People get jobs for all kinds of reasons. Many times it’s because they were in the right place at the right time or they knew the right person. Sometimes a simple introduction, a handshake and a business card is all it takes to get your foot in the door and lead to that next great opportunity. It’s very similar when it comes to social networking. The place is not a physical place but a virtual one. The relationships that you build aren’t necessarily long term, but a means to an end.
Every day I call people networking about different opportunities. Lately I’ve been contacting a lot of individuals about this amazing opportunity…so amazing that many feel it’s too good to be true. I wondered why people were so skeptical but after putting myself in their shoes I can see why. They’re surprised I’m calling them out of the blue. All of a sudden the phone rings and I’m on the other end of the line telling them not only do I have the job they’ve been looking for and they’re qualified for, it pays more, has better potential with an rapidly growing company and every week you have Friday-Sunday off. If that were me I’d be thinking the same thing. Generally great opportunities don’t just fall in your lap.
Through LinkedIn I connected with this individual with an ideal background for this role….on paper. Meaning his generic background such as work experience, recommendation, and summary of skills are only the tip of the iceberg. There’s still a lot to be done between that initial connection and a job offer, but that 1st step would never have happened had he not been active in networking on that site. To make a long story short, that guy got the job and is extremely excited to start. He also recommended a friend that has a very similar background. His friend also received a job offer and has social media to thank. Crazy how that works, right?!?
As far as people’s surprise about being contacted out of the blue, that is where they are wrong. They tend to forget they’ve been networking all day every day in multiple places at the same time. That is how social media can work for you. When it comes to traditional networking events you can only attend one at a time. No matter how much you’d like to be, you can’t be in two places at once. With the lottery if you don’t play, you’ll never win. With social media if you aren’t using it to multiply your networking efforts, you’ll miss out. When it comes to you winning the lottery, or me finding you a great job…I like my odds better.
Adam
