Networking

LinkedIn is a huge professional networking platform and it is growing. Hootsuite reported that 2 people join LinkedIn every second and, LinkedIn currently has more than 590 million users. This is an incredible resource for you to leverage. If you are not using LinkedIn you are missing out on a powerful resource. Plus, Forbes reported that 45% of the people on LinkedIn are in upper management. This is a place where you can connect with and learn from company leaders. Within the vast network of LinkedIn you will be able to find people in the companies and positions that you…

You cannot ignore the social component of hiring. If a hiring manager or recruiter already knows someone who is a great fit for a new job opening, why would they waste time looking for someone else? They won’t. They will hire the person they know, and you would never have even known that a position was open. Many jobs (up to 85% according to some reports) are never advertised because they are filled by networking. So you are only aware of 15% of the available job openings if you don’t network.

Behind every job opening there is a person who will decide who gets hired. A person who you will need to make a connection with and prove that you are the right fit for the job. But your efforts to connect with that person should start way before you are in the interview. You should start by networking with people who work at the companies where you want to have an interview, where you want to get hired. You should start networking with the intention of getting a referral.

51% of recruiters rated having an employee referral as an important factor in hiring, while 89% of recruiters rated company culture fit as an important factor in hiring (Jobvite). Through informational interviews, you can gain referrals and learn how to demonstrate that you are a good culture fit for a company. Having a referral will not only increase your chances of getting hired, it will also increase your starting salary. Having a referral from a business contact increases annual salary by up to $8,700 (Payscale). Informational interviews provide opportunities to build relationships with industry professionals. By first meeting with them…

It takes hard work and perseverance to get hired in industry. For most positions, a candidate will have 3 interviews before a company decides to hire them (Management Recruiters International Network). But, for certain positions, candidates may have 5 or more interviews before getting hired. So, if you have more than one interview, don’t get discouraged, as this is completely normal. Additionally, the average time it takes someone to get a job is 84 days (Talent Works). Now, 84 days is a long time, especially if you are unemployed. But, that number is not specific for PhD-level positions. For PhD-level…

You must realize that you are not the only one searching for a job. 51% of employees are looking for a new opportunity (Gallup). And, every corporate job opening attracts approximately 250 applicants (Glassdoor). But, this number is often much higher for companies like Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, and Celgene etc., where they will get thousands of applicants per position. But, only one applicant will get hired. How do you become that one applicant? Well, it starts with a referral. A referral can land you an interview. But, once you are in front of the hiring committee, it’s all on…

A top concern for 55% of PhDs is their career path (Nature), because many graduate schools do not teach or prepare PhDs for careers outside of the university setting. A survey of more than 800 university staff members from 226 institutions found that 62% of respondents reported that only 44% of universities have professional development programs that prepare graduate students for non-academic careers. And, students are the ones who are suffering (Council of Graduate Schools). Only 33% of graduate students felt that their university provided useful advice about careers outside academia (Nature). If your university is not going to teach…

The average work week is 38.7 hours long and the average American works an average of 46.8 weeks in a year (Pew Research). There are only 52 weeks in an entire year. Ultimately, your workplace is where you will spend 90% of your year. Before you make a commitment to spend so much of your time somewhere, you need to do your research. One of the biggest things you need to understand is company culture. Company culture is everything from how the company is organized, to how they communicate, to how they dress — and, it’s all important. 89% of…

Are you still doubting the value of networking in your job search? A report in the Academy of Management Journal showed that successful industry professionals spend 70% more time networking than their less successful counterparts. And, Forbes reported that 80% of job openings are never advertised. The only way to achieve success and to have access to the hidden job market is to network with people in industry. But, are you networking to the fullest? If you are only networking online, from the comfort of your couch, then you are not getting all the benefits of networking. In-person contact is…

First of all, 85% of jobs are filled through networking (HubSpot). So, if you aren’t networking, you only have access to a small fraction of the total available jobs. But, what does your networking look like? Are you just sending cold messages on LinkedIn, or are you truly investing in people? The only way to make real connections that can last a long time is with in-person networking. Because networking in person is the only way you can fully communicate with another person. Pioneering work by Albert Mehrabian demonstrated that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone…

Networking is what will get you hired in industry. 40% of hires come from referrals, but only 7% of applicants even have a referral (Undercover Recruiter). Very few people get referrals because doing so requires effort. Getting a referral requires you to put yourself out there, to meet new people, and to network. This includes in-person networking, which can be tough for introverts. But, the rapport you can build and the value you can gain from physically meeting someone is much higher than what is possible through online networking. A request made in person is 34 times more successful than…

75% of employers attend career fairs held at universities (Glassdoor). These career fairs provide an opportunity for job candidates and employers to get valuable face-to-face interactions that they might not have had otherwise. It can be difficult to connect with potential employers face-to-face outside of these events. But, this in-person contact is very valuable. A request made in person is 34 times more successful than one made via email (Harvard Business Review). 34 times more successful! The mere opportunity to speak face-to-face with your target company at a career fair improves your chances of getting hired. But, you have to…