It isn’t what you know…it is who you know.
There is no doubt that you have heard that saying before, but do you believe it to be true?
While I do think that what you know is very important, there is a lot of truth in the idea that who you know – or your ability to build a strong network – is equally important.
Power of Networking
When I graduated from college and was interviewing for a job, one of the companies that I interviewed with just happened to be headed up by someone that used to work for my dad. They came in with the most compelling offer and that is where I began my professional career.
The job may have come easier with the contact that I had, but my quality of work demonstrated that the decision to hire me was quite prudent. While working as a consultant with that company, one of my clients was impressed enough with my work to offer me a position with their company. The people I worked with there led to an offer with a dot com startup that unfortunately was towards the tail end of the bubble and didn’t pan out.
However, the contacts that I made at that job resulted in a move to the company that I am with right now.
As you can see, having a solid network can open many doors for you in your career as it has done for me since I graduated college. That doesn’t mean you can slack off on your work as one thing that you need to keep in mind is that when one of your contacts makes a personal recommendation for you, they are putting their reputation on the line and you owe it to them to give it all your effort and be successful in your new position.
Expanding My Network
Over the last few days, I have learned that the company where I currently work will soon be divested and merged into the two companies that each own 50% of the company. The division where I work has been informed where we will end up in the new structure, although with any company merger there are no guarantees.
Given the success that I have had with my professional network, I am confident that there will be opportunities should things not work out as expected with this merger.
In the time that I have been blogging, I believe that my network has grown to include a whole new community of people – all of you included – and that there are countless opportunities to be discovered.
Therefore, as I begin this new chapter of temporary uncertainty, I wanted to open myself to all of you in the event that you are aware of any interesting opportunities.
As a brief introduction to my professional background, I have over 11 years of IT experience that includes Java development, content management, ERP and supply chain management, and most recently project management. In addition, I have considerable experience in the realm of the Interweb with technologies such as PHP, JSP, and Javascript, as well as the experience of building three modestly successful blogs.
If anyone is aware of an exciting opportunity that they would like to share, please do not hesitate to contact me for a copy of my resume or to discuss the opportunity in more detail.
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That “rent a coder” service comes to mind as a first thought. Not as a job, but probably something you could do for sure.
I hate hearing when good people get the shaft because of the economy. My brother got laid off last month from a monster builder out here. There were just no more homes to sell. Now he’s making his way starting his own company. When I asked him if it sucked to be going through it, he looked at me with 100% surety and said: “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me Dame.” I know my bro and I know he believes that. He was able to take 200k out of his retirement while he finds his way. He also owns several properties. Still, he would have never left the builder unless they laid him off, he says, and it wasn’t a very good job in terms of long hours.
Anyway, I will keep my ears and eyes peeled for opps for ya my friend. Keep on keepin on.
Hi Derek. I used to do some headhunting. Don’t do it anymore, but I’ll be happy to send you a few leads. You have my email. Send me your resume, and I’ll send some current openings near you which fit the bill. In any case, wish you luck.
Networking is really effective because it can spread the word! Good luck and more clients for you!
@Damien :: Thanks! I love your story about your brother. One of my contacts that I reached out to has a lead for me that would translate to something that I am much more passionate about than what I have been doing so this could very well be a hidden treasure for me as well.
@Ling :: I will be in touch via email, as it never hurts to learn of new opportunities.
@paulette :: Thanks, networking is an amazing tool to use and return the favor whenever possible.
I have got my dream job just after I realized the exact thing that you are talking about here, “Importance of networking”.
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