Networking is essential to career progression, whether you want that coveted tenured position, or are looking to leave academia and forge a post-academic (post-ac) career elsewhere.
In academia you have a readymade safety net of experienced senior colleagues who will hopefully vouch for you, interpret the nuances of the sector, and allow you access to their own extensive networks.
You understand the academic system and the value that the ‘prestige economy’ of publishing, funding and exposure at international meetings, has on career progression.
Networking is a vital part of progressing an academic career, by increasing visibility in your field and getting to talk to those who can change your future. However, the essential part of understanding the academic sector and accessing a network of people who can help you along the way, is to some extent, already in place.
The highly prized prestige economy of academia is largely irrelevant in the post-ac world. So how do you find out what is important?
Those looking to leave academia will have to start from scratch understanding:
- Their value
- What non-academic employers are looking for
- What it’s like to work in other sectors
- Industry-specific trends
- The skills needed to make a success of post-ac employment
Talking to experienced people is the best way to understand all this and at the same time, tap into the ever increasingly hidden job market (i.e. jobs that aren’t advertised or posted online).
Few, if any, of your academic contacts will have the insight to help you forge a non-academic career.
If you’re looking to leave academia, you should work on building a productive network of individuals who are working in your post-ac sector(s) of interest and are willing to support your career aspirations.
Furthermore, as we enter a phase of job hunting during the COVID-19 recession, the value of effective networking will only become more apparent.
Previously, I outlined a 3-phase career transition process to guide you in successfully transitioning out of academia:
- Phase 1: Investigation – Clarify what it is you want for your next career step
- Phase 2: Networking – Research your options and significantly shorten your job search time
- Phase 3: Implementation – Prepare a competitive application and conduct a multi-strategy job search
Today I’ll outline the second phase; Networking.
Your networking achievements will impinge on the other two phases of the career transition process and ultimately determine your success. I’ll deep-dive into it as an essential activity and split this phase into 2 parts:
Part 1: Outline the benefits of building a network that works for you, and dispel any reservations you may have around networking
Part 2: Provide a strategy for effectively projecting yourself into the job market
Today I’ll deal with part 1, explaining exactly why you should bother with networking in your job search, and how to overcome any anxieties you may have towards it.
The Importance of Networking
In an old survey by LinkedIn carried out back in 2016 on 3000 participants, 85% of jobs were found to be filled by networking.
This is a whopping number, but is it likely to be true more widely?
Well, it’s logical…
Getting to know someone in an hour-long interview versus knowing them over several months or even years, doesn’t compare. After all (as the old saying goes), people hire people.
Employers feel more comfortable hiring people they know, or at least that a trusted person from their network knows.
Networking is mutually beneficial for employers and job seekers alike. Job seekers who actively engage in networking profit from a number of gains (Figure 1):
Figure 1: A Summary of the Benefits of Networking
Figure 1 highlights the fact that you get a lot more out of networking as a job search strategy, than applying for advertised positions alone. It’s clearly worth the effort. Networking effectively is hugely beneficial for professional development.
Job hunting in a recession
Networking becomes even more relevant during an economic downturn.
Applying for advertised posts feels productive when you’re job hunting. But it can be a futile activity for academics looking to transition out of academia, particularly in a recession.
In periods of economic downturn such as the one we’re predicted to face now, applying for advertised positions becomes an increasingly difficult way to find a job.
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t apply for positions that look really interesting, but as academics looking to transition, it’s a rookie mistake to use this as your only strategy to secure a job.
When you’re only pursuing advertised positions, the competition is huge. In a time of recession, this can literally mean hundreds of applicants for one position. Many of these will have industry-specific experience (which is usually requested in job ads).
If you don’t have this experience, you’ll struggle to get past the first hurdle.
Rather you need to work your way towards getting to speak to someone who’s willing to take a chance and give you a go. The aim is to increase your visibility in the non-academic world and find people who can help you land that first job.
During a recession there’s excess labour. This is an employer’s market. Companies don’t need to invest in recruitment. Furthermore, they don’t need to spend hours trawling through applications when they know they can find outstanding talent through referrals.
Job searching of the future (be it inside or outside academia) will require you to rely even more heavily on tapping into the hidden job market. If you’re looking to leave academia, networking should be your number 1 strategy in securing a job.
Networking for industry careers
A lack of industry-based work experience by many in academia, means networking is even more pertinent for those seeking post-ac employment.
However, there’s another major reason why networking is imperative when looking for work outside of academia: Your existing academic network.
Those around you in the lab are unlikely to possess the knowledge needed to help you make the transition out of academia.
But more than this, their well-meaning advice might be focused on trying to talk you out of leaving and choosing to pursue a postdoc, or other fixed-term research position instead. This is the default setting. People tend to offer their own personal experience when helping others with career decisions.
If you’ve got your heart set on leaving academia, seek out those who not only have the expertise to help you, but will also champion your decision and encourage you through the transition process.
Dispelling Networking Myths
It’s an unavoidable fact that professional connections are a vital component of building a successful working life. From promotions to job offers, warm recommendations from a productive network that keep you in front of mind, will help you to realise your career goals.
Yes, results are needed to progress your career. But even the most excellent ones won’t help if you’re not prepared to communicate (with clarity and conviction), their value to people who can make a difference.
Yet the thought of networking can feel daunting to many. Struggling to communicate your value without feeling fake, lacking confidence to approach others, and worried people won’t give you their time, are all reasons that hold people back from getting started.
