The Role Of Professional Networking And How It Can Assist With Career Development

Close to 80% of jobs are discovered and secured through what is called the “hidden job market.” To help tap into this market, job seekers need to network. What’s the difference between traditional and social networking? (Hint: see Chapter 4.) How socially connected are you, and what can you do to increase this important type of networking?

Look past the posters in social media sites as LinkedIn and Facebook, there is a craze developing and corporations are finding themselves more so operating with social links for routine business. Many businesses are using social networks for problem resolving matters, to initiate

As years progress, technology makes it possible for individuals, organization and companies the capability to create mobile apps and dynamic websites from home. These mobile apps and dynamic websites in turn simplify our lives in ways we could never imagine before. One of the most commonly used inventions, which can still be considered fairly new, are social networks. Social networks give people around the world the ability to communicate, stay in touch and meet new people online at the convenience of their own time. Many social networks were developed within the past few years but few if any target professionals only. LinkedIn gives a twist to social networking by focusing only on people in professional occupations that would like to

For my job search, I was able to speak with a family friend who is currently in the industry I am interested in. I knew her advice was trustworthy and honest due to our relationship. Her opinion was unbiased to a role/company, so I wasn’t feeling pressured or swayed. I was able to be vulnerable and very curious. I could truly pick her brain. Your network can be a resource for several different reasons:

The world we live in is a very competitive one. To be successful, in this world one needs to have the connections so that one can succeed in life. In “The Limits of Friendship” by Maria Konnikova and “We are a Camera” by Nick Paumgarten, we see that technology can help build these connections. It is through these connections that One way these connections help make people successful is through our close interpersonal connections, modern day technology, and social media. These three outlets are modems of opportunity because they allow people to connect in ways never thought possible. By using technology and utilizing your close support group, people can become successful on their way and in the professional world.

Students are able to network while in school by attending Meet the Firms Night, participating in on campus interviews, by attending open houses, by attending the professional speaker series hosted by BAP, and by maintaining a proactive outreach. They then gave several additional example of how to network once an individual was in his or her career.

Whether you're changing jobs, moving in a new career direction or simply trying to move up the ladder, social media plays an important role. Your social network connects you to the people you know, the people they know and so on and so on. And as the old adage goes “it’s not always what you know, but who you know.” Through social media, you can stay connected and manage your business relationships when you’re at the gym or even in your

Involving in professional relationships, joining and attending professional conferences and utilizing professional networking websites aid in facilitate the

There comes a time in life where individuals have to leave school to join the world of work whereby they will work their way up to the top. This is where career development comes into place. Career development is defined as progress through various stages in a career (Schreuder & Coetzee,2011). These are stages one goes through in order to mature in a career and for development to even exist, one has to start with making a career choice then developing it .A career choice can be defined as the relation between people’s personality types and their different occupational environment in which they work in.

The internet can offer a wide variety of resources that could help an individual/organization with their professional growth. These recourses could be in the form of online courses that could help an individual earn a proficiency or degree. The internet could also provide an individual with a social network site that would allow them to ask questions or tell others about a successful technique they have used in their professional field.

I socialize well, but I do not network extensively to help me achieve my goals or advance my career.

An occupational information data base of occupational information help individuals identifies with specific skills, tasks, and occupations that are available. Individuals have the opportunity to explore employment opportunities that are suitable to the skills they possess. In addition, it inform individuals of the necessary skills they may need to attain, improve for a specific job and notify the level of education needed to seek employment. Advantages of the data base allows the individual to become “more actively involved in the career guidance process” (Zunker, 2012, p.180). Individuals will have the opportunity to seek more information, receive adequate feedback immediately, and can access the data base anywhere at any given time. Also, it offer support to individuals when trying to decide on a career. The data base serve as a tool “for innovative learning delivery systems that should help workers develop skills and increase and broaden general and industry specific knowledge” (Zunker, 2012, p. 177). However there are some disadvantages in occupational information sources that can limit an individual from becoming fully aware of their possible opportunities for future employment. This may include but are not limited to both ethical or legal concerns about sufficient security measures and individuals solely relying on the computer-assisted career guidance system. The O’NET, Monster, and the Occupational Outlook Handbook are resources available to individuals that are

LinkedIn is a website specifically established for the professionals all around the world to network. The website allows people to search for business contacts, manage their professional identity, research firms, join industry groups and identify desired career opportunities. This website is also being leveraged by the brands and recruiters and many corporate profiles have been established on LinkedIn to recruit candidates and develop a pool of potential candidates through networking (Lewis, 2012).

Networking, first and foremost, is highly dependent on the skills that you possess and is different for everyone. Some people are great at finding and creating instant connections with people in real life, if so, attend a social event where you can meet a lot of industry professionals. Others are great at researching and crafting highly relevant, highly interesting emails. It is all about your networking style.

LinkedIn’s most important and beneficial service is that allows it users to network with other professionals online. It is common for full-time students to have little to no work experience to include on their resumes, thus making it challenging to stand out from experienced candidates. Therefore networking is crucial as they can use their connections to obtain second-degree connection from someone who is employed at a specific company they are interested in, and ask for a referral or recommendation (Iyengar, 2017). As seen in the graph below, research states that “85 percent of jobs are found through