Answer to Question 1
Answer: Networking is the process of making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts. Networking is more essential than ever, because the vast majority of job openings are never advertised to the general public. To avoid the time and expense of sifting through thousands of applications and the risk of hiring complete strangers, most companies prefer to ask their employees for recommendations first. The more people who know you, the better chance you have of being recommended for one of these hidden job openings. Branch out by identifying people with similar interests in your target professions, industries, and companies. Read news sites, blogs, and other online sources. Follow industry leaders on Twitter. You can also follow individual executives at your target companies to learn about their interests and concerns. Be on the lookout for career-oriented Tweetups, in which people who've connected on Twitter get together for in-person networking events. Connect with people on LinkedIn and Facebook, particularly in groups dedicated to particular career interests. Remember that networking is about people helping each other, not just about other people helping you. Pay close attention to networking etiquette: Try to learn something about the people you want to connect with, don't overwhelm others with too many messages or requests, be succinct in all your communication efforts, don't give out other people's names and contact information without their permission to do so, never email your rsum to complete strangers, and remember to say thank you every time someone helps you. Finally, be aware that your online network reflects on who you are in the eyes of potential employers, so exercise some judgment in making connections. Also, many employers now contact people in a candidate's public network for background information, even if the candidate doesn't list those people as references.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: Recognize that companies take risks with every hiring decisionthe risk that the person hired won't meet expectations and the risk that a better candidate has slipped through their fingers. Many companies judge the success of their recruiting efforts by quality of hire, a measure of how closely new employees meet the company's needs. Your perceived ability to perform the job is an essential part of your potential quality as a new hire. However, hiring managers consider more than just your ability to handle the job. They want to know if you'll be reliable and motivatedif you're somebody who gets it when it comes to being a professional in today's workplace. It also impresses employers, particularly when you go beyond the easily available sources such as a company's own website. Detailed research, including talking to our customers, is so rare it will almost guarantee you get hired, explains the recruiting manager at Alcon Laboratories. In addition to learning more about professions and opportunities, this research will help you get comfortable with the jargon and buzzwords currently in use in a particular field, including essential keywords to use in your rsum. An important aspect of the employer's quality-of-hire challenge is trying to determine how well a candidate's attributes and experience will translate into the demands of a specific position. As a job candidate, customizing your rsum to each job opening is an important step in showing employers that you will be a good fit.