<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>In tough times, it's about who you know
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Networking gives job-seekers an edge over those who just fill in application forms </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Mavis Toh
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->When marketing manager Jacob Ng lost his job last Christmas, he flipped through his collection of name cards.
From those that he selected, he renewed contact with people he had 'networked' with over the past two years.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>NETWORKING TIPS
1 Make a list of contacts, including former colleagues and schoolmates, and people you've met at conferences. Send them an e-mail, explain that you're looking for a job and ask for advice and referrals.
2 Before attending a networking event, find out more about the company and people who will be there.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Within a month, the 28-year-old, through one such contact, had secured another marketing position in a small and medium-sized enterprise.
'I knew the manager from a company lunch I went to,' says Mr Ng. 'I never imagined he would be the one to help me get a job.'
With the current recession, people like Mr Ng are reaping the rewards of networking.
Earlier this month, former high-rolling bankers were at Harry's bar at Boat Quay to meet potential recruiters through a networking event.
Experts tell The Sunday Times that while networking is still used to cut deals, more people are networking to secure jobs too.
What exactly is networking?
Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI), defines it as casting one's net wider, to increase exposure to a larger group of people through various forms of interaction.
He says networking has become especially important in a job search.
'If you cocoon yourself at home, opportunities don't come fast and furious,' he says. 'With networking, you open yourself to new people and ideas.'
Human resources company Adecco believes that besides traditional methods of job searching, networking is an excellent job- search method to consider.
Adecco strategic accounts director Yue Yin Mun explains: 'Networking is very effective. You get instant introductions, and relationships can be developed much quicker than through resumes.'
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) chief executive Phillip Overmyer says the biggest challenge for a person searching for a job is to get through the first two interviews.
He adds: 'If you have a recommendation from somebody in some informal way, it dramatically increases your chances.'
Mr Overmyer has also read that 75 per cent of jobs are secured through networking recommendations, rather than through headhunters or newspaper and online advertisements.
'Networking puts you ahead of those who are simply filling out job ads online and those going through recruitment firms,' he says.
Ms Cecellia Telkes, an associate consultant at Imageworks Asia, an image training and consulting group, agrees with Mr Overmyer that often, job vacancies are not advertised.
She adds: 'In times of recession, it's not what you know, but who you know.'
In Singapore, networking can occur in different forms.
Organisations, social clubs and even community development councils often organise events for professionals from different backgrounds. Apart from roping in expert speakers, these events also offer the chance for mingling before and after the talks.
At roadshows and job fairs, one can also hope to network with potential employers.
The SICC convenes industry-focused meetings once every quarter. Breakfast and lunch meetings are common too. The group has seen a 10 per cent to 15 per cent increase in attendance at such networking events in recent months.
'In times of recession, business may be quieter and people may have more time to come for events and keep themselves engaged,' says Mr Overmyer. 'That's very important.'
Less formally, companies and clubs also hold cocktail parties, or 'wine and cheese' events, where professionals gather at various venues to mingle over drinks.
Says SHRI's Mr Ang: 'In such social networking, you get to meet new people and tap on each other's network.'
At the Toastmasters' Club of Singapore, members organise frequent gatherings, apart from holding two meetings each month, to forge bonds.
'The club is a good place to network, as you get to meet people from all walks of life,' says president Jacky Lim.
In networking, experts say, one can even ring up friends, ex-colleagues and ex-schoolmates to arrange meetings.
Imageworks' Ms Telkes says: 'Don't discount the people you already know. Eat humble pie and pick up the phone. They might just be able to help you.'
In the digital age, it is also helpful to network electronically, say, through LinkedIn, Twitter - and even Facebook. The main aim, experts say, is to keep oneself connected and in the minds of others.
In networking to find job opportunities, it is important to follow up after meetings.
Adecco's Ms Yue advises: 'Have an updated resume ready and follow up a day or two after the event. The turnaround time is very important to make sure the person still remembers you.'
Though the rewards of networking often take time to reap, experts agree it is a habit that should be cultivated for life.
