If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably read a lot about the benefits of networking and thought: ‘But I hate networking.’ Am I right? But what if your network increased your chances of successfully obtaining the job you want by 10 times? Would you think about networking any differently?

In a blog post by Donna Severi from Recent Careerists, based on a 2016 study by Lever, a recruitment marketing firm, a range of candidate sourcing methods were analysed to determine the numbers of candidates that were hired from different sources.

Candidates per hire by origin

Referred              16

Agency                 22

Sourced               72

Applied                152

Essentially, the companies taking part in the study hired 1 in every 16 candidates that were referred to them. That’s some big numbers. In comparison, they hired every 1 in 152 candidates that applied through regular recruitment channels such as online Job Boards (sometimes referred to as the Black Hole).

So how do you make this strategy work for you?

Networking (or being referred) gives you a 6.5% success rate of being hired. Based on this, your approach to networking should be a little different. One way to manage your networking is to set yourself targets:

• Each month you might catch up with one person in your network for coffee
• Each fortnight you might post an article on Linked In
• Each month you might attend a networking group
• Each month you might comment on 3 different articles you see on Linked In
• Each fortnight you might make a single phone call

With a targeted list of activities, starting seems easier with less time to question it (or put it off).

Other ideas are to start determining your ideal companies to work in and then speaking with your existing contacts within that organisation or to start following those companies Linked In updates.

If you would like support during your job search process, speak to the Recruitment team at Flexi Personnel.