Networking 2.0

Most of my job opportunities have come through my networks. In fact, some people in my networks have been behind multiple offers/jobs.

I shared some of my experiences, and many of you weighed in as well on networking your way to your next role - here and here.

When you surround yourself with the right people and cultivate meaningful relationships with them, they will be in your corner and advocate for you across your entire career.

10 connections who are invested in you and your success will go a lot further than 5000 connections who don’t do much more than like your LinkedIn posts (if that).

So this issue is all about Networking 2.0 - going beyond LinkedIn to think about how we can cultivate networks to support our careers.

I did a survey over the weekend asking you all how you build advocates in your career and here’s what you said:

Lean on your former colleagues

Hands down, the top source of opportunities in our survey came from former colleagues. And this makes sense, right? They know you and your work, and they’ve likely moved into other roles where your experiences are a great match.

Plus, referrals from people who have worked with you carry a lot more weight with recruiting teams.

A few ideas for connecting with old colleagues:

1. Share updates on what you’ve been up to, ideally before you find yourself needing a new role. But if you ARE looking for your next move, then let them know what you’re looking for and check if they’d be willing to set up time to chat or might recommend any openings in their current companies.

2. Leave a recommendation, and ask them to leave one for you - this is a great way to reconnect AND support one another’s search.

3. Share opportunities when you see them with former colleagues. People like to reciprocate favors so they are more likely to do the same for you.

Leverage social media and professional communities beyond LinkedIn

One of my favorite hires I’ve made came from a Facebook post.

I shared an opening at my company, and a friend tagged someone in their network - they ended up being a perfect fit!

I’m in a Peloton group and every day people share job openings and offer referrals - I’ve shared a few profiles of people in my network for roles I’ve seen here. I got an amazing referral for a role via TikTok.

There are Facebook, Reddit, and Slack communities. People share jobs on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

And you all agree! There are hiring communities on Twitter.

Connect through your non-work activities

I used to do improv; on the first day of rehearsal for a show, we were introducing ourselves and someone I’d never met before mentioned that they were looking for a new role.

I happened to know of an opening that matched - a few weeks later, she landed the role!

I’ve referred people I’ve met through mom groups on Facebook, recently someone I met when selling something on Marketplace interviewed with my company.

The reality is that you can make a connection that leads to a job ANYWHERE.

Meet someone who has a job or works at a company you’re interested in (or could be in the future?)
Let them know, and keep in touch with them!

Looking for your next role? Or got an opening at your company?
Share with your personal networks!

See an opening you’re interested in?
Think through your personal networks and see if there’s someone who can help make a connection.

There’s a popular saying - your network is your net worth. The more I’ve built up my networks, the easier jobhunting has been for me - and so many you have echoed the same.

So I hope some of these ideas will help you build YOUR networks so you can land the job!

🙋Answering Your Questions🙋

Each week, I’ll answer a few of your questions in this section. You can submit your questions here.

Relocation Allowance: How to get it or negotiate for it? - Griselda Lopez

Great question! If you know a job will require relocation, I would encourage you to ask about the relocation policy early in the process - but I wouldn’t let them saying there’s no support lead you to exit the process.

As you’re approaching the offer stage, I would do your research on cost of living, and any costs associated with the move. Have a number in mind for what you’re hoping will be covered.

Once you receive the offer, I would bring this up again, and let them know what you expect the cost to be - ask them for options to help close the gap.
Be open to things beyond a relocation reimbursement or stipend - for example, perhaps they can offer a sign-on bonus, or a higher salary - $10k on your salary long-term is actually better than $10k in relocation reimbursements. Or maybe they can cover 6 months of corporate housing.

Why wait until you get the offer? Because otherwise, they may lowball the salary to move budget for your relocation package, or they may consider other candidates - wait until you know they want you, and you have their salary offer to bring up additional asks.

