“Can Networking Lead to Job Offers? How to Network Effectively Post-Graduation for Tech Professionals”
#jobsearch #networking #tech #conferences #jobopportunities
### How does networking impact job offers?
– Is networking as effective as cold calling?
– What should you say when meeting someone in person to avoid putting them on the spot?
### Post-graduation networking strategies:
– Where should you network after graduation, at tech conferences?
– How can exchanging business cards lead to potential opportunities?
### Personal experiences and insights on networking:
– Have you had success networking outside of LinkedIn connections?
– How has networking helped you in finding job opportunities in the tech industry?
By integrating these questions and insights, you can effectively navigate the world of networking to enhance your job search efforts and potential opportunities.
The short version is, there are a lot of jobs out there that are not posted on a job board. They are completely by word of mouth, networks, and referrals.
Think of the job market as an iceberg, and that a lot of jobs are under the water.
I’ve had it get me a few interviews, and almost an offer, but no quite.
Cold messaging and such may actually be ok…just more awkward perhaps.
>There are some conferences coming up that I want to go to just to meet up other people who use the same tech I do (ember js, Golang) but I have no intention of explicitly looking for new work, but if it happens it happens.
So you do understand or you don’t? Because this part sounds like you’ve got it under control.
Networking effectively is about developing meaningful relationships, often with people you have worked with, or people you seek out for advice. Trying to friend a random person on LinkedIn is not good networking. You don’t have to be friends necessarily, but have good rapport and share common interests. So networking can help with a job offer since you could reach out to someone and they could refer you or vouch for you.
Spamming LinkedIn connections requests asking for referrals with an “open to work” green banner is NOT networking.
Networking means building relationships based on MUTUAL benefits and interactions. It’s something you can’t do when needy, you need to have something good to offer not just to take.
The real networking you can do as student is with your professors and peers, you can go to do career fairs but that’s not really networking that’s just a way to submit an application. It is normal that as a new grad you won’t have that much of a network, just don’t fool yourself into thinking that spamming connection requests on LinkedIn is networking
>After graduation, where do you network, tech conferences?
Primarily through working. You work with people, you form opinions about them, then you use that later.
Here are some examples from my life:
* I was in a college club with someone. Their company was looking to hire and they asked me to interview.
* I had worked with several people who went to a company. They asked me to interview.
* I had worked with someone and they needed a person to do what I do. They asked me to interview.
* I got laid off. My wife made a post on Facebook and one of her friends referred me to her company.
* I have a few openings on my team right now. I went through my list of former co-workers and reached out to a few.
* I have a few friends and former co-workers who are looking for new jobs. I’m keeping an eye out for openings with other friends’ and former co-workers’ companies to try and find matches.
The sort of networking where you just briefly meet a bunch of folks doesn’t tend to give you very good results because you don’t know each other.
Read “What Color Is Your Parachute?” and “Never Eat Alone.” Your question sounds sort of like “How does planting work? I planted some corn, how do I get the tortilla?”
It’s a long game but it’s worth it. I just did something I’ve been meaning to do for years: analyze my job history. From ages 24 to 64 I had 18 jobs (on payroll or full time consulting) and 13 of them were through my network, meaning someone I knew called me and recruited me or referred me. All of my best jobs came this way. You end up with 4 kinds of links: (1) coworkers, (2) customers, (3) vendors, and (4) buddies. I’ve been recruited by customers when I worked for a vendor, and vice versa. Buddies are people who enjoy hanging out with. Always be willing to help people, and show gratitude when they do. Look for opportunities to mentor and be mentored — people appreciate both. Work hard when no one’s looking, because sometimes someone is, and besides, hard work is a virtue and can even be exhilarating.
Good luck! Report back!
Networking is really about forming relationships, it doesn’t even have to be for the same work topic; in most cases its not. It could be as simple as liking the same events and seeing eachother at those events and randomly chatting about whatever for a few months to a few years as friends.
The result of the referral to work is a side effect of the relationship not the main point.
We need a guy. I remember this guy I schooled/worked with/had done some project with/spoke extensively on some technical stuff at an event. That guy seemed competent and not an asshole and somebody I can work with. This guy is looking for a job. I give his resume to my HM, possibly bypassing recruiters and a few interview rounds.
Voila, networking.
It helps once you’ve been in the industry a little while and make connections. It’s easier to reach out to people once you’ve established those working relationships. I’m severely introverted but still have a decent network. I don’t expect them to get me a job but just checking in with those people from time to time can help you down the road if you’re ever needing a referral. Just keep in touch with people. Networking takes time.
