Future of Work: Why investing in your network is the most important thing now
Updated: 13 hours ago
It’s always surprised me that I see the same familiar faces at the Change Management Institute’s free networking drinks. I’ve been going for nigh on a decade and while different people do come and go over the years, there’s a solid core of probably a couple of hundred passionate Change Management practitioners, recruiters, and people-lovers that consistently show up. The thing I find surprising is that there’s actually at least a thousand Change Managers in Sydney. Most don’t come, despite the fact that it’s free for both members and non-members of CMI. This is a miss: the rules of the career game are changing and the savviest professionals are the ones that adapt with it.
In the early days of my corporate career, I hustled hard when it came to networking. I was ambitious and eager, so any opportunity to meet people, be part of professional development, and grow my network was leaped at. I’ve mellowed over time, with a few fan favourites like CMI networking drinks a few times a year and the Women in Projects monthly meet ups, along with conferences and events that I’m usually speaking at. But more and more I’m finding that networking is become more important than ever for anyone who wants to keep a professional career and profile.
The more senior you are, the more roles come through networks
I started my own independent consultancy five years ago and I can’t tell you how many of my consulting clients have come through my network. It’s the No. 1 source in fact. Occasionally, I’ve found consulting gigs online or when consulting agencies have reached out to me. But the primary method of attracting clients has been my network. Past bosses, social friends, being active on LinkedIn, and being referred by colleagues and peers. And the same goes for my Leading Successful Change students - often someone they know has recommended that they follow me or do my course and join the program. Word of mouth is super powerful and when people know you’re a good operator and add value, they’re happy to pay it forward and put you forward. Some senior roles or consulting gigs aren’t even ever advertised - the only way you’d know about them is through a direct referral, a recruiter reaching out, or Executive Search coming to you.
The job market is tough
It’s true the market has picked up a bit but there’s still fewer roles and more redundancies going around and it’s probably only going to get worse. When I was still working back in Marketing and desperately needed a job, I applied for 100 roles in 3 days and secured 20 interviews and 3 job offers. Nowadays, anecdotally, I hear clients and students say they can apply for 100 jobs and get 1-2 interviews, if any. There’s fewer jobs and fewer callbacks, the competition is more fierce, recruiters and hiring managers are drowning in applications, and employers can choose more strategically. So that’s where you’ve got to do something different. It’s not about completely ditching the job search site or role applications, it’s about adding another source to the mix: your direct network. When people see me at networking events and ask what to do because they’re struggling to get callbacks for interviews, I say: “Focus on your network.” Because while 100 people might apply for a role, someone in your network might only put 2-5 names forward to a hiring manager who’s needing to hire fast.
AI applicant tracking systems are blacklisting you
I was mortified by the recent Stanford study that some of the AI-powered Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that companies are using to assess job applications may not just reject you for that role. They can keep your score and reuse it for up to 330 days. Companies who use that same vendor may carry across your score and automatically and algorithmically lock you out from multiple employers at once without you even knowing (systemic rejection). So the anecdotes that make it feel like rejection is on a steroid-fuelled auto-pilot may actually be founded in reality.
The solution: Nurture your networks
This is why now, more than ever, with the Future of Work, you need to be nurturing your networks. It takes a little more time, a little more effort, and a little more courage than it used to, and may be especially harder to get back into the habit since the COVID lockdowns and whatever life stage you’re in right now with caring responsibilities for kids/partners/parents, hormonal shifts, and the sheer admin of life and work. But I can tell you it is worth it not just today but for whatever comes in the future be it job loss, industry changes, or something we aren’t even aware of yet.
Grow your networks
Go to networking events, conferences and courses - whether free or paid, invest the time, energy and effort to get out and meet people in person
Online events work too but people are generally Zoom-fatigued and deeper relationships are built in person
Invite people to connect on LinkedIn - LinkedIn has relaxed its old rules where you have to know the person, you can connect with 50-100 people per week if you so desire (you may need to upgrade to a Premium account but for me it’s worth it!)
Build relationships with recruiters
Reach out to recruiters - they are gold for project-based professions like Change Management but also for any profession at any level
Recruiters will keep you in mind for roles you could be a perfect fit for - a couple of my best Change Management roles and one of my most awesome consulting clients came through recruiters
Let recruiters know when you’re active - or ideally, BEFORE you’re active if you have warning, as they often need to work quite fast to find talent for their clients and availability could be your friend
Get back to connecting
Reach back out to old bosses, contacts or clients and say hi if/when you think of them and they pop into your mind
Share the occasional post on LinkedIn - or if you’re not confident, reshare / comment / celebrate on other people’s posts! Your name will still pop up!
Genuinely take an interest in people and their lives - we’re all busy and overwhelmed, so actually taking time to really connect with what someone is going through can be a salve for both your soul and theirs!
One of the best opportunities to network in order to start or grow your career in Change Management is to join my Leading Successful Change program. Usually I only offer it as an online course with a global community, but on Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 October I’ll be running a live, in-person version of the training. It’s super practical and hands-on, teaches you exactly “how” to use all the tools, templates and techniques needed in Change delivery, and connects you to peers in the industry and of course - me! It’s a completely immersive and experiential 2-day event and those who have attended in the past have exploded their Change Management expertise and visibility.
It’s $2,997 AUD per person which includes the two full days of training, a comprehensive Change Management Delivery toolkit, advanced business-ready Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Coaching tools and techniques, Q&A throughout the two days, networking with fellow professionals, catered lunches and refreshments, and a printed certificate and digital credential via Credly that you can add to your LinkedIn and CV.
Find out more and register your place on the training here:
All the best,
Lata xx
I'm Lata Hamilton - the Founder & CEO of Passion Pioneers, a Change Management consultancy specialising in digital transformation, operating model changes, and new ways of working and leadership.
Grab my free Creative Launch Ideas Guide with 53 ways to bring your next Change and Transformation to life - download it here.
And if you'd like my help with your next change or building leadership capability for your team, get in touch with me here.
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