Finally, make sure to consider the total package - if the job represents a big jump up in your career and your salary, and it’s a location you want to be in anyway, it may be worth taking it even without a relocation package.
-Bonnie

Hi Bonnie, I can't help but wonder how many of the jobs I'm applying to are actually scams? I noticed recently an influx in potentially scam/fake recruiters feigning to have a position open for me, and I also noticed some "great fit" positions on linkedin jobs have recruiters with sketchy/scammy looking profiles that don't make sense. So I'm wondering -- with the hours and hundreds of applications I've sent out -- is it possible that only a handful of them are even real?! What about positions that will likely lead to nowhere? Any tips on how to better vet these job ads to make sure I'm not wasting my time / info?
-Suspicious in Sacramento

This is becoming more and more common - there are some very elaborate stories of scammers masquerading as real recruiters at actual companies, as well as representing made up companies with websites. Just check out this wild story and this one and this one. So anyone who is looking for their next role should be a bit skeptical.

Here are a few things to look out for:

1. Check the company page - most companies post the job on their own job board, not just LinkedIn/Indeed - if it’s not posted, that would be a red flag for me. (And if the page itself looks barebones, that’s also a flag).

2. Check the profile of the person contacting you - no connections, new profile, current role doesn’t match the company they claim to represent, they have no connections at the company - this would all lead me to question their legitimacy.

3. They want to conduct the interview via What’s App, Telegram, text, or email. Legitimate interviews do not take place via text. The same is true if they expedite the process - for example, you talk to a recruiter, and then they let you know it went so well, they’re ready to move to an offer.

4. The job posting is vague - it doesn’t share many details about the role and responsibilities, or it sounds too good to be true (for example, work from home, flexible hours, no experience required for $50 an hour? That’s a scam.)

5. There are lots of errors in the job posting and the communication with the recruiter. Legitimate companies proofread and use templates so there should be very few errors if any.

6. They ask you to pay for anything - if they ask for payment for your background check or equipment or anything like this, I would be really skeptical.

7. They reach out to you about your application…and you don’t remember applying! Side note: consider a job tracker to keep track of what job you’ve actually applied to and who your contacts are!

When in doubt, you should check the company page to verify that it’s a legitimate business, and contact them to verify the legitimacy of the role and the person you’re talking to. And most importantly, do not give ANY personal information (including copies of your ID, social security number, etc.) without verifying that it’s a legitimate job.

It’s definitely scary and sad to know so many people are taking advantage of jobseekers, but with a bit of vigilance, you can spot those fake roles and protect your self!
-Bonnie

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The In-Flight Amenities 🍱

Each week, I share job openings within my network and a featured jobseeker that I hope we can all support in their job search.

Resources you need to use:

Jobsearching? I saw this great post from Lydia Oshodi with a resources to help with professional dress, transportation to interviews, and more.

Jobs you need to check out:
Zapier is hiring as always!
Recruiter opening - preference for hybrid in DC but seems to be flexible!
A former colleague is the recruiter for this DC-based Chief Talent Officer role!
A VP at Workday dropped this comment around open HR/People roles!
A former colleague shared that Family Dollar has lots of openings for recruiters!
For all of my ed tech friends, check out this Account Executive opportunity!
This TX-based Enterprise AE role it still accepting applications!
One of my followers shared that she is recruiting for this fundraising role in Cambridge, MA!
For my marketing friends, check out this Performance Marketing opportunity.
And as always, I share jobs regularly in my Talent Collective! (If you’d like to share jobs, we’d love to have you!)

A jobseeker you need to hire: Meet Yasha Sadagopan!
Yasha was a Senior Technical Product Manager at Zynga before being affected by layoffs recently. She has nearly 11 years of experience in the banking and gaming industries, with the past almost 5 years focused on APIs, SDKs, platform product management, dev tools and devops.

She’s open to all industries, and looking for Principal, Senior and Lead Product Manager roles. She would love to find a remote role given her success working collaboratively in a remote workplace previously, and hopes to find a growth oriented and friendly workplace culture that’s collaborative.

Think you might have a role that’s a good fit for Yasha, or be able to help make a connection? Add her on LinkedIn, or email her, and let’s get Yasha hired!

Interested in having your story shared? Sign up here!

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