It’s an adage as old as the job market: 70-80% of jobs are never advertised. This number has been debated and certainly differs based on industry, company size, and geographic location. Nonetheless, with more than a 1,000,000 jobs posted annually to some job boards, there are a staggering number of jobs never advertised.
This is why career networking is crucial. As a career services professional for post-secondary students, this is a huge barrier! A Bright Network study found that 15% of graduates felt a lack of ‘network or contacts’ was the barrier they were most concerned about. This is an understandable concern: students haven’t been out in the real world yet, developing those relationships.
You are probably focusing on other areas where you can help them, from resume writing to career guidance. You certainly aren’t wrong to be – assisting a student to manage a personal network is incredibly difficult. This is due to limited resources and staff, a high demand for your other services (e.g., resume reviews), and the diversity of student needs requiring tailored support.
The good news is, there are two parts to networking. The part everyone thinks about – attending in-person events – and the other part – the deliberate preparation and groundwork to build a strong networking profile. One of those things is really, really difficult to scale and one of them isn’t.
Taken another way, one of them requires a lot of your time and effort to help a student and the other doesn’t.
There are six solutions you can provide to scale your services to make the greatest impact on a student’s networking skills:
- The ‘Hidden Job Market’
- The LinkedIn Networking game
- Winning Network Referrals
- The ‘Social Network Effect’
- Nurturing Open Networking Opportunities
- Networking Roleplays
Opportunity #1: Demystify the Hidden Job Market
The Problem: Many jobs are never publicly advertised. Without strong networks, job seekers often miss out. However, accessing the hidden job market is not as complex as it may seem – it’s quite similar to the social networking students are already used to. Students already consider how they would engage online if they wanted to become friendly with a person or a group they didn’t know yet. How else do they find the parties on campus that aren’t advertised?
Solution: Teach the art of strategic networking
Tip: Encourage job seekers to think of all the groups, networks, and companies and the people within them that they would need to target. Recommend alumni networks, LinkedIn groups, and industry professionals as sources to uncover hidden opportunities.
Bonus: Give your students some solid reading material. Jobscan has an excellent blog on the topic of job searching, such as this article on ‘How To Navigate The Hidden Job Market’.
Opportunity #2: The LinkedIn Networking Game
The Problem: This one may feel ironic because college-aged people are all over social media already! But the truth is, they struggle to use social media – specifically LinkedIn – for more than consumption and socializing. The truth is, many job seekers lack confidence in using LinkedIn effectively, missing out on a platform where 90% of recruiters source candidates.
Solution: Have students follow these 28 tips for a more effective LinkedIn profile
Tip: It’s crucial that candidates know how to personalize connection requests, engage with posts (a networking staple), and use every tool LinkedIn offers to build an online presence that highlights their value as a new entrant into the workforce.
Bonus: As many students know, a strong social profile game is key. Once a student has followed every tip on the list, run their profile through Jobscan’s LinkedIn Optimization tool to ensure their profiles rank higher in recruiter searches.
Opportunity #3: The Power of Network Referrals
The Problem: Referred candidates are four times more likely to be hired, yet many job seekers don’t know how to cultivate meaningful referrals. To start, some job seekers don’t fully appreciate the benefits of a referral, such as skipping the initial application process and accessing the hidden job market (see Opportunity #1). For those that do, there is a fear of failure.
Solution: Supply the tools and techniques to cultivate referrals
Tip: Encourage job seekers to understand most referrers will be connections they are most comfortable with. Have them reach out to colleagues, mentors, and alumni. Even if it’s a friend they worked with once, all referrals reflect positively on a student’s profile – and most people are happy to help! Then, if needed, offer referrals in exchange. You’re more likely to get one if you give one.
Bonus: Have your students do the heavy lifting for your referrers. If a student is pursuing a job where a referral would benefit them, have them use Jobscan’s cover letter scanner as a jumping off point! They would scan their resume against the job description, have Jobscan write a great cover letter, and then repurpose the cover letter as a referral (catching all the keywords they need). Have the student send that referral to a connection who can post it as a referral as if they wrote it!
Opportunity #4: The Networking Effect
The Problem: Everything now is digital – even networking. Which means that social media platforms are arguably a job seekers’ best bet for accessing the job market. And if anyone has spent time on a social platform, they know that there’s this ‘algorithm’ that needs to be played to succeed.
Solution: Get students to connect outside of their immediate network on LinkedIn
Tip: Well-connected LinkedIn profiles have a ‘network effect’ – more than 500 connections greatly affect your ability. Studies show that you’re more likely to land a job through a second- or third-degree connection than someone you know – so have students send connection requests to third and fourth degree connections!
Bonus: LinkedIn is an incredible trove of information – it moonlights as a think-tank full of influencers in marketing, sales, and many other disciplines. Students can use LinkedIn to learn from experts in their field and also which influencers to engage with.
Opportunity #5: Nurturing Open Networking Opportunities
The Problem: In the Bright Network study found that 19% of graduates identified networking as the skill they most needed to learn. One huge mistake many students make is not following up or nurturing new connections after initial interactions. It’s common for students to not know what to do next, or worse, they forget about it. But follow-up is a must – speed, consistency, and added value are vital in staying top-of-mind and getting results from network connections.
Solution: Provide students with a list of follow-up techniques
Tip: Encourage job seekers to send personalized thank-you notes right away. Make sure they add value in those follow-ups – share articles, subject matter expert social posts, or podcast episodes.
Bonus: Remind them to engage with connections regularly. Instruct them to set reminders in their phone to do this – most phones now can use voice activation to set reminders, so encourage them to say, ‘Hey Google…’ more often. Regular engagement will keep them top-of-mind.
Opportunity #6: Roleplaying Networking Talk
The Problem: Students struggle with what to say. Socializing with people you don’t know is difficult – there’s a reason public speaking is a very common fear. This fear is compounded when it involves some form of self-aggrandizing or self-selling. For most people, it is very difficult to talk about themselves because they think, “Why me?”
Solution: Run job seekers through socialization scenarios and roleplays
Tip: Job seekers who have prepared for the moment they have to get on a call or attend an event have locked that confidence in with practice. Help candidates craft elevator pitches and practice introducing themselves, use all the work they have done on their LinkedIn profile as a base. Further, frovide guidance on event etiquette, attire, and preparation.
Bonus: Use Jobscan Interview prep to create a training program for networking at events. Choose a series of questions they may face when pitching themselves to people at events. They can then run through practice for pitching themselves at events.
The Final Key to Networking Is Confidence
In that Bright Network study, 22% of respondents attributed their lack of confidence in securing a graduate role to their skepticism in passing the assessment process for graduate roles. Confidence is a big issue.
But should it be? Yes, networking is reliant on confidence. However, the funny thing about confidence is it cultivated through preparation.
By guiding students from Opportunities 1-6, you are boosting their confidence in themselves and their skills. A student who has built out a validated LinkedIn profile, made a ton of connections, gathered a few solid referrals, and created a killer resume is going to be flying high.
This is important, because networking is no longer optional. It’s a necessity in the modern job search. By equipping your candidates with the right tools, strategies, and confidence in themselves, you not only help them succeed but also elevate your organization’s impact.
Partner with Jobscan today to give your job seekers the advantage they need in building their networks and landing their dream roles.
Ready to learn more? Explore Jobscan’s Solutions for Career Services and see how we can help your organization achieve greater outcomes.
