www.themj.co.uk Recruitment and retention22.11.2012 00

The thought of having to network makes some people shudder, they would rather pull out their toe nails than enter a room full of strangers

and promote themselves. Yet we are told how important it is to network, that it is critical to career success. But is it that im-portant and particularly in the public sec-tor, is it essential for success? If it is how do you do it? and how, if you are shy and retiring do you embrace it?

In 2000 in her influential research paper ‘The Future of Careers’, Linda Holbeche predicted that the key skills for a successful career in the 21st century were: expertise, self reliance, emotional resilience and networking. This has been confirmed in more recent research which also suggests that 70% of new appointees found the opportunity through their net-works and 80% of professional’s claim they get business from the people they know.

Hugh Kaseras says ‘Naïve is the person who thinks that career and job opportuni-ties are solely a function of merit. Merit counts for nothing unless the right peo-ple know about you’ (2006). So the broad advice from business and career mentors is - if you want to get ahead – get network-ing.

But what do they mean by ‘network-ing’? It is not a cosy chat, it is not the start of a sales process, it is not about meeting new people and working a room; net-working is the process of building mutu-ally beneficial relations –it is about devel-oping strong relationships in which work and opportunities come via not from.

It takes time, effort, commitment and is about doing for others as well as asking for help. Eighty percent of networking success comes from maintaining contact with your existing contacts rather than

making new contacts.But why is networking so powerful? In

this era of easily available information and a global marketplace surely people can find whoever they want or whatever they want at the click of a mouse? But precisely because there is so much choice and so much information the power of recom-mendation has never been so strong. Recommendations reduce the risk of any partner, consultant, purchase or commit-ment.

Through networking you can expand your contacts and your ability to find in-formation. When you need help, answers or referrals you will have a network of peo-ple to go to for that advice. And in return you can become one of those people who is able to guide and advise. You can build your profile as an expert in your field just by being helpful. Out of those relation-ships will grow support, advice and op-portunities.

In the public sector with strict rules of open and transparent recruitment and procurement, networking may seem to be less relevant than in businesses that can award jobs and contracts to friends and relations at will. In the public sector

knowledge is often much more freely shared and co-operation between organi-sations more natural than competition. Consequently public servants can and should benefit enormously from oppor-tunities: to learn more about each other, to promote their own activity, to share ex-pertise and raise their profiles.

As the boundaries between public and private sector grow increasingly blurred the importance of building contacts grows. Headhunters still ask high pro-file and well connected people who they would recommend for a role, and individ-uals who have credibility with their peers will be recommended.

When coaching people I get them to find ‘under the radar’ information about the organisation they want to join. It is critical to high performance in interviews and the well connected find it easy.

Networking is a real learning opportu-nity, a chance to find out which organisa-tions share the same problems and which have found solutions. So attend the peer group forums, join your professional association, don’t shy away from confer-ences and take every opportunity to build bridges with colleagues (internally or ex-ternally) to share knowledge.

Organisations that are inward facing and don’t support networking can get left behind and become out of date and stop challenging themselves. Your career ben-efits from working within a highly suc-cessful organisation.

Is there any help for those who find networking really difficult, those who treasure their privacy and guard their time? The first requirement is to change the mindset. To think of networking as a means of finding people you like and admire that you can learn from and build in depth relations of trust with. You meet

new people all the time, see them as gold-en opportunities to either help them or for them to support you. Stop thinking of the clichés of ‘working a room’ pressing business cards into the hands of reluctant recipients but of finding ideas, solutions and support.

Use the people you do know to intro-duce you to those you would like to know. When you speak to people be clear and precise about the information that you want and the purpose of the call/meeting. Introverts need to develop relationships one at a time and develop depth rather than breadth. If you go to a meeting, aim to exchange business cards with one per-son you are interested in and then follow up. Extend the relationship beyond the initial meeting.

Social media provides the perfect way to meet new people in a very safe envi-ronment. Forums on professional web-sites offer opportunities to connect with former colleagues and old friends as well as making new ones through contribut-ing to groups.

The real art is to transfer those on line relationships off line and into the real world. Those websites give quantity, the key is to create quality.

In the public sector networking can actually be easier than it is in the com-petitive private sector environment, but the rewards may appear less obvious. The sharing of knowledge/ experience, learning where expertise lies, developing your profile, growing a support network, becoming known as an expert in your field are all valuable and they will bring opportunities in their wake. Remember networking is about find opportunities via not from your contacts.

www.maryhopecareersuccess.com

Networking- (love it or hate it) - is it the key skill for 21st century?

Linda Holbeche