Just join a bunch of groups in LinkedIn recruiters are looking around there. Add as many of them as you want to. Networking can get you jobs in some niche companies but for the most part. …. It’s leetcode lol don’t waste time on going to events etc keep on applying and if you don’t get calls back apply to small companies just to get at least one year experience in id you are fresh out of college. From there climb the ladder
People hire people they trust. People trust people they know.
Find out how many people are attending and print as many resumes as you can and hand them out one by one. /s
Networking isn’t just meeting people and exchanging business cards. Networking is basically making friends or being friendly with people in your profession. That’s really all it is.
You build relationships with people – whether it’s helping them out when they need it, working together, having conversations, bullshitting in Discord, working on projects together, going out for drinks, hanging out at meetups, whatever. That’s literally all it is.
When you have friends, and you have friends that are starting companies, or need to hire a consultant or full timer, or whatever, and they like working with you they might reach out to you with something or they might be more inclined to give you a job if they are looking for help.
I have two standing job offers for whenever I decide to leave my current company (which is itself a pretty decent spot) because of this, plus a solid pipeline of paid consulting work.
I just generally make friends with people and they keep me in the loop on things. That’s really about it. Like I asked someone for a referral recently and immediately got an interview.
Really not that hard to just go out with the intention of meeting people you might get along with.
Networking is weird. You get all dressed up and spend a bunch of money going to dumb events where nothing happens.
Then once you’ve given up all hope you go to your normal bar wearing sweatpants and the happens to be a tech meetup there and you get offered a job on the spot.
It’s kind of like dating where if you put yourself out there good things have a way of happening when you least expect it.
One thing you can do is just invite people for 30 minute calls. Keep a roster of the people you know, and reach out every year or so.
Just see what they are up to! It doesn’t need to be more complicated than a conversation about tech between two people!
The type of networking you’re describing is best kept on LinkedIn.
Real life networking is basically just being friendly with people and building *real* connections.
Networking is just getting referrals. And referrals are pretty easy to get.
Cold messaging people on LinkedIn may or may not get you a referral. Messaging a friend for a referral? Easy – I will refer any friend, no questions asked. Coworkers are also a good source, especially if they liked you (I’m less likely to refer you if I thought you sucked). I’ve had friends hired with no interview thanks to prior work relationships – think like ex-manager / direct report type of relationship though.
So the best way to network is parties and company events. Friends know other friends in the industry. And company events can help you build relationships outside your team, but still in the industry. I find conferences, etc. pretty useless since you only see these people once. Networking is about building a relationship. Going to your local rock climbing gym twice a week and going out drinking/hiking will get you a way bigger network than any conference.
For most people, “networking” just means staying in touch with people you’ve worked with and leveraging that to find opportunities and get help.
It’s not nepotism. It can’t get you a job.
For example, I added my (then) team lead to my LinkedIn. We got along well and could vouch for each others’ capabilities. I happened to know that he used to work with someone who left to be a manager at company X. So after I had left the job, I hit up my former lead and asked him about that because I was interested in company X, and he got me in touch with that manager.
I didn’t end up getting a job there, but now I have a contact who can help me navigate the process and find fresh opportunities if I want to go for that company again.
I’ve never really seen that much value in connecting with strangers. That’s more of a social thing, in my opinion.
Networking isn’t a thing where you just decide to do it one day and flip a switch and then it’s done. It’s about building and cultivating relationships over the course of your entire career. It looks daunting at entry level because that’s when you’re starting to plant the seeds.
When you’re a few years into a career, then you go on linkedin and see where your classmates are, and now that’s starting to look more like a network.
You can network based on a variety of themes, from alma mater to interest in specific stacks, catching up with old coworkers, responding to a recruiter looking for a mutually beneficial connection, warming up to people you met at conferences, friends and family, etc.
The way it normally works is that once you do have a decent network, you broadcast to it that you’re open for work, and then they propagate that through word of mouth to theirs, to the extent that they feel close enough to you to extend the favor.
You don’t network only when you’re looking. You network for other reasons, and use that when you’re looking.
I’ve spoken at local conferences, so I can message the organizers (who are mostly devs and leads that work in tech) and say “hey, long time no see, got any leads?” And I can say that because we have a relationship. I’ve got coworkers I’ve worked with in the past and I can say “Hey, was nice working with you before, do it again sometime?”
If you meet someone randomly at a local meetup, keep going to the meetup! You want them to see you as a part of the local development community, rather than a random cold contact.