From the course: Writing a Resume

Resumes and networking

From the course: Writing a Resume

Resumes and networking

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- At some point in your career and probably very recently, you may have uttered the phrase, networking doesn't work, and you may be right with the exception of a few missing words. Networking doesn't work overnight. Networking doesn't work if you're socializing and not networking. Networking doesn't work if you don't show up. Networking doesn't work if you don't speak up. But you're probably wondering what networking has to do with writing a resume, so I'm going to dive right in. The resume itself actually has no place in networking. You don't want to be that person at a networking event waving your resume around. It makes you look a little desperate and more than likely the person you meet at a networking event will not be the person that needs your resume. But if you network correctly, and yes, there is a right and wrong way to do it, you will find opportunities to send a resume as a follow-up. And that follow-up needs to happen within hours of the initial encounter. However, you cannot send a resume if you don't already have one created. Which leads me back to the importance of being prepared. A few years ago, I wrote an article for forbes.com about networking, which mentioned a study that showed that 56% of unemployed people learn about their current job through networking. More importantly, they reported being more satisfied with the job they landed, enjoyed higher incomes, and were more likely to be in a job that was created especially for them than those who didn't network. Networking will help you find those opportunities to submit your resume, but your resume will help you steer the conversation where you need it to go. You can use your resume like a roadmap so that when you are meeting people and explaining what you're looking for in your next job, you can stay on message. This way when the person receives your resume after speaking to you, they aren't wondering who on Earth that person was they met the night before, because after looking at your resume, you couldn't possibly be the same person. Using your resume as a guide for conversations helps present you as a cohesive person with a game plan. It helps you remain confident in your abilities because you know exactly what it is you're looking for, and you can use your resume as a script. Of course you will not recite verbatim from your resume, but if you use your career goal as a guide, it will be easier for you to pinpoint the people you need to meet with while networking. And you will appear as a competent professional who knows what they want. An added bonus, is that talking about yourself while networking is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the inevitable interviews that will be coming your way.

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