Networking: Who You Know or What You Know

You hear people always saying, "It is not about what you know, but rather who you know!" While this statement holds some validity, there is also a part of it that is being neglected.

Yes, you do have to know the right people as 80% of jobs available are not posted on Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com. Building your network of contacts is crucial not only today, but every day of your career. Knowing the right people will open all kinds of opportunities for you. We will talk in a future post about how to build your network by adding value to others.

Now that we have established building your network is important, ie who you know, let us talk about what you know. For me, making introductions is part of building up my network. The introductions that are made are for individuals that could potentially add value to each other.

The reason these introductions are made for two individuals is for the fact that both parties have the "what you know". If someone introduces you to one of their contacts and you do not have the expertise or education to relate with that person, then the odds of being introduced again are quite slim.

The real equation to me is that it is mainly about who you know and then about what you know. Make sure to do your research before meeting with others so that you can ace the "what you know".