Career Coaching: How to network your way into a job

It’s estimated that only around 10 to 20 per cent of job vacancies are advertised to the public. This means that whenever you see an advertisement you’re likely to be up against stiff competition.

However, there you do have alternatives. The key is to find out about job vacancies before they are advertised.

When a vacancy arises an employer has several options of how to fill it.

They can:

• Promote someone from within
• Hire someone who used to work for the company but moved on (maybe they were on a short contract)
• Advertise the job internally and get employees to recommend someone they know
• Go through the CVs of people who have sent them in on spec
• Contact people you’ve worked with in the past and see if they are looking to make a move
• Contact people you’ve met in the course of your work who you think would be suitable
• Go through a recruitment consultancy or head-hunter

In almost all these cases, the employer is hiring someone who they know personally or is known to someone they trust. It’s usually only after these options have been exhausted that jobs are advertised (unless it is company policy to do so or there is a legal requirement).

So often it’s a case of “it’s not what you know, but who you know”. With this in mind how do you get to know the people who make the hiring decisions?

Be clear about the companies you’d like to work for. It’s much easier if you say to friends and family, “I’d love to meet someone who works in HR for RBS or John Menzies” than “I’d like to meet someone who’s hiring in Edinburgh”. They are then able to think about who they know who might know someone there.

Get your social networking profiles up to date, especially your profile on LinkedIn. It’s one of the most popular work-related networking sites and lots of recruiters use it to find candidates. One of the things they look for is who you know and what people say about working with you, so get back in touch with your contacts and get linked in.

Depending on the line of work you’re in, there may be organised networking events where you can meet your peers. Many professional bodies and associations run them as social events where you can chat, have a drink and meet new people. It’s quite usual to exchange cards with people and to stay in touch after the event.

When you see friends and family, don’t avoid talking about work. Tell them you’re looking for a new challenge and explain the kind of work you’d like to do. There might even be vacancies where they work.

With all of these options it’s important to follow up on any conversations.  People are busy and tend to forget what you’ve told them. They might need reminding a few times.

When you’ve met new people or been introduced to someone, contact them quickly – ideally within one working day. Again, people forget and where someone might have been expecting your call and would have been willing to talk to you, if you leave it too long they won’t recognise your name and ignore you.

Networking your way into a job is a very effective way of developing your career. As time goes on, you might find you never have to apply via an advert again because people put you forward for roles.

© Copyright Hannah McNamara, Managing director of HRM Coaching Ltd. Hannah McNamara is an experienced career coach.

The benefits of using a Career Coach

Hannah McNamara from HRM Coaching in London provides career coaching for Marketing professionals and has a team of coaches from a variety of background who offer coaching for accountants, lawyers and IT professionals. Hannah explains more about career coaching:

If you feel as if you are at a crossroads in your career and you are not sure which way to turn, you could benefit from consulting a career coach to help you make your decisions.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development goes into great length about the benefits of coaching on its website, http://www.cipd.co.uk, exploring the impact it has on the lives of those who decide to give it a go.

Most people have heard about career coaching but it is generally assumed that it is reserved only for management. However this is far from being the truth. Coaching has become a regular activity in over half of businesses, and there are distinct benefits to making it available to the workforce as a whole. Some businesses have a dedicated coach on hand whenever they are needed, while others use senior members of staff to provide a listening ear and to act as a sounding board for those who have issues that need to be discussed.

While group coaching is a possibility, many people are uncomfortable about discussing any issues they may have within the context of a group meeting. That is why individual career coaching is often taken advantage of by more people.

Simply providing access to a career coach can help the productivity of your business enormously. One of the ideas behind coaching is that it helps to identify problem areas and suggest solutions for the person in question to make improvements. The whole process always begins with the client however, and not the coach – the client may have a desire to get ahead at work but is unsure of how to do it. In this case the coach will help the client identify ways to develop their skills and talents, to better themselves and their outlook as well.

Allowing the staff to have access to coaching services can improve the whole outlook of a business. It can also encourage better communication between managers and staff, and lead to more productivity as a result.

Career coaching is about much more than just figuring out what you want to do with your career next. It’s not just about working out your next career move. It has a real and lasting value in getting the most out of the job role you have now.

Small wonder then that so many businesses are latching on to the possibilities and advantages it offers.

How to stop staff jumping ship

You and your HR people have spent a small fortune on staff recruitment advertising and selection procedures. Although you hired in aptitudes you added training and developed favourable attitudes. Your people perform well and you know this from your annual appraisals. They are an important cog in the wheel of your business. And then they hand in their notice!

Unless you have a policy of ‘go now, they have an opportunity to spread dissent among their colleagues, to squirrel away vital company information, and even to steal your stationery and equipment. That individual who was once ‘the perfect candidate’ can metamorphose into ‘the employee from hell’.

The period immediately after the summer vacation is a favourite time for your staff to explore new opportunities, to see if the grass is really greener on the other side and to jump ship. As a result you have much to lose and little to gain beyond repeating the costly recruitment and selection process.

This situation is damaging enough when people at a low level decamp with their skills and experience. It can be catastrophic when your best senior people decide to move on. The solution is to avoid the situation arising in the first place. It is a situation that is readily available to you with business coaching.

Unlike consultancy, which frequently deals with a single issue and makes recommendations for implementation, coaching is a far less expensive option that equips you and your management team with skills that can last a lifetime. Think of consultancy as providing a fish to a hungry individual, and coaching as the alternative that shows that person how to catch their own fish forever.

Staff retention is serious issue which business coaches deal with on a regular basis. Your staff will be less inclined to look elsewhere if they feel that they are truly valued, when they are motivated with an understanding of your organisation’s ethos, values and objectives, when they have the optimum possible responsibility for their own workload and actions and when they discover the benefits of self motivation and the arts of delegation.

Coaching delivers practical and effective solutions that create quantified and qualified results. Indeed, a coach is totally focused on results. When you use a coach you are assured of absolute confidentiality. Your coach will not spend time raking over old coals and past issues. You can only begin a new approach from where you are now and with close attention to where you aim to be by a given future date.

As with all great innovations, there is a possible downside. The only risk in coaching is that you might select the wrong coach! HRM Coaching can assist you with this by hand-picking your coach from our team.

The choice is clear. You can do nothing and hope for the best, which is not a sound management policy, or, you can explore the undeniable benefits of business coaching, at absolutely no risk, and ensure that the best is yet to come and is achievable within your timescale.

For more information about retaining your best people, call HRM Coaching on 020 7939 9910