Importance. Career experts estimate that the vast majority of job openings are never advertised or
publicly announced, but filled through word-of-mouth or networking - known as the "hidden job market."
Read lots more about the importance of networking at:
Networking Your Way to a New Job.
Who. Everyone! Is everyone an exaggeration? Perhaps, but we’re trying to make the point that
really anyone can and should be in your network: family, friends (and their families), neighbors,
school/college counselors and advisers, teachers and professors, former employers, and anyone else
who might have an interest in helping you find the job of your dreams.
Informational Interviews. A really cool way of learning more about an industry and career
path - as well as building your network -- is through the use of informational interviews.
The purpose of the informational interview is to obtain information, not to get a job. For
everything you ever wanted to know about this type of interviewing, go to
Quintessential Careers:
Informational Interviewing Tutorial.
