The Importance of Building a Professional Network

I recently read a survey that stated that 52% of professionals surveyed had attained their current position through the use of networking. Intrigued by this data I decided to host a poll on Linkedin surveying my professional network to determine how many people I knew personally had attained their position the same way.

The question was as follows:

How did you attain your present role in which you are employed?
A) Networking with professional contacts
B) Recruiter/headhunters
C) Networking through family/friends
D) Job Boards/Search sites

From my own non-scientific poll there was a total of 47% that relied on networking with professional contacts, family, and/or friends. I was thoroughly surprised, as I am a Sr. IT Recruiter by trade and assumed most of my personal network would have been placed through recruiters. This shows that building your professional network plays a huge role in attaining future employment.

With the advent of web 2.0 technology in addition to traditional networking events, there are multiple ways out there to network with other professionals who share similarities with you. What have you done to build your network and solidify your career in the future?