In a recent blog post about Target Schools, I mentioned a stat that supports the importance of networking in obtaining a new job (essentially, 85% of jobs are captured via networking!). I must say, I resemble that statistic. And, while I personally have been quite successful in leveraging my network when job hunting, I know that, for many, networking can be daunting.
That’s why I’m going to offer up a few networking vignettes for your reading pleasure. There’s one below with links to other posts for the rest.
When I became engaged to my now husband, we decided I would move to Minneapolis. I knew I wanted to do work that was similar to consulting, but with more manageable hours. After doing some Googling and speaking to people, roles in Corporate Strategy came up.
Strategy roles are often found in companies large enough to have a separate team for this function. Luckily, there are several Fortune 500 companies (20+?) in the Twin Cities, so I opened up the LinkedIn rolodex to see if I knew anyone. While I had a few connections to these companies (not necessarily in strategy), one company where I had a fairly strong tie to the strategy team was Target Corporation. Through the LinkedIn search engine, I found that a classmate of mine from business school worked there. Though I didn’t know her well, she agreed to speak with me, and that was that. Even more strange was that when I got to the interview day, the HR/Talent Acquisition Lead was someone I had met at a concert through a childhood friend the previous summer. Small world, indeed.
International Division at General Mills
Management Consulting in NYC
Now, some of you might think: does that mean she didn’t deserve those jobs? Or, more precisely, is she worried that someone else might think that? Nope. I knew I deserved them (for the most part — I suffer from a little impostor syndrome every now and again). Plus, I trusted that these companies did a thorough search or wouldn’t keep me if I wasn’t up to snuff. Fortunately for me, I did just fine. Again, 85% of jobs are found this way. Why would I take myself out of the running/not compete by refusing to network?
