70% of successful job searches depend on personal contacts’ according to Career Development Center of Hollins University. The above fact emphasizes the need for having and creating personal contacts and networking. In an age, where job seekers outnumber the available jobs, it has become imperative to be at the right place at the right time. But how will you know where to be at and at what time? Someone has got to inform you. And this is where ‘networking’ assumes importance.
Networking is not a new age phenomenon. The Western world came to know about Indian spices through networking. Trade between the Indus valley civilization and Mesopotamia can be attributed to networking.
The rise of the Internet saw the traditional avatar of networking donning new clothes. While traditional networking allowed making contacts via our acquaintances, online networking allows us to contact people with whom we share something in common. For e.g., online networking allows you to contact someone who is engaged in the same profession. You can directly approach the person on your own.
Business and social networking sites are changing the way of searching and finding the latest vacancies that exist. More and more people are logging into the virtual world and making appropriate connections to land that dream job.
Thus, business and social networking sites are witnessing a phenomenal growth rate. But how are business and social networking sites changing the way we find jobs? Social networking makes sure that you are among the first who gets the whiff of the latest job posted. Networking allows the easy and free flow of information. It also makes sure that the information is forwarded at a lightning speed. For e.g. you are a resident of Mumbai looking out for a job as a sales person. You comb the local newspapers, swamp innumerable firms with your resumes and make sure that your profile is visible on all job sites such as naukri, monster, timesjobs, shine etc. that you can possibly think of. And the result- you are still looking for a job. And then a miracle takes place. You are registered with one of the social networking sites. You get a call from your friend who knows about a particular vacancy.