Network, Network, Network-Do It Intelligently

Ask yourself, “How do I get behind the HR and company internet application battlements?”

(Battlements are slotted defensive positions atop castle walls that allowed defenders to shoot arrows and pour molten pitch down on crazed attackers.  Getting career information or an interview feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it?)

Networking is vital in your job search and will remain critical throughout your life. The people in your network can inform you of a job opening at their workplace or at the workplace of someone in their network. People in your network can also be the source of expertise. They can also provide a reality check in a period of personal confusion.

In your initial job search, connect with anyone and everyone. Who do you know, who do your parents know, and who do your professors know? Are there alumni who have agreed to mentor in their fields?  Everyone, to one degree or another, fears rejection. If someone is not responsive, it means nothing more than they weren’t responsive! That’s it and nothing more.  If someone is nonresponsive don’t accept defeat. Move on. You need information and want introductions.

Finally, DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you contact someone. Know who they are and what they do. Don’t expect them to open the top of your head and pour in the information. For a mentor, it is painful, after doing it one or two times, to start at the very beginning once again. To elicit a constructive response you must prove to your contact that you care enough and that you are mature enough to be prepare for the conversation.