INSIDE THE

Net – Work – Ing

Networking. It’s important to job search the same way planting seeds in the spring time is important to someone hoping for vegetables in the fall. Like gardening, it can be harder than it looks. Once you know how to plant the seeds, however, it makes perfect sense and becomes easier.

Let’s look at the art of networking by breaking it down into three parts: the net, the work, and the -ing.

NET

This is the why we do it, to build a net. And like any net, a strong network is built with many soft connections, as opposed to just a few strong ones. Malcom Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point talks about this fact when he references a famous study on the “strength of weak ties“. The author of the study found that more than half of the people he talked with got their job through personal connections (OK, that’s not surprising).

The real important finding was that, of those who found jobs through their network, 16% said that connection was someone they saw “often”, while a whopping 56% said they only saw their connection “occasionally” and another 28% said they saw that person “rarely”. That’s 83% finding success through soft contacts. As Gladwell put it, “People weren’t getting their jobs through friends. They were getting them through acquaintances.”

A successful military career will spawn some very solid, deep, long-lasting friendships. These are the relationships that most often come to mind and these are the ones we are the most proud of.

But think for a moment how often the military relies on people leveraging acquaintances. It’s often said the center of knowledge can be found in the smoking area of a command. Why? Because people from different departments come together and hang out for a few moments, on a rather routine basis. Next thing you know, the “low man on the totem pole” infantryman is cutting deals with a counterpart in supply to find a more efficient way of distributing the mail. Or how often, when a problem arises with the computer systems, does the department head ask, “Who knows somebody in the Communications shop?”

This is networking and it’s nothing new. Yet too many veterans just fail to translate this into the job search. Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that the job hunt network is about having a family member/golfing partner/drinking buddy in the organization. It’s not. In fact, it may not even be a first degree connection that turns out to be the most critical piece of the puzzle.

WORK

Here is where job hunt networking differs from previous military experience. To be successful this kind networking takes thought and effort, not chance meetings at the smoke pit, or a buddy in the barracks. It means having a plan and going to events that bring like minded people together, whether it be professional or social organizations.

Finding these organizations takes a little individual effort. Often times the events will be in the evening, some may be in the next town over, and some may even cost money. The really good ones may fit into all three of those categories.

While it’s true that these factors don’t always fit easily into the active duty lifestyle, successful people will find a way to do what they can, when they can. You may not be able to make it to every event, but that’s no reason to avoid them all together.

I wrote earlier about how location of your last duty station can be a great plus. As an example, working here has allowed me to attend the local “RecruitBaltimore” conference. This one-day event cost $70, but it was worth it to take a day a of leave and pay the money to interact with professionals in the human resources field.

In fact it’s been so great that I’ve gone the past two years. I’ve also attended some quarterly meetings of the Baltimore Area Recruiters Network, and traveled into Washington, DC, for social events hosted by American Corporate Partners. All of these events have costs associated with them, whether it be time or money, but the more I participate the better I get at judging the return on investment.

ING

For those grammar lovers, the suffix -ing is used to make a present participle. This means the word represents ongoing action. You’ll notice that in the study there was no mention of people getting a job because of someone they met “one time”. The more often you attend events, the more likely you are to meet the same people a second or third time. This is what turns “somebody you met” into an “acquaintance”. The strength of a weak tie is not based on the sheer number of interactions you have with an individual, but instead it’s based on both the manner and length of which it is maintained. It’s better to see the same person three times over the span of six months at multiple events than it is to see the same person four times in one month in the same environment.

This is why it’s important to network early and often. Quick example:

Two years ago I saw a woman by the name of Chrissa give a presentation about social media at the first RecruitBaltimore event and connected with her afterwards on LinkedIn. A year later I saw her name on the schedule to present at our TAP/GTPS course and sent her a message saying that I was looking forward to the presentation. Afterwards we spoke briefly and I learned a bit about her organization.

Fast forward three months later and while attending the next evolution of the recruiting conference I spoke with Ben, a very weak connection, who finds out that I am interested in veteran issues. He quickly introduces me to the woman named Kathleen. It turns that she is the marketing director for that same organization Chrissa works for. BOOM – instant conversation starter and we quickly hit it off.

Reaching back to the Gladwell book, it turns out that Kathleen is a connector. In the past six months she has not only introduced me to a number of other individuals in the HR field, she’s also invited me to participate in a discussion / presentation on veteran hiring issues to a group of private sector recruiters in March. Completing the circle is the fact that my counterpart on the discussion will be none other than Chrissa.

I’d also like to point out that this multi-year process was not focused on simply “landing a job”. Professional networking has made me a better Officer Recruiter. It’s strengthened my ties all around the area, including many of the local universities we recruit from. By the same token, I’ve been able to offer insights about veteran issues to members of my network. Like any good relationship, it’s both genuine and symbiotic.

Networking does take time and effort. But it’s worth it. For those who feel like they may be behind the power curve or may feel like it’s too late, I would say that it’s always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Get out there and meet people.

Do you have any good success stories of how a “weak tie” has helped you or someone you know in the job search? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Bob Wheeler is a Navy veteran transitioning to the civilian world in early 2014 after a 20-year career in Navy Medicine HR. He is currently a Medical Officer Recruiter. Read Bob’s Veteran Transition Diary.