The Power of Networking in Building your Company
July 5, 2012
What is networking?
In recruiting it’s reaching out to targeted individuals who may be a resource in finding talent for a search. Essentially, networking is finding someone who knows someone who knows someone who may be a fit, though typically a search is exponentially longer and includes many variations.
As a recruiter, networking may be more ingrained in me than your typical professional. Essentially, it’s my job. I network to match top talent with the best opportunities at OpenView’s portfolio companies. As my colleague pointed out in her recent blog post “Recruiting Insight: Where the Best Candidates Come From,” the best avenue to find top talent is 1) Referrals, and 2) LinkedIn. What’s the common factor here? You need to network to get to both.
Kevin Ryan, CEO of Gilt Group, talks about the importance of over investing in recruiting and HR to build your company with the best people. Whether it is finding talent or getting a reference checked, he stresses the importance of networking.
Let me tell you a story about myself and the power of networking that brought me to where I am today.
After college, I reached out to professionals in my field of interest (HR) to see if I could network with them. Now, a BIG POINT here is when networking I wasn’t asking for a job, just an opportunity to gain insight and see who they might know who could be a resource. I met with an awesome HR Director who gave me the scoop. This led to an interview, which turned into a job.
Fast forward a few years and I came across OpenView through a friend simply mentioning the firm. Curious, I checked it out and decided I was interested in learning more. I reached out to someone in my own network who knew someone who knew someone who worked at OpenView. Thus an introduction was made and here I am.
So, how can you improve your networking skills? Two quick tips:
- Never Stop: You should be building your network everyday to keep it current.
- Share: Rather than reaching out solely when you need someone/something, get involved and share when you can. If someone reaches out and you can be a resource or can connect him/her with someone who can – do it. It takes less than 60 seconds to make an introduction and you never know when you’ll need to do the same.