Leveraging Your Contacts to Land the Job

The #1 way people discover a new job is through a referral, and on average, employee referrals account for 30-40% of all hires. Every interaction you have in your career is a potential asset for you in the future. From the moment you make that first impression with another professional, they could be taking mental notes of your strengths and weaknesses. A positive first impression now has the potential to lead to a successful career in the future.

How should you go about leveraging your contacts to land a new job? Here are 5 helpful practices you should keep in mind.

1. Getting to know your contacts and learning from Setting yourself up for a future career by building relationships with industry leaders and staying up to date on industry trends is a great way to make yourself a competitive candidate.
   
   
2. Always act with integrity. As Roy T. Bennett once said: “Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody's watching, and doing as you say you would do.” You never know when someone is watching, so always doing the right thing ensures that people are consistently seeing the best version of you. When your contacts know first-hand that you have integrity, they can use that as another reason to bring you onto their team.
   
   
3. Treat all your peers with respect, even if you disagree with them. With over 8 billion people in the world, you'll never agree with everyone. When growing your network you should keep in mind that people you disagree with might have the power within your industry. Burning bridges can have long-lasting consequences, which can make it much more difficult to find future job opportunities. People will remember how you handled difficult situations, and those memories will follow you throughout your career. Taking the time to assess the situation and handle it in a professional and gracious way can go a long way in preserving relationships. These relationships are essential for career growth and can be a stepping-stone on the path to a new job.
   
   
4. Always put your best foot forward. Whether it's in person or on social media, people pay attention to how you carry yourself. According to a study conducted by Inc., 54% of companies have eliminated a candidate based on their social media feed alone, and 92% of employers check social media when considering candidates. It is important to align your social media accounts with your career goals, so your contacts know you are serious about your career goals.
   
   
5. Align yourself with people and companies that share your values. The Harvard Business Review found that when people had a sense of community at work, they were 58% more likely to thrive in their role, 55% more engaged with their team, and 66% more likely to stay with their organization. Working with like-minded people can have a huge impact on your time at a company. When you network with people who share your values, they can see similar traits in you, and they're more likely to want you on their team.

If you want to connect with Hoffman & Hoffman and learn more about the career opportunities we offer follow us on LinkedIn or visit our career page today.