In The AI Era, Your Credentials Need a Network
Sure you want to get hired on your merits, and to make that happen, you need to get networking.
A video on LinkedIn is the spark for this networking rant.
In the video - a clip from what looks like a panel discussion - one of the experts on stage is bemoaning how AI written cover letter and resumes are being reviewed and screened by AI driven HR professionals and how, it was necessary to resort to [insert drumroll here] networking! then, the expert went on to say that relying on contacts was somehow an affront to meritocracy in the hiring process....
Yeah. I tuned out after that because WTW.
Networking extensively helped me land a job in attorney training and professional development - a transition (from practicing attorney to law firm manager) that looked relatively straight forward, but in reality was long and hard, outright demoralizing at times. Networking to make that career shift was how I got job leads, feedback on my resume and interview skills, support when yes, I was told once again, that I was "too qualified" for the role I was applying for or conversely was told I was "over qualified" for the role I was applying for.
Ultimately networking was how my merits got into a candidate line I'd otherwise never have been in.
Years later networking in a global business network for women was how my credentials, merits, skills and talents came to the attention of the founder of the network, which lead to becoming the first president of that network, and later, to being asked to co-found a startup accelerator.
Fast forward, if I was seeking a job today - I'd be hustling my networking butt off (intelligently, and intentionally of course). I wouldn't be relying on an online hiring portal to sift my application out based on its merits, or imagining AI is somehow going to make my credentials standout from the rest of the job-seeking pack.
Need more?
Here are some past posts and rants to help boost your job-seeking prospects:
🤖 Networking Pro-Tip: No Job Posting? No Problem. Land your dream job without waiting for a posting or seeking permission.
🤖 Transitioning from Student to First Job Success Discover how networking can be approached as transformational, rather than as transactional.
🤖 Networking Pro-Tip: Asking for Help With Your Job Search Use this email template to get the helpful leads you need from your network.
🤖 Is it OK to...Build Connections With Prospective Employers When you're wanting to be proactive, but not pestering when networking for a post-college job, what do you do?
🤖 Networking Task Attack A time blocking strategy for the networking tasks you keep meaning to get to…
💡 Long life + Long careers
The benefits of networks extend well beyond enhancing your career prospects - they improve your health. Strong social connections have been shown to boost immunity, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and speed up recovery.
Networking = is the biohack that works.
Read "Why friendship could be the secret to a longer, healthier life"
📘 My latest book - The Social Billionaire: A Networking Roadmap for Women Seeking to Flourish and Achieve More - is available in paperback (workbook) format on Amazon + Barnes & Noble + Bookshop.org and in ebook on Kindle, Bookshop.org, Smashwords, Vivlio, Thalia, Apple Books, Fable and Rakuten kobo.
📚 Conference. event, offsite, team building in the works? For bulk orders, get pricing here, on IngramSpark. Personalized copies (yes, you read that right) can also be ordered via IngramSpark.
💡 Book reviews help other readers find the books they should be reading, and I'd love ambitious women to get the networking strategy they need. Review The Social Billionaire on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
🗝️ If you’re planning events designed to boost career transitions, job prospects or professional connections, let’s talk, as I’d love insights from The Social Billionaire to be part of your conversation.