Dubin & Lee Blog

Do You Really Have to Know Someone to Get the Job?

  

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“I think you have to know someone at the company to get a job these days.”  I hear that all the time and there is some truth to that in many instances. 

Why is that?  It does not mean that they are getting the best person for the job, so why is that the case?

Think of it this way, let’s say you are going to remodel your kitchen, which of the following would you do first?

1. Post on a service website what you need with all of the detailed kitchen measurements and materials you wish to use.
2. Surf the web on all of the service provider websites and read the reviews, specializations, locations and qualifications.
3. Shoot an email to a friend who just did her kitchen and ask her who she used.

The keyword of the question is FIRST.  You might end up doing A and B if C did not work out or even just to make sure your friends suggestion was, after all, the best choice.

For a company to fill a job it means time and money will be spent which is partially why they always reach out to their network first.  Also, a recommendation goes a long way.

In a great job market, we don’t notice it as much because there are plenty jobs that don’t get filled via the networks of those at the company but in a tough job market, very few are left for the taking. 

So what about all these job postings?

Some companies have a policy that a job must be posted for a period of time (30 days most of the time) before they can fill it.  Also, as in the kitchen remodel example, sometimes the company just wants to be sure the person they are planning to hire is in fact the best choice compared to what is out there.

It does not have to be your best friend to get you in.

You might be tired of hearing me preach networking but this is precisely why networking is so important....

You may be talking with someone at a networking event or a coffee shop and the next day they are asked in an email to the department about who they might know for a particular job opening. 

The reality is that more people are looking for opportunities to look good at work than to do a favor for a stranger they just met, hence the HUGE importance of making a favorable impression to everyone you meet!  Even if your new contact does not know you that well, if you made a positive impression, they know you will make a positive impression on the hiring manager and therefore, make them look good.

It’s never too late!  It’s time to be the person who got in because you knew someone.

Check out the upcoming networking events.