Networking The Old Fashioned Way

I was reading Business Week online the other day and I came across an article on the importance of Face-to-Face Interaction. This article is not in the context of your job search, but rather in the context of conducting business (including meetings, messaging, etc). What is interesting about it is that it correlates nicely to the importance of networking both online and in person.

A short time ago I wrote a post which included a topic of networking face-to-face. We are all accustomed to “connecting” with people online, but in my opinion, it’s difficult to really get to know someone unless you spend some time speaking face-to-face. It’s for this reason that companies don’t hire people without an in-person interview. Sure, they may screen candidates online or through phone interviews, but unless you are meeting with someone face-to-face, you aren’t going to get the job.

Herein lies the problem. While I’m a big fan of sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s difficult to maintain a truly human connection while only communicating in the virtual world. Of course, everyone has heard success stories about people landing jobs through Twitter, but I’m willing to be that these people either had an in-person interview somewhere down the line.

Perhaps the author said it best in the article:

People are starved for actual human interactions, and quickie digital contacts make poor substitutes.

I couldn’t agree more.

So what can you do to apply this to your job search? Simple, get out and meet people. Network the “old-fashioned” way. Give random acts of kindness. Get noticed. You can even cold-call HR and speak with someone directly. These “traditional” methods may seem far removed from what you are used to, but they can go a long way towards helping you land a job.