How to get a new job via your network, in the AI automated era

Are you one of the many job hunters in my midst?

Lately, many people in my network have shared that they're thinking about their next move. Some feel inspired to leave their own company or their current employer. Others are quietly exploring new roles.

They’re asking me questions like:

• How do I leverage my network to find my next role?

• Who should I reach out to, and how should I approach them?

• How do I stand out from the crowd in general?

Since a lot of the people I've spoken to are established professionals already, they're wondering, do I really need to create a resume and start applying?

And everyone, no matter where they are in their career, is also wondering, what do I do about all these AI agents applying to jobs and impacting my search?

If you’ve been pondering the same, I’ve got news for you: complementary questions are being asked amongst hirers themselves behind closed doors.

Last year, I hosted a private breakfast with ten C-suite executives in HR at leading companies and the conversation quickly turned to the impact of AI in job applications.

Multiple CHROs said that they were getting bombarded with automated applications from AI agents. That they now have not just hundreds of resumes to sift through, but thousands. They themselves were wondering what this meant for applicants and their ability to truly stand out.

From a hiring leader’s POV, if they can get a trusted referral, they are going to look at that referred candidate much sooner to avoid sifting through thousands of applications.

In this day and age, it’s highly likely your next job is going to come from your network. But before you reach out to your network, there’s some pre-work I recommend you do first.

In this newsletter and the following, I’ll share how you can navigate your existing network to discover new opportunities, and publicly position yourself to attract the ideal opportunities. On that note…

1) Leverage network mapping

A few weeks ago, I had you take a stab at network mapping. Though it’s a helpful exercise for achieving business goals, it can function just as effectively for achieving personal goals — especially when it comes to job hunting. A network map can absolutely accelerate your career move. 

Once you have your map in place, make sure you know how to build relationships with the right people. 👇

2) Do your homework: self-reflection

Just as network mapping is essential in reaching your business goals through relationships, having goal clarity is essential in a career transition.

When it comes to your job hunt, you need to get very clear on what you’re working backwards from before we can identify the people you need to connect with (and how to create value for them) to get to where you want to go.

Ask yourself: What do you want in your new job? 

• Is there a specific title you’re chasing?

• A salary that you're angling for? 

• Are you eager to make a specific type of impact, or work in a particular industry? 

• Is there a type of project you want to be working on? 

These are the very first questions you have to answer for yourself to achieve the kind of clarity this process demands. I'm not asking you this as a “coach” in any way, but instead as a Connection Architect who has a proven framework and wants to reverse engineer the pursuit of your goal. 😉

I also like to tell people to look at their existing role and ask themselves:

• What am I great at? (Hint: ask others to name your strengths too)

• What do people come to me for?

• What conversations do I want to be part of?

For example, if you're pursuing for a role in marketing, are you looking for that role because you know that you have a unique set of relevant skills? Or are you looking specifically to become a VP of Marketing because it’s the title you’re after? Or are you not just looking for a job in marketing, but in healthcare marketing, because while marketing may be your superpower, it’s the healthcare industry you’re most interested in.

3) Identify your advocates

The importance of goal clarity is also because you need to be able to clearly communicate your goal to others. When you're job hunting, you’re ultimately asking for favors or advocacy from someone. Having a clear goal in mind makes it easy for someone to say “yes” to your request for their help.

People can't talk about you or refer opportunities to you if they don't have clarity on what it is that you want and how they can either get you to that opportunity, or get you to somebody that could potentially guide you or open doors for you.

Here’s why having a clear purpose is key to attracting new opportunities.👇

With your goal clearly established, it’s time to reach out to those advocates to explain:

In closing, if you follow this newsletter, you’ll have identified your goal, your advocates, and made the ask for assistance landing your next role. This is part one of two.

Next time I’m in your inbox, I’ll share tactics for best positioning yourself publicly so you can start filling in the gaps in your network map when it comes to a job search.

Stay tuned for part two!

Nicole

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I was on the Get Sh*t Done podcast last summer, and I completely forgot to share it here. My fault, but the networking tips dropped in the pod are applicable more than ever.