Networking is one of the most important skills you can develop in your professional career. That's right. I said skill. It's almost always unanimously recommended as one of the most important attributes to navigating a successful civilian career. Then why is it so hated?
You never had to network in the military, so why should you need to in the civilian world? It's pretty simple. Unlike the military there is no single database where hiring managers can go and find the person that is the exact right fit for the job. Even with LinkedIn, Monster, etc., a database often won't tell you enough about a person to give them a chance. And let's face it. Most hiring decisions are made emotionally, not because of some scorecard or number of keywords on a resume.
So if networking is so important, what is so valuable about it and how do you become good at it? There are three key values to networking:
Networking gives you insider info. Establishing a good network and maintaining those relationships can be rewarding in itself, but it can also be very professionally beneficial. Keeping tabs on your connections, keeps you top of mind for them, and if they're hiring it can mean an introduction to a team that might be a good fit.
Networking gets you an easy referral. A referral is both good for the hiring company and for you. It gives you the inside track to a job opening, and it saves the company time and effort trying to find a good candidate. If someone from the company is willing to vouch for you, you've got a good chance at getting at least a first interview.
Networking gets you reps to tell your story. You'll find that a lot of networking is you telling your story or sharing your personal elevator pitch over and over. This is good practice to hone your pitch for when you get the opportunity to tell it to a hiring manager. Networking among peers at a job conference is a good low threat way to practice this.
Now that we understand that networking is important in the job hunt, how do we identify where and with whom we should be spending our time. The easiest way I have found is to find an intersection of your networks. The more networks you share with someone, the better and more likely their referral will be.
Take the below Venn diagram:
You likely have several networks that you are a part of: Veterans, Undergrad alumni, MBA cohort, members of the local running club, etc. The more in common you have with someone the more likely they will be to refer you. It's a pretty simple idea, but can help you narrow down who might be a high value resource to you.
Try this way of thinking, and comment if it's worked for you!