Not networking? Your executive career isn’t the only one hurting because of it
If you’re serious about making a career change, you probably already know the limits of even the best of resumes.
Resumes are undoubtedly important – with the right resume preparation, you can get your foot into the door of most companies. And if you think of the hiring process as similar to the sales process, you know that resumes are one of your most important lead generating tools.
But a resume alone will never get you a job – regardless of whether the job is a management level one.
And when it comes to management positions, there’s one just unbeatable way to climb the executive ladder to success: Networking. Study after countless study shows how a majority of management positions in modern America are still landed the old-fashioned way – by the trusted recommendation of a networked peer.
Think about it from that networked peer’s perspective – let’s call her Jane. Jane wants to help her company. She wants to look good for her bosses. She wants to know what’s going on in her industry and the key players in it. So she networks.
And then she finds you. What a prize you are! She brings you to the attention of her EVP, who’s been looking to fill a different position for six months with no success.
Your resume writing knocks their socks off, you nail the interviews, and you get hired. How does that make Jane look? How much money did she save her company in further futile job search efforts? And how great is it for her to have a new and immediate ally (you!) in the company?
As the previous example shows, networking is one of the few things that happen on earth where everyone wins. So, as much as you put effort into writing the best resume you can, spend as much (or more) time building your wide-ranging network.
If you don’t, you’re just hurting yourself. And you’re not helping anyone else, either.
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