Why do you need connections?
"The most important investment you can make is in yourself. And the best way to do that is to learn to communicate better." - Warren Buffett
Hard to disagree can't disagree with this.
By knowing the right people you can sometimes get unexpected offers out of nowhere.
If you just apply for jobs, on average out of 100 applications, you’ll get around 1-5 interview invitations, so the application-to-interview rate is 1-5%.
If you are getting referred, out of 10 referrals, you are getting 7-10 interviews, so the application-to-interview rate is 70-90+%.
That happens because when somebody refers you, it almost guarantees that the actual person will check your resume.
When you apply via a website or job board, 90% of people are getting filtered out automatically.
Moreover, some of the job offers aren't even making it to the website or job board.
Usually, when a company needs to hire someone, they first post the job offer internally and ask their employees if they know someone who'll be a good fit for the role. And if they find someone in that way, they won't even publish this job offer on the website.
So getting a job from someone who knows you is WAY EASIER, and therefore searching for a job via connections is 10x more efficient.
How to build connections?
Meetups and Events
If you are not sure what to start with, start with meetups and events.
This is the easiest place to push yourself out of your comfort zone and start building relations with people.
You can find meetups on websites like meetup com, in your local Facebook groups, in various apps, etc.
Not all meetups are great, and not all meetups will help you to get to know someone.
But you only need 1 good connection to change your life, so keep attending them and getting to know people.
After every meetup make sure to save contacts of people you’ve met, and message them for example on LinkedIn.
Always be humble, and polite and share what you are passionate about and what you are working on.
Lifehack: Ask more experienced people an advice about your current situation and how you can become as good and experienced as they are. PEOPLE LOVE SHARING their knowledge, especially after you praise them.
Using LinkedIn isn’t as straightforward as attending the meetup.
But this social media has the biggest concentration of IT people who work in different companies, and this is the exact audience you want to build relationships with.
After attending meetups you'll get to know some people and companies.
If they aren't currently hiring you can reach out to their colleagues and connections.
You can start with:
Hey, {NAME}!
I saw you are working at {COMPANY_NAME}.
I recently met your colleague {COLLEGUE_NAME} on {EVENT_NAME}.
We had a great chat about {TOPIC}.
I saw that you are working as a Frontend Developer. I’m currently studying Frontend Development myself, and I’m in the stage of finalising my portfolio. Just wanted to connect with you, and ask you for some tips about starting out in a company.
I’ve seen your work and it looks really professional, so tips from such an experienced developer will be super helpful for me. In exchange for your time, I want to buy you a coffee (or give Starbucks gift card if this person is from a different city).
I know your time is valued way more than that, and you probably won’t want to take any gift, but I really want to pay back at least something for your time, so please accept it :)
Huge thanks in advance and have a great day!
OR more professional version:
Hi {NAME}, I noticed you’re working at {COMPANY_NAME} and connected with your colleague, {COLLEAGUE_NAME}, at {EVENT_NAME}.
We discussed {TOPIC}, and it was quite insightful.
I’m currently finalizing my portfolio in Frontend Development and would love to connect with you for some tips on starting out in the industry.
Your professional work is truly inspiring, and advice from someone with your experience would be invaluable.
If you’re open to it, I’d love to buy you a coffee (or send a Starbucks gift card if you're in a different city) as a small token of appreciation for your time.
Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Best regards, {YOUR_NAME}
Of course, only say things that are TRUE and feel free to modify this template.
Use it, and see how your connections network grows and grows!
And if you keep reaching out to people, sooner or later someone will refer you for a job, so make sure to be always ready for an interview!
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