How to Network the RIGHT Way: HR Rep & Career Coach Tips | Indeed

Should that person try to connect with someone else? Well, I can see how that would deter you. I would never network ever again. Young job seekers, this is not the norm. I'm Jen, a career coach and your go-to gal for all things career advice. And I'm Gina. And hopefully we're going to help some people get their next job. Welcome to Job Search Stories. Today, we have back Polly Thompson, one of my favorite career coaches. Hey, guys. Welcome. Thanks so much for having me. We're talking about the right way to network. Hot topic all over social media, all over the Internet. Let's talk about privilege, pretty privilege, nepotism, nepo babies. Let's talk about it and using it in networking. So have you ever used your pretty privilege or nepotism for any other privileges to get a job? Because like Holly Girl, looking beautiful today. No, I mean, either. I can't say that I have. Like, I wish I was a nepo baby, right? I have. I have used privilege. I'm not saying I've used pretty privilege because I don't know that you should ever claim. I know if you claimed it. It's like gross. However, my very first job was at the company my mom worked for and my mom was high in the company. Everybody knew her. Nepo baby. They were like, oh, well, we can bring your daughter in as a cashier. And at the retail and like grocery level, you start as a bagger, like bagger, cashier, and like there's like a two to three dollar pay difference between the two. I did that same job. But you didn't get in based on nepotism. I will say my mom did say, no, don't bring her in as a cashier. She's going to start as a bagger. She needs to be pushing carts outside. So you earned it. Still an apple, baby, though. I was promoted within the first month, but it's because I'm a hard worker. Look, honestly, what y'all are learning about me is I've lived a life. Should people take advantage of these privileges or is it wrong? I think using your privilege to get a job is wrong. I don't know. I would kind of have to soft disagree. I think if you have access to get your foot in the door and you meet the requirements, if you're a qualified candidate with the access and you go through the same hiring process as everybody else. I think that's OK. You got me there. Like, I do agree with you on that point. She loves the nepotism. More people would be OK with nepotism if they would just acknowledge that they were nepotism. So that's the problem. And when you put it like that, though, and that you earned it and you So, yeah, you got me there. Your story just reminded me of that episode of Superstore. The district manager made her son a manager and he was doing like DoorDash before. And then she was like, yeah, I'm going to make him the manager. And he was like, yeah, where's inventory? And they were like, everything. If you didn't use privilege to get a job, what were the things that you did to like actually get the job? Networking. I was networking. I'm making connections with people. Yeah. And again, building those relationships. And so that way, when a job became available and I was nurturing those new relationships and connections that I had made, I was fresh on their mind. And so it's like, oh, Hollywood would be good for this job. Yeah. That's how I got my foot in the door. That's how you and I met, actually. It's not to say that people who have more access can't network. It's just that they have certain privileges that get them in the door quicker or more often. And that's where it becomes a little unfair. They might have access to a wider network. Yeah, true. And to people in higher position that are more decision makers. Yeah. But another thing to think about with those connections, it's not necessarily just about the ones that you're making. So, for example, that one person that I knew, you know, you and all the people now have access to your network now. So you don't have access to my network. Come on. Hey, I'm one of your favorite career coaches. Right. So let's say you already have a job, but you want to network within the company that you're at. The Reddit post is, is it unprofessional to do networking within the company you're contracting with? The Reddit user says, I work at a company as a contractor. Is it unprofessional to do networking at the company itself to find opportunities? I have access to every employee email via the directory, and I'm thinking about emailing employees within a certain department to network with them. Is this considered unprofessional? It's actually very professional to network at a company where you are contracting. Reach out to people and be like, hey, I want to get some coffee. Yeah, I'm interested in what you're doing. I do agree. I do think it's a good tip to network internally. And I think as long as you're doing it professionally. Right. And just like with any other networking event, you're not outright asking for a job. You're asking to learn. Right. So if you're reaching out to somebody exactly and saying, hey, what is it you do at your company? I work over in this department, but maybe I've seen you in meetings. It sounds like your work is really interesting. I'd love to learn more. Now, one thing I will say on that, if you're trying to change different departments, if you're trying to get out of your department, make sure that you're not talking bad about the department that you're currently in. So maybe it's just a different section that you are more interested in. You're trying to grow your career, but you never want to bad mouth any anyone or even what you do. Be curious and interested in what they're doing. I think the best thing about contract work is you can say, hey, my contract ends at this time. If you have any opportunities coming up, I am available. And I love working at this company. So I think that's the freedom. I would say if you're a full time worker, you do have to be a little bit more transparent and be like if you're saying that you are unhappy, like you said, you can't really like bad mouth your boss or the department you're in and things like that. If you're a full time employee who is interested in a different department, a lot of companies do have internal mobility programs. Yeah. So you could always reach out to that program and say, hey, I really love this company. It's been really great here. But I am open to exploring different opportunities here, which internal teams have open positions and they can help you. Yeah. A lot of times companies just want to keep good people. Even if you're a contractor or a full time employee, you have such valuable institutional knowledge. And that is so important because you can just kind of easily move into a new position. So it is really helpful to keep and retain employees. So it's not a bad idea to just have those conversations. Yeah, it's a great idea. I have people reaching out to me at Indeed just for like a 15 minute informational interview. People asking, what is it that you do? Yeah, for sure. I have been to a networking event at a past company where I met someone from a different department and then that person