By Harvey Deutschendorf | Fast Company | November 10, 2020
The way we look for jobs has changed drastically over the last few years. While many jobs have always been filled by networking, that number has shot up of late. According to joint research conducted by LinkedIn, up to 85% of jobs are filled through networking. However, most candidates still spend a majority of their time looking for postings and applying directly. That time would be spent more effectively networking.
But just because you know you should network more doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. For some of us—especially those of us who are naturally more introverted—networking might feel especially daunting. It requires you to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. But with the right strategy, time, effort, and patience it can result in landing that job you’ve been after. Knowing someone in the company you want to work for helps, but by using your emotional intelligence, you can network effectively in order to find someone within the company who will give you an inside referral.
