Percentages

Here is why you have to network, my lovelies. It's so simple. It's something we all know, in our heads. It's easy and it's hard all at the same time. But it's a simple fact of life. Only 4% of hirings come out of job boards. All the rest of them come through networking - a friend, a friend of a friend, a friend of a colleague, a colleague of a lover ... a NETWORK.

And the thing about these networks, these people you know, is that they need to be fostered. They need to be fed. They need to be nurtured in order to grow.

In lunching with a dear friend today, the subject of my job hunt arose (as it so often does). And while this friend is in an entirely different industry than I am, he is still out there and in the world and he has a lot of good advice and a lot to say. And he asked me about the people from my last job that I was in touch with and, more importantly, when the last time I spoke with them was. And here's why it's important. Of course Ms X knows you're looking for a job. And perhaps Ms X has people she knows who are hiring. But, the reality of life, especially life in this city, is that Ms X has a lot of her own stuff happening ... and you're job hunt, while sitting firmly in the front of your mind, is so not what she thinks about all the time. It's not that Ms X doesn't care. It's not that Ms X wouldn't love to lend a helping hand. But Ms X has a lot to do. She has her own worries and her own problems and her own life.

Ms X just needs a gentle reminder. Just a little note to say hello and how's it going and to tell her that you're still out there and please to keep her eyes open. It's not pushy.

I promise.