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Whether you’re actively looking for a job or are focusing your energy on building a career with your current company, maintaining contact with your professional network is key to your career growth.

Why Does Networking Work?

Networking is one of the most powerful ways to find a new job. Why?

  • People like to work with people they know. Resumes and cover letters are informative, but impersonal. By building person-to-person connections, you improve your chances of being chosen as a new member of the team.
  • Job listings often leave hiring managers overrun with applicants. By networking, you move yourself from the pile of resumes to the much smaller group of “people who could do this job.”
  • The job you want may never be advertised. Many sales and marketing positions appear before a formal job description is created or opening announced. When your name comes to mind for key players, you’re in position to seize one of these openings – before the competition even knows it exists.

By keeping in touch with the business contacts you have and by actively seeking to build more contacts, you make yourself and your work more visible within your industry and field. The more people recognize your name and your work, the more effectively you brand yourself as a “rising star” or “key player” in sales and marketing – and the better your prospects become as a result.

How to Make Networking Work for You

How can you cultivate a network that offers bountiful support for your career? Consider the following tips:

  • Think big. Your network includes not only your business contact, but also your family, friends, community groups, and other circles in which you travel. And each network connects you with other networks.
  • Improve your communication skills. Effective communication positions you to share your own work and to really understand the work of your connections – both key sources of job information. Work on active listening to improve your comprehension and demonstrate your keen interest in what your contact has to offer.
  • Hop online. Social media has changed the way we network – often for the better. LinkedIn, the only social networking site specializing in connecting business professionals, offers extraordinary opportunities to get your name out there. For sales and marketing professionals in the biomedical field, LinkedIn groups like “Biomedical Engineers” and “Medical Device Consultants” offer a chance to expand your network and your knowledge at the same time. Even though you aren’t a biomedical engineer, it gives you a chance to interact with like-minded professionals and stay up to day with the industry’s buzz. And don’t forget to connect with experienced recruiters in your industry via social media for advice and job updates!

At SMR Group, our experienced recruiters don’t just help you find a sales or marketing job. We also become a key point in your ever-growing professional network. Contact us today to learn more.


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