I watched a webinar for PhDs where the presenter pushed back against the advice to network in order to get a job.
“No, you don’t have to network,” she said. “That’s not true.”
Now, the thing is, she’s right: You don’t have to network to get a job. You don’t.
But it’s also true that without networking you’re missing out on a lot of good and useful stuff.
Because here’s the thing: You don’t network so the people you network with will hire you.
Sometimes that does happen. And that’s awesome (and lucky).
But networking as a job search strategy isn’t about talking your way into a job offer. (Although, again, it does happen.)
Instead, you network to
- supercharge your learning about a new-to-you field,
- practice using industry lingo,
- get a sense of what your potential future colleagues are all about, and
- expand your job search team
In other words, we’re talking networking as learning. It’s an educational activity, one that has the added benefit of building your confidence.
And what about that “expand your job search team” part from the list above? This is networking as community building.
Going from “hey, nice to meet you” to “here’s an amazing job offer” isn’t usually a straight line between two people.
But starting with “hey, nice to meet you” is how you wind up with folks who can send you job ads you might never have seen, recommend you for positions in their organizations, give you feedback on your application materials based on their own industry-specific knowledge, and more.
And here’s a final plug for networking as learning and community building: It makes the job search process more fun. And my goodness, your job search could really use some fun in it, eh?
So, do you have to network to get a job? Nope!
But, gosh, you’re missing out on all kinds of useful learning and community building opportunities if you don’t talk to and otherwise interact with folks in your desired field.
Go forth and network, PhDs!