Here I aim to dispel 3 of the most common self-imposed barriers towards networking, and offer encouragement as to why these needn’t stand in your way to:
Myth Number 1: Only natural sales people succeed at networking
In Western culture there is a prevailing ideal that people with a highly extroverted personality who can ‘power network’ their way through conferences, training events, parties, and throughout their day-to-day lives, are the only ones who can use networking to get ahead.
For a long-time, especially in my early academic career, I used to think this myself:
“Oh that’s not for me. I’m no sales guru and I haven’t got a honed elevator pitch for personal self-promotion. I won’t bother with that, I’d rather let my work speak for itself.”
Even the phrase ‘networking event’ would send the heckles up!
I don’t think I was an anomaly in this thinking. I suspect that the vast majority of research scientists probably feel uncomfortable with being propelled into situations, where the stereotypical highly extroverted, slick salesperson prevails.
However, I no longer believe that extreme extroverts exclusively benefit from networking. Introverts or people somewhere in-between (ambiverts) are often naturally better listeners. People who listen can often hone their communication skills more effectively to advance their careers.
You don’t need to be someone you’re not to succeed at networking. It’s not about learning how to become a sales person. Far from it. Overselling will make you sound inauthentic, even desperate.
I’ve learnt that networking needn’t feel uncomfortable and that you can find a way to network authentically that works for you, without the need for hyper-inflated self-promotion or a personal sales pitch.
I’ve also learnt that those who listen rather than spend conversations waiting for a suitable moment to interject with an ‘elevator pitch,’ develop into far better communicators and relationship handlers with practice.
Presenting the best version of yourself with clear supporting evidence, using an open, honest style that feels natural, is an approach that can work for everyone.
Whatever your personality type, learning to manage the messages you’re giving out in an authentic way, will enable you to build productive connections for your career.
Myth Number 2: Networking is awkward and painful
It’s easy to slip into the ‘comfortable’ alternative of online job searches and applying to advertised roles, at the expense of networking. Particularly if you’re concerned about feeling awkward approaching people.
But for the reasons mentioned above, applying for advertised positions as your primary job search strategy, can be a futile approach for transitioning academics.
Surely nothing can be more painful than facing a ton of rejections (or more realistically not hearing anything back at all)?
When I transitioned out of academia, I focused most of my efforts on networking. I ended up applying for four positions based on the research I done, sat three interviews, and was offered a position at all three. This provided negotiating leverage for my starting salary.
I learnt so much through the process. Not only about the sectors I was looking into, but also how to network effectively, in a way that worked for me.
Prepare in the right way, and networking needn’t feel daunting at all, in fact it will be fun! More on this next time, where I’ll be providing a strategy to help you achieve this…
Myth Number 3: People won’t get back to me
I had worked for 16 years in academia when finally decided I wanted to leave. Yes, you read it correctly – that long!
At the time, my professional network was almost exclusively academic, as were many of my friends. I was starting at the bottom when it came to building up a network who could support my post-ac aspirations.
Fortunately, I recognised this as a weakness early in the process, and started to invest heavily in building a supportive non-academic network.
Early on I identified individuals who had a similar background to me, having started as an academic researcher who then transitioned out of academia. These folks could understand my situation. This got the ball rolling and as I fine-tuned my messaging, I was able to start building a productive network from there.
More than 90% of people that I reached out to, got back to me. The 10% or less who didn’t, told me that they were too stretched right now and could get back to me in a few weeks. I was pleasantly surprised to find just how keen people were to help, and how generous they were with their time.
Overtime my network began to grow organically. People forwarded me onto others, told me about events I should attend, communities I should look up etc. And the final pay-out? – Job offers…well worth the effort!
Plus, I went into the medical writing world better connected, with a grounding in what to expect and where the industry was expected to head in over the next 3-5 years.
I would have got any of this insider info if I’d just applied to blanket job ads.
The majority of people will get back to you, and you will see progress once you get started.
The key is to get started, seed your non-academic network, and keep going.
Don’t get downbeat if a few conversations don’t work out. This happens.
Some conversations are great, others aren’t. This is to be expected and it’s okay. Individuals that you don’t resonate with aren’t the right people for your network. This is important to determine, so it’s all good. Don’t dwell on it and keep going. The aim is for quality over quantity. Include people in your network who are eager to help.
With the right approach, there’s nothing to fear from networking and everything to gain!
If you learn how to do it well, networking will be enjoyable (tips on this next time).
Once you’ve mastered the skill of effective networking, it will form a critically important part of continued professional development throughout your working life.
In Summary
- Talking to experienced professionals is the most effective way to understand:
- What employers are looking for
- The skills needed for particular roles
- What the work is like
- Industry-specific trends
- Employers prefer to find new staff by drawing on personal connections and word-of-mouth recommendations
- Focusing your efforts towards networking, will increase your visibility and allow you to tap into the hidden job market
- Dispel any fears you may have about networking:
- With practice you can develop into a highly effective networker
- Effective networking will feel enjoyable, not uncomfortable
- Most people you contact will get back to you, so be fearless!
- Networking is a key skill for professional development, so it’s well worth investing the time to master
Next time: Phase 2 of the career transition process, Networking (part 2): A simple strategy to build productive connections.
‘Til then, stay safe, stay connected and speak soon!
Vicky (BB founder)