Who you know

I have been recruiting for almost 20 years, and one thing has been constant at all levels of hiring, and that is, it can’t hurt to know people who can assist you in your career. With that said, the latest employment downturn has created a completely new level of, "who do I know" scenarios.

When you first get into the working world, you rely on someone giving you a chance. You hope a reference that is used, is the propellant to landing the job. Maybe your education is a factor. Maybe your involvement in outside activities is the reason. What your goal is at that time is to get a job, and work hard to climb the ladder, but what we find out soon enough is, it takes more than job knowledge to keep your career rolling forward.

At some point, the relationships you grow and nurture become increasingly more important than the performance itself. Don’t get me wrong, slouches very rarely make it to the top. The harder you work, the faster you can climb is still preached and practiced in all phases of business. What happens though is terms like, perceived performance, past history, fast track, team player, born leader, etc, get people talking. Yes, the business community shares massive amounts of info daily.

Soon, people get the attention they deserve because they have formed ties with people, have bonded, have become a name others recognize, and at some point, who you know is a major catalyst in career growth.

In today’s market there are hundreds, if not thousands of people who compete on a daily basis for positions. Whether those spots are posted openings, or hidden openings, competition is keen.

So what separates those who obtain positions versus those who don’t. My experience points toward chemistry as the main factor. We all want to do business with, work with, lead, and want to hire people we have chemistry with, or people who come recommended by people we trust and know, and in today’s market, companies want as much guarantee they can get to the success of a hire, and that means they look to people they trust for referrals, and look to past and present relationships to fill the reduced roles available.

So, it makes sense to build on relationships you have, and work to make new ones. We can never know enough people, have enough friends, and have deep enough contacts in the business world. Everything we do is connected, so why not be someone who has the right contact, and is looked upon as a wanted source, versus someone who stays under the radar, and has no reputation to speak of other than job performance. That used to be all you needed, but in 2009, and going forward, it will be not only what you know, rather what and who you know that will get you pointed to the top.

It is a whole new world of how to climb the corporate ladder. Business networking times two. We can all be that sought after person. Look at every meeting, chance or planned as a way to connect with someone. That someone may play a very big role in where you are somewhere down the road, or you may play a very big role in where they are.