For More Info:

You may find it useful to reference the below books and websites as additional resource as you look to perfect your own networking techniques and learn more about the benefits of networking.


Books:

• Understanding Careers: Metaphors of Working Lives by Kerr Inkson
• Networking is a Contact Sport by Joe Sweeny
• Guerrilla Marketing Remix: The Best of Guerrilla Marketing by Jay and Jeannie Levinson

Websites/Web Articles:

• Professional Networking Made Easy: Priming the Pump by Matthew Moran
• It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know by Nardi, Whittaker and Schwarz
• Social Network Sites and Society: Current Trends and Future Possibilities by Ellison, Lampe and Steinfield

Through the Eyes of a Professional- V

Name: Jany Dempsey

Occupation:  Vice President of Bancorp South Bank; Financial Sales Representative

Member of Professional Networking Site: No

  


1. From your own experiences can you please tell me about a specific instance or general stage in your career where you found networking to be either beneficial or detrimental to you getting a job or promotion? 

I have been in banking since 1969 and in 2008 I was offered a higher position at another bank.  I was able to get that new job because of my network of customers and colleagues that I have built during my banking career.

2. To what degree do you feel building a network is important for your career field in comparison to other careers?


Being in banking, you have a greater range of networking opportunities than other career fields, because you come in contact with a lot more people.  A customer base is built from customers referring other customers to you.  Being active in the community is a very good way to network.

3. Do you feel that online networking is becoming more important than face-to-face networking? Why or why not?


No, face-to-face networking is a better way of networking.  A firm handshake and eye contact works much better than an email or online activity. 

4. From your own experience and the experience of friends and/or colleagues which form of networking provides job-seekers with the best opportunity to market themselves?


Traditional Networking because face-to-face contact, personal interviews, and references seem to be more successful.

5. What advice would you give soon-to-be college graduates entering the professional world regarding networking?


I would tell them to establish a good line of connections now that can help them in their future, when they are seeking a job.  I would also tell them to use all three types of networking to market themselves.

Networking Methods: No One Size Fits All

Although networking can be beneficial for individuals who find ways in which to utilize the strength of relationships, while working toward career success, the ways in which each individual utilizes networking and/or the ways networking is found to be most valuable, often varies.

In a study using Dartmouth College seniors, the use of peer networks and social networks in the search to obtain their first job was explored (Marmaros & Sacerdote, 2002). Through the use of self reports and employment outcomes researchers were able to gather the unique effects that gender, ethnicity and intended job field have on networking. The results reflected the following:

• Men are more than two times as likely as women to use fraternity contacts
• Nonwhite students are less likely to utilize both fraternity and relative contacts
• Law and medical students are more likely to rely on relative members as contacts rather than fraternities or professor contacts
• Finance Students rely heavily on fraternity and professor contacts within their networks

**Below you will find a chart which illustrates the type of network used by Dartmouth College seniors and each method's respective average salary outcome.

It is important that each individual identifies the methods and types of networking that are best suited for their own needs. After all, every person is equipped with a unique set of skills/tools, which can either work to their advantage or disadvantage when looking to obtain a job, dependent upon the proper use of networking methods. As if to attest to the need of unique methods, Joe Sweeney, author of Networking is Not a Contact Sport, devotes  two chapters to providing networking advice specifically tailored for women and minorities (2010). The tips and experience provided in these sections take into account not only general networking rules, but other unique elements and obstacles that the aforementioned groups may face. Furthermore, books such as Networking for People Who Hate Networking, Confessions of an Introvert, and Some Assembly Acquired all target specific groups of individuals such as introverts and women, as the authors give tailored networking advice and tips. 


Overall, survey results and experience gathered from various individuals make it clear that in order to network successfully you have to go beyond the basics. You must take into account all elements of networking including, but not limited to: ethnicity, gender, intended job field, and personality type. By doing so your networking attempts will more likely be successful in both the short term and long term. In other words, avoid using networking methods which are ill suited for you. Instead you should commit to practicing methods which best help you meet your individual goals and align with your skill-set. 


Source: Marmaros, D., & Sacerdote, B. (2002). Peer and Social Networks in Job Search. European Economic Review 46, 870-879. doi: 10.1016/S0014-2921(01)00221-5