of your day to reach out to people, have lunch with a business friend, or send them trending news.
Building a professional network is particularly important for the success of any business. For the recruitment niche, it means meeting new people, broadening your circle, and cultivating meaningful relationships.
Networking can happen virtually and in person. Joining an organization with like-minded people, attending conferences, or being present on social media, these are all effective ways of building your strong network. What you know and who you know can help you expand your knowledge base and improve your chances of successfully doing business. Here’s a list of key reasons why you should step up your networking games and keep in touch with relevant figures in your industry.
Candidate Quality
Networking may result in locating quality hires who will perform professionally on the job. By leveraging your professional network, you can have an effective way of sourcing job candidates. You can trust your network to make quality referrals as it would reflect poorly on them to refer someone who is underqualified. In the long run, this can also lead to higher retention rates for those candidates and the growth of your reputation as a highly-regarded recruiter or a recruitment agency. What’s more, you’ll discover hidden quality candidates who wouldn’t have been found or successfully messaged if you hadn’t used your networking connections.
You can let your professional network know that you are on the lookout for a candidate with specific skills, and let them give you a list of referrals. Make sure you are transparent about the job title, skills, and qualifications required from the candidates. You can do this in person or reach out to them via email or social communities like LinkedIn.
And recruiters – let’s be honest. How many times have you had a great conversation with a potential candidate, only to learn that they aren’t currently looking but a few months later, they reach out to you? That happens all the time in our industry – it is about time we really start thinking of candidates as real people whose circumstances change. We should network in such a way, that when they think about looking for another role – they should think of you first because of your initiative to reach out and really learn about their background and ability to stay in touch.
Gaining Useful Information About Your Target Sector
Having a vast circle of connections can be an effective way of discovering information about your target sector that you may not be informed of. A chance conversation with a business friend can let you know in which areas there is a shortage of suitable candidates. Or, you can identify the markets where talent supply exceeds talent demand. You’ll know where to look for certain skill sets that your company desperately needs.
Once you locate the markets you wish to draw talent from, the entire recruiting energy should be focused on this particular task. Creating a targeted approach, such as online branding campaigns or recruiter outreach, can be highly effective.
Exchanging Fresh Ideas
Did you know that Trello is a great task management tool for prioritizing your projects in a flexible way? Or that you should use Hootsuite if you’re looking to keep track and manage your many social network channels? Sometimes, reading up on industry news to find out the current trends will not suffice. You need to talk to other professionals in your industry and exchange ideas.
There’s an abundance of information that you might find useful by simply reaching out to your connections. For example, the release of new software on the market that can help with your time management. The benefits are mutual as you will also have the opportunity to share your practices and ideas with your network. You’ll remain on top of things in the industry and will learn what others do to modify your business strategy.
Support and Guidance
As you make progress in the world of recruitment, you’ll be faced with a number of obstacles and challenges. Your career will have ups and downs, good moments, and bad moments. Counting on the help of your connections can be mentally, financially, and professionally relieving. Your business friends might be able to help you overcome the challenges and navigate your difficult situations. They can reassure you of a decision you’re making and will be there to celebrate the good moments.
Personally, I have found that having a mentor is of great importance. A mentor can tell you everything they have accumulated over the years and transfer that knowledge to you. My mentor, Pooja Lagos, was my sounding board. She is a valuable figure in my career and has always encouraged me to stay in touch with people internally within my organization. She was there to give me advice, lend me a perspective, and point my strong sides and vulnerabilities.
I remember for our one-on-one meetings where she would specifically make it a point to ask me to list out 3-5 professionals within our company that I could potentially connect with just to learn about what they are doing. She would always motivate our team to not only reach our individual goals but also to remember not to get too siloed within our team. I took her advice into consideration and reached out to multiple individuals to learn about the different accounts and really did learn a lot! In fact, I was able to listen to and learn from other recruiters and what helped them fill technical roles faster. Thank you, Pooja!
Career Opportunities
As you gain greater business visibility, networking will also open doors to new career opportunities. You’ll get noticed by people who would love to collaborate, meet important figures, and advance your own business.
Building and nurturing a strong network will give you stronger collaborative skills and greater creativity. It will increase your chances of learning something new and inspire innovative ways of thinking.
What’s more, you’ll learn a great deal about the industry and prepare yourself for all possible situations. You can talk about your connections’ successes and failures and get an insight into the outcomes of certain decisions.
Start Building Your Network Today
Now that you know that making connections is the cornerstone of recruitment, why not step out of your comfort zone and start growing your contacts today? Take your time to meet and say hello to your business friends and help your career in many ways.
What is your chosen method of networking? How has networking helped your business? I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and talk to someone new today – even if it’s just to say hi!
