We all know them ... those people that get tickets to sold out concerts, or invitations to the hottest party in town, or better still... that dream job that never gets advertised. How do they do it? Nine times out of ten it's because of that old adage, "it's not what you know but who you know".
This raises an important question: who do you know? Building your professional network is vital and most marketers are pretty good at it. After all, a lot of extroverts are drawn into our industry.
I wonder though, if you look at your circle of contacts, whether you have a specialist recruiter on your list? I know recruitment consultants get a bad wrap at times (and I'm not saying in some cases it isn't deserved) but have you ever thought about how much information we have at our finger tips? Who's hiring... who's firing... what are organisations paying... which company has the best leadership team... who rises above the hype and really does offer work/life balance? I've often said the best thing about my job is that it gives me a helicopter view of the whole industry (marketing/ advertising/media). And I know lots of people!
You don't have to wait until you are looking for a job or recruiting staff to make friends with your local recruiter. I've got fantastic friends in the industry that are neither client nor candidate. One day though they may need some help and at that stage I can introduce them to the best employers or employees around.
One of my colleagues in Asia recently said that "we have coffee with a lot of strangers to make them our friends". So my next question to you is ... long black or latte? My treat!
Karen Thompson
Senior Agent, Marketing
kthompson@aquent.com
Aquent Perth
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