When Edinboro University alumnus Scott Irlbacher was an intern at Penn State Behrend in Erie, he organized an awards gala for students in fraternities and sororities. While coordinating the event, he exchanged information with the keynote speaker, Kevin Kerr, who was also the director of fraternity and sorority life at Penn State's main campus. Less than two months later, a position opened in Kerr's office.
Irlbacher is now the assistant director of the Cliff Alexander office of Fraternity and Sorority Life & Leadership at Miami University.
"Kevin recognized my name and quickly called to set up an interview for the job," said Irlbacher.
Seth Travis recalls simply saying "Hello" to those he encountered during his time as a graduate student at Edinboro University. Travis says it pays to greet everyone you meet and that it is important to acknowledge those around you.
"Several of those I greeted offered me a job later on," he said.
Travis now provides sales and marketing support for Short Line and Regional Railroads in the Commercial Leadership Program for General Electric Transportation in Grain Valley, Mo. He considers himself to have a fitting position, and is optimistic about opportunities to advance in the near future.
What do Scott and Seth have in common? They both got what they consider to be an ideal position right out of college.
How did they do it? Not from responding to classified ads. They both cite their success to social networking.
Networking is one of the most important, if not the most important activity for job seekers to be successful in their search. It has long been considered to be the most effective way to job hunt, in part because of the old saying "it's not what you know but who you know." But increasingly, in the Information Age, success can spring not just from who you know - but from who knows you. Time and time again, this has shown to be the easiest way to get your foot in the door.
The vast majority of job openings are never advertised, and nearly 50 percent of job seekers obtain their job through referral, there is no question that networking plays an integral role in obtaining your ideal position.
"When I think about the friendships and relationships that I built at Edinboro, it is the people who I met through networking who coached me and mentored me that [made me develop] into the young professional that I am today," said Travis. "Classes are important in academia of course, but we learn so much more about the world and people by interaction and dialogue, than from textbooks and Power Points."
The key to successful networking is deciding where to put the energy needed to make it work.
First, get organized. You may want to consider keeping a business card file or a computer database of your contacts.
Second, keep your contacts close. This could be through making regular phone calls, e-mailing, or simply sending a holiday greetings. Don't just contact them when you need help.
Third, set goals for yourself.-Maybe you will decide to obtain five new contacts per week.
"[You need to] break through your nerves and get excited," said Travis. "Communicate that excitement both verbally and nonverbally."
You never know when you will find someone who can help you out later. Travis's suggestion is to be courteous to everyone.
Most professionals will tell you that online job searches aren't even worth your time. In fact, only about 5 percent of people obtain their jobs through the open job market consisting primarily of help wanted ads or online agencies.
"Think of a time where you were in need of some help. Say, when you had a flat tire," Travis said. "Remember the person who helped you. Imagine that the man who changed your tire was the principal at a nearby school. If you are an education major, you could be a shoe-in."
Making these connections with people is what networking is all about.
"Grab the cosmic moments in time and accept them as gifts of opportunity. Believe it or not, they happen more than you think," Travis said.
Employers prefer to hire people they know over "mystery" candidates. That's why networking accounts for how 64 percent of people find jobs, (New York Times survey, 2002). Conferences, trade shows, meetings, and small group gatherings can be excellent venues for being visible, getting connected, and becoming known to the people who have the power to hire.
Career experts estimate that the vast majority of job openings are never advertised or publicly announced, but filled through word-of-mouth or networking - known as the "hidden job market." The likelihood of a job opening not being advertised at all increases with the level of the job. Yet, even with this knowledge, most job seekers fail to fully utilize networking for all it's worth
Irlbacher has found joining professional organizations to be beneficial to him.
"I belong to four professional organizations and try to attend two to three conferences per year," he said.
"Networking through these organizations has enabled me to become known and acquainted with hundreds of professionals working in my field," said Irlbacher, "As an Edinboro student, I had the opportunity to meet, work with and converse with many faculty, staff and students. At the time, I was just looking to become acquainted with as many people on Edinboro's campus as I could, but in the professional world, that's called networking."
Irlbacher says to never underestimate the importance of being friendly to others.
"A simple and short conversation coupled with a handshake is an incredible tool in leaving a lasting impression with another person," he said. "As an alumnus, I can rely on those relationships to assist me in answering questions, or even just keeping tabs on my alma mater. Professionally, it helps not just because I work at a university, but it helps to have relationships with other in the field or those you may end up working with or for," said Irlbacher.l