#8: The Importance of Making Connections

You've heard the saying, 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' right? Even if you don't agree with the saying in all circumstances, making personal connections is a critical component of a successful job search. In this week's episode, Melanie explains why this true and gives you four straightforward ways that you can increase the number of connections you have in your network so you can improve your career and job search results.

 

There are Four Ways to Increase Your Personal Connections:

1. Find a Mentor
2. Attend Networking Events
3. Join Online HR Groups
4. Conduct Informational Interviews

Here is a summary of the show:

• [03:40] - Why is it important to your job search or career? Melanie explains some of the reasons why. One of the main reasons is that HR is a people-focused profession.
• [04:42] - The second reason this is important is that your role is focused on solving problems and removing barriers for organizational leaders. But in order for them to do that, there needs to be a certain amount of trust between you and the leader. The main way to do this is to build positive relationships and have connections with other employees in the organization.
• [06:23] - The third reason is that people hire people. It seems simple and obvious, but people aren't going to hire people they don't feel they have a connection to or they don't like. A great way to improve your chances of getting an HR job is to build connections with other professionals in the industry.
• [08:45] - Melanie now explains four ways that new graduates or emerging HR practitioners can improve and increase their connections for job search and career success.
• [09:03] - The first way to do this is by seeking out mentors. Either through formal mentoring programs or independently. 
• [11:22] - The second way to increase your connections is to participate in networking events; either face to face or online. This is a great opportunity to meet with other HR professionals and be introduced to others.
• [12:22] - The third suggestion is to join online HR groups. You can seek these out on LinkedIn or Facebook.
• [13:28} - The fourth and final way is to conduct informational interviews. They are critical to your job search if you do them correctly. Melanie doesn't cover these guidelines in this episode, but don't worry, she has a great resource you can download for this! The link is listed at the bottom of this show summary.
• [15:58] - How making these connections are going to help you in your job search or career. The main reason is that it gives you an opportunity to meet people who can help you in your job search and your career. The second reason is that it gives you an opportunity to practice talking to others and build comfort and skill with networking.
• [17:42] - You can practice talking to others by joining a Toastmasters Club or practice your introduction on your friends and family.

Resources in this episode:

• Informational Interview Guide

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