NETWORKING

by Denise Wambsganss

Denise Wambsganss has 14 years of professional recruiting experience. She
began her recruiting career with Kelly Services spending the first 2 years
in the temporary field, She then played the role of a permanent
placement/headhunter for 7 years, and the last 5 years have been
exclusively recruiting in the IT ( Information Technology) field. Denise
is one of the founders of the Colorado Technical Recruiters Network (CTRN),
has played the role of Secretary/Treasurer and presently is on the Board of
Directors for this organization. A few of the companies she has worked for
and placed people at are: Sprint PCS, JD Edwards, Lucent, US West, Time
Warner, Information Industries, Inc., and Raymond James Consulting.

Statistics show that depending on the level of your position, between 40% to 70% of all jobs are filled through networking. The last four positions I have accepted were from networking. Three of those four were from individuals calling me and recruiting me from the network of contacts of which I have built over the last four years. I must say : ‘ That is job security’.

See also: Interviewing tips

NETWORKING

Statistics show that depending on the level of your position, between 40% to 70% of all jobs are filled through networking. The last four positions I have accepted were from networking. Three of those four were from individuals calling me and recruiting me from the network of contacts of which I have built over the last four years. I must say : ” That is job security”.

Networking is an essential part of having a successful career. It also limits the amount of bad choices being made from lack of information about a firm. Networking gives you the opportunity to find out about jobs before all of your peers hear about them and are in direct competition with you.

What is Networking? It is talking with people sharing information. I have found that we must make a deposit, before we can make a withdrawal. What I mean by that is we must give something to someone before we can ask for something. You should continually keep notes of what people need. For example: (as an IT recruiter) I keep notes of all the skill sets that my peers need, so when I can not help a candidate with a job opening I have, I can refer them to one of my peers/friends. Then when I call for help, they gladly share with me. When I call out of the blue and give a recruiter a dynamite candidate I can not help that I know they need it builds immediate credibility and a relationship they want to participate in.

So How do you network? Start building your network today! By investing the time to develop your network you will benefit immensely. And yes, it does take time. First of all think of everyone you have worked with in the last 2 years and call them, next think of people you associate with on a frequent basis, get their phone #s, email addresses, pager, get any and all ways to communicate with them and start an address book. Ask them what they need, how you can help, and then put that information in your book and continually update it. Take advantage of networking by getting involved in business and professional organizations. Keep copies of telephone directories as you change positions, as you may forget what roles different individuals held.

Networking is a great opportunity to gain knowledge in your field, help solve problems, keep up with the market and be a well-known and recognized individual in the industry. I heard it said one time that success is not how many people you know but how many people know you. I am convinced that by networking and giving away information people will know you !!! Good luck.