26 Mar 2020
You have been given this advice repeatedly that if you want a good job, you must network.
Everyone gets their job through networking with their friends, colleagues or mentors and so does techies as well. But how do you establish these connections with people who will determine whether you are hired?
If you are starting your career as a fresher and need a computer or a technology job in the US, then you need to realize that networking is very important for your job search. Look at people around you and have a peek on their job histories and you will recognize that they land in a perfect job only because of their networking. When the company has tons of resume and they need to choose one then only networking helps you stand out from others.
Usually, technology people are found to be introvert and are busy programming or researching. They also need to be as perfect in their networking as they are in their coding skills.
As Patti Wilson, owner of the career company, a career-management firm in Silicon Valley said that networking is about building relationships and it needs time. One must invest all he has to network through the concern industries, socially and colleagues and that it keeps going on.
These are some tips that will help you get pro in your networking.
Nowadays university students who are searching for a technology job in United States, form groups to start a startup or a small software house. They build, motivate each other and innovate ideas. You can build a team with your likeminded people and form a small startup. This will help you develop networking which will help you take career-decisions or will also help you to form a special interest group.
Email is the best way to push-start your networking. You can form an email list through which you can share job leads and career advice. In this way you can make more contacts especially if you own a startup, it might help you generate leads.
You must have a proper LinkedIn account with all the details of your resume and career profile filled in. LinkedIn has the largest professional network with over 225 million members. In order to get a technology job in US, you need to have an outstanding LinkedIn profile in which your skills and certification are listed.
As a techie, we need to think out of the box. Check out places such as sports clubs, libraries, alumni groups as these can get you contacts for your job search. The advantage of looking at work here is that not many techies are searching for a job in these groups. One also needs to realize that networking is about building a relationship and that coming across immediate leads for job openings will certainly take time.
If you are a software developer and you come across a software QA, you still need to build a relationship because they might help you at a time when you need it or could recommend a job that they come across. So keep in touch with fellow techies in your field. Creating groups or organizing events, meetups with likeminded people will definitely help you land a job
Give mock interviews to a former colleague, friend or your seniors at university. This will help you collect information about the company and mistakes that you might make during the interview.
While giving these interviews please don’t ask for a job from the interviewer. As that person is already doing a favor. Instead, you should gather information and overcome your nervousness of a typical job interview.
If you have an inside referral or have a direct interview offer through your networking, then you can consider yourself as an accomplished networker.
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