became my mentor. It was literally like meeting them at a networking event and then being like, oh, I literally work at this company and then being able to like have someone who maybe isn't necessarily my boss, but can be somebody who I can go to for professional development or advice on like navigating the company. I feel like it's really valuable to just be able to reach out to someone who is at a different part of the company just to have someone in your pocket. You know? Yeah. What are some steps for maybe a first time worker to network within their company? So there's a few different ways. And it also depends on what kind of company it is. Are there different types of Slack channels? Are you in office? Do you come across people maybe at the water cooler or the coffee stations? Things as simple as that. And just having those organic conversations and letting it start from there. So that's an easy way to get things started. There's also sometimes companies will have different groups that you can be part of employee resource groups. I know like at Indeed, we have women at Indeed. And so they have a lot of local events, global events, networking events. And so that's a great way to meet people in different departments. And you're going there for a specific reason. You're there for the same type of group. Yeah. And then I'm even part of a cycling group within Indeed. And so, yeah, and so we talk about cycling, but then we also talk about what they do at Indeed, which people from all over the company doing all different kinds of things. So that's a really great way to get things started is just to join different groups or different Slack channels and just start a conversation based on those mutual interests. Yeah. And even if you don't work in an office, the break room, the break room, the break room, just trying to grab a bite to eat. And it's a very kind of relaxed time. You know, I remember when I was working in retail, the other departments would always poach like the really good cashiers because they're like, oh, you're the responsible one. Yeah. And the cashiers were always willing to go to other departments because the other departments paid more. So chat it up if you're in retail and you're doing real good at your job. Yeah. There's other opportunities within the company. Word gets around. Word about good workers gets around. As long as you do it in a respectful way and you just do it in a professional way. There's nothing wrong with advancing your own career at your company, because at the end of the day, you have to look out for you and your professional development, your personal growth. And I think what both of you were talking about in regards to respect likeability is a huge factor in getting hired. And so when you're making those connections and you're going in and you're being curious and thoughtful and considerate of this person and asking for their advice, asking for their input on things, that feels good. That makes that person feel kind of special, you know? Yes, exactly. And that opens a door for several opportunities. Love it. And if you have any questions or need any specific career tips or job search advice, be sure to like subscribe and leave the question or comment down below in our comments section. Or you can also write to us at job search stories at Indeed.com. And your question could be featured on a future episode. And now to make it a little lighter, it's time to giggle. It's time to giggle at Reddit. So this post says this is what happens when you try to network with recruiters. Poor judgment on your job seeking strategy. Oof. We have never met. We have never worked together. You are quite young and green on how business connections work with senior professionals. Apparently, you have heard that I produce a job bank and decided it would be stunningly helpful for your career prospects if I shared my 960 plus connections with you. A total stranger who has nothing to offer me. Your invite to connect is inappropriate, beneficial only to you and Taki. Wow. I cannot wait to let every 26 year old job seeker have access to my top tier marketing connections to help them land a job. I love the sense of entitlement in your generation. And therefore, I enjoy denying your invite and giving you the dreaded I don't know blank because it's the truth. Oh, and about your request to actually receive my job bank, along with the 7300 other subscribers to my service. That's denied, too. I suggest you join the other job bank in town. Oh, wait, there isn't one. You're welcome for your humility lesson for the year. Don't ever reach out to senior practitioners again and assume their carefully curated list of connections is available to you just because you want to build your network. Don't ever write me again. I thought we were keeping this lighthearted and having a giggle. Yeah, my. Where are the laughs? I mean, this person clearly someone spit in their coffee that morning. Wow. They woke up and chose violence. Oh, my. What is this gesture like automated reply? Like, what if this just goes out to everybody? How should somebody even respond to this? I don't think you need to respond to that. Like, what are you going to get out of responding? I don't know. I feel like just a quick reply of who hurt you. Yeah. Might be good. Did your mother not hug you? Yeah. Were you not loved? Oh, my goodness. So should that person try to connect with someone else? Well, I can see how that would deter you from ever sending a message again. Never network ever again. No, you have to. You would have to. Not everybody is like that. Honestly, the honest scenario is you probably just don't get a response back, right? You reach out to somebody you don't know. This is not the norm. No, no. Children, young job seekers. This is not the norm. Sorry, I'm like this. I have sent so many messages to people. And the the worst response I've ever gotten was just not a response. Yeah. Yeah. So no response is better than that. I've never gotten anything like that. Yeah. I do have a tip, though. If you are trying to reach out to someone, make sure that you are sending a thoughtful message, not just a canned message. When you are reaching out to someone that you don't know. Tell them who you are and why you are reaching out. Yeah. Don't just say, hi, I would like a job at your company. Yeah. Who are you? Yeah. Hey, let's chat. About what? Yeah. About what? Right. Who are you? Well, Jen gets messages saying, hi, I love you. So I don't mind those. Do you? Do you really? She really does. I'm not surprised. Nepo baby. Nepo baby. Pretty privileged. Yeah. Anyways, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us, Holly. We love when you're here. And if you like this episode, please make sure to like and subscribe to the channel or leave a comment down below if you want us to answer any of your questions and tell us how much you love Holly. And we'll see you next time. Bye. And the Reddit little boop boop boop. But like if you use the little boop boop boop, but that that that you understood that. 100 percent. Yes, you should do that. I think I think I'm like, do I think that?