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Finding a Job Without Having to Network

Written by Bernie

Bernie Frazier, SPHR is the Founder and President of CAREERCompass, LLC, a speaking and career coaching firm in St. Louis, MO. She also spent almost 25 years recruiting talent to six organizations across four industries and led the talent acquisition function for four of those organizations, including one global team.

The nature of my business is to help professionals restart, grow and/or transform their careers and I love it!  Consistently, during the job search aspects of my career coaching, the subject of networking comes up.  Some clients understand and embrace its place in a job search while others try to avoid it like it’s the new “four letter word.”

                “I know I need to do it but,….”

                “Ugh, why do I have to network?  I’m not good at talking to strangers.”

                “I’ve tried networking before and it didn’t work.”

                “I don’t have anything to help anyone else with so what’s the point?”

                “I don’t know what to talk to them about?”

I’ve heard them all.

Slide1If you can relate to any of the statements above, then this post is definitely for you, because I’m here to share some good news with you – YOU DON’T HAVE TO NETWORK IN ORDER TO FIND A JOB.  That’s right, you can avoid all of the awkward conversations, skip all of the networking events and sidestep having to ask complete strangers to help you find a job.

How do you do this?

The answer is very simple.  I always say networking is nothing more than two words – building relationships.  People are always eager to help those they know, like and trust, right?  So, why not get assistance from people you already know, they already like you and the trust is already established – your family and friends!  That’s right, look for jobs through people who are already in your corner:

They already know you and connect with you on a (semi) regular basis

  • They already like (or love) you
  • They already want to see you do well
  • They already work for other employers and have insights they can share!

I always tell clients and audiences that this is the first place to start with your networking.  Why spend days, weeks or even months attempting to get to the “big wig” in a company when your favorite cousin is her Administrative Assistant and is the one who controls her calendar anyway?

The best part about looking for a job through your family and friends is you don’t have to worry so much about formality when getting their assistance.  If you don’t say it just perfectly or wear the right outfit when you meet with them, they don’t care.  They already know you’re a good person, a hard worker and would probably be overjoyed to help, just like you would if the shoe were on the other foot.

Actually, they’re probably just waiting on your call…

Until next time….