Ms Telkes says: 'You never know when your networking is going to come in helpful. As we like to say, 'Rich people network; poor people just work'.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Networking gives job-seekers an edge over those who just fill in application forms </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Mavis Toh
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->When marketing manager Jacob Ng lost his job last Christmas, he flipped through his collection of name cards.
From those that he selected, he renewed contact with people he had 'networked' with over the past two years.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>NETWORKING TIPS
1 Make a list of contacts, including former colleagues and schoolmates, and people you've met at conferences. Send them an e-mail, explain that you're looking for a job and ask for advice and referrals.
2 Before attending a networking event, find out more about the company and people who will be there.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Within a month, the 28-year-old, through one such contact, had secured another marketing position in a small and medium-sized enterprise.
'I knew the manager from a company lunch I went to,' says Mr Ng. 'I never imagined he would be the one to help me get a job.'
With the current recession, people like Mr Ng are reaping the rewards of networking.
Earlier this month, former high-rolling bankers were at Harry's bar at Boat Quay to meet potential recruiters through a networking event.
Experts tell The Sunday Times that while networking is still used to cut deals, more people are networking to secure jobs too.
What exactly is networking?
Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI), defines it as casting one's net wider, to increase exposure to a larger group of people through various forms of interaction.
He says networking has become especially important in a job search.
'If you cocoon yourself at home, opportunities don't come fast and furious,' he says. 'With networking, you open yourself to new people and ideas.'
Human resources company Adecco believes that besides traditional methods of job searching, networking is an excellent job- search method to consider.
Adecco strategic accounts director Yue Yin Mun explains: 'Networking is very effective. You get instant introductions, and relationships can be developed much quicker than through resumes.'
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) chief executive Phillip Overmyer says the biggest challenge for a person searching for a job is to get through the first two interviews.
He adds: 'If you have a recommendation from somebody in some informal way, it dramatically increases your chances.'
Mr Overmyer has also read that 75 per cent of jobs are secured through networking recommendations, rather than through headhunters or newspaper and online advertisements.
'Networking puts you ahead of those who are simply filling out job ads online and those going through recruitment firms,' he says.
Ms Cecellia Telkes, an associate consultant at Imageworks Asia, an image training and consulting group, agrees with Mr Overmyer that often, job vacancies are not advertised.
She adds: 'In times of recession, it's not what you know, but who you know.'
In Singapore, networking can occur in different forms.
Organisations, social clubs and even community development councils often organise events for professionals from different backgrounds. Apart from roping in expert speakers, these events also offer the chance for mingling before and after the talks.
At roadshows and job fairs, one can also hope to network with potential employers.
The SICC convenes industry-focused meetings once every quarter. Breakfast and lunch meetings are common too. The group has seen a 10 per cent to 15 per cent increase in attendance at such networking events in recent months.
'In times of recession, business may be quieter and people may have more time to come for events and keep themselves engaged,' says Mr Overmyer. 'That's very important.'
Less formally, companies and clubs also hold cocktail parties, or 'wine and cheese' events, where professionals gather at various venues to mingle over drinks.
Says SHRI's Mr Ang: 'In such social networking, you get to meet new people and tap on each other's network.'
At the Toastmasters' Club of Singapore, members organise frequent gatherings, apart from holding two meetings each month, to forge bonds.
'The club is a good place to network, as you get to meet people from all walks of life,' says president Jacky Lim.
In networking, experts say, one can even ring up friends, ex-colleagues and ex-schoolmates to arrange meetings.
Imageworks' Ms Telkes says: 'Don't discount the people you already know. Eat humble pie and pick up the phone. They might just be able to help you.'
In the digital age, it is also helpful to network electronically, say, through LinkedIn, Twitter - and even Facebook. The main aim, experts say, is to keep oneself connected and in the minds of others.
In networking to find job opportunities, it is important to follow up after meetings.
Adecco's Ms Yue advises: 'Have an updated resume ready and follow up a day or two after the event. The turnaround time is very important to make sure the person still remembers you.'
Though the rewards of networking often take time to reap, experts agree it is a habit that should be cultivated for life.
Ms Telkes says: 'You never know when your networking is going to come in helpful. As we like to say, 'Rich people network; poor people just work'.' [email protected]
