拓展人脈的過程總少不了痛苦的閑聊和名片交換。但對于許多美國人而言,這種做法已經(jīng)過時,取而代之的是在領(lǐng)英(LinkedIn)上與行業(yè)前輩交流,或者發(fā)推文說自己正在找工作,而且這樣做同樣有效。
去年,幾乎四分之一上班族通過職業(yè)聯(lián)系人了解工作或查找新崗位。2022年《求職者全國報告》(Job Seeker Nation Report)顯示,約40%的受訪者使用過LinkedIn和Facebook等社交媒體網(wǎng)站。事實上,LinkedIn最近向《財富》雜志分享的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,上班族在一家公司已經(jīng)有聯(lián)系人時,在該公司得到崗位的概率提高了四倍。
LinkedIn職業(yè)專家安德魯·麥卡斯基爾對《財富》雜志表示:“人脈有助于獲得就業(yè)機會,同時人脈也是職業(yè)發(fā)展的一個強大工具。”他表示,即使“弱關(guān)系”,即與你在生活中沒有密切關(guān)系的聯(lián)系人,例如LinkedIn上的第三級聯(lián)系人,依舊可以起到巨大的作用,幫你打開局面。
麥卡斯基爾表示,雖然在拓展人脈方面,白人上班族通常占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位,但過去三年,女性和有色人種也在加大投入。只是巨大的差距依舊存在。
2022年5月至8月期間,LinkedIn上的黑人上班族平均每月結(jié)交的聯(lián)系人,較一年前增加了50%。拉丁裔上班族同期每月聯(lián)系人增長率約為40%。
麥卡斯基爾表示,總體上,在2022年,黑人上班族的聯(lián)系人平均增加了11%。但這依舊落后于白人上班族。去年,白人上班族在LinkedIn上的聯(lián)系人數(shù)量,比黑人多17%,比拉丁裔多26%。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“差距正在縮小,但速度不夠快?!盠inkedIn的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,雖然有80%的黑人和拉丁裔職場人士相信,職場人脈在找工作時至關(guān)重要,但只有不到四分之一的上班族會依靠人脈網(wǎng)絡(luò)找新工作。因此可以說,認(rèn)知和行動的脫節(jié)情況依舊存在。
LinkedIn發(fā)現(xiàn),在性別方面,男性每個月新增的聯(lián)系人平均比女性多26%。日積月累之后,男性的聯(lián)系人數(shù)量比女性多46%,比例接近2∶1。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“男性拓展人脈的速度更快?!彼硎荆@對于長期職業(yè)發(fā)展和就業(yè)穩(wěn)定性至關(guān)重要。他說道:“你的圈子越大,獲得經(jīng)濟(jì)機會的可能性越高?!?/p>
人脈的規(guī)模很重要,多樣化也同樣重要
麥卡斯基爾表示,有色人種和女性上班族在拓展職場人脈方面確實進(jìn)展緩慢,但聯(lián)系人的數(shù)量并不是唯一重要的因素。上班族還需要確保人脈得多樣化。
他說道:“我們傾向于與熟悉的人建立聯(lián)系?!崩?,許多女性對于將陌生人添加到自己的人脈,通常會感到有些惶恐。
雖然這是人的本性,但同質(zhì)化的人脈效果較差。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“建立多元化人脈一方面是找到能夠幫助你的人,不只是發(fā)現(xiàn)就業(yè)機會,而是解碼文化。與來自不同背景的人們建立聯(lián)系,可以幫助你擺脫孤立,以及有色人種在白人主導(dǎo)的領(lǐng)域工作時有時會遭遇的‘樣板主義’現(xiàn)象?!?/p>
他表示,工作在很多方面與文化息息相關(guān)。上班族經(jīng)常被要求參加與同事和客戶的會議甚至娛樂活動。上班族如何應(yīng)對這種狀況,可能對職業(yè)發(fā)展產(chǎn)生影響。但如果你有多樣化的人脈,就可以向聯(lián)系人征求建議和指導(dǎo)。麥卡斯基爾稱,別人的建議和指導(dǎo)可以幫助你樹立信心,讓你掌握以前并不具備的能力。
麥卡斯基爾表示,在與別人建立聯(lián)系的時候,尤其是在LinkedIn上,你不需要是對方的午餐伙伴或者長期同事。但他建議,要積極主動并且盡可能讓對方感受到溫暖,這會對你有所幫助,尤其是當(dāng)對方在你感興趣的公司任職時,或者當(dāng)你希望對方作為你的證明人和推薦人時。這意味著要不時與對方打招呼。而維護(hù)人脈一定會帶來回報。
多樣化的人脈還有助于拓展你的關(guān)系網(wǎng)。麥卡斯基爾表示,令人感到悲哀的情況依舊存在:通過黑人推薦人求職時,入職一家公司的概率可能低于通過白人推薦人進(jìn)行求職。他說道:“這就是現(xiàn)實,是生活在一個存在系統(tǒng)性種族歧視的社會的悲哀。這或許不是一條有趣的見解。但在你認(rèn)識到這一點后,你就有能力改變自己的人脈,用更具戰(zhàn)略性的眼光來看待它。意識到這一點,你更有可能遇到貴人?!?/p>
另一方面,麥卡斯基爾表示,對于領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者而言,尤其是職場白人男性和白人女性,將與他們不同的人群納入自己的人脈非常重要。“對三級、四級甚至五級以上聯(lián)系人來說,花一點精力建立多樣化的人脈,對其職業(yè)發(fā)展可能會大有裨益。”(財富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
拓展人脈的過程總少不了痛苦的閑聊和名片交換。但對于許多美國人而言,這種做法已經(jīng)過時,取而代之的是在領(lǐng)英(LinkedIn)上與行業(yè)前輩交流,或者發(fā)推文說自己正在找工作,而且這樣做同樣有效。
去年,幾乎四分之一上班族通過職業(yè)聯(lián)系人了解工作或查找新崗位。2022年《求職者全國報告》(Job Seeker Nation Report)顯示,約40%的受訪者使用過LinkedIn和Facebook等社交媒體網(wǎng)站。事實上,LinkedIn最近向《財富》雜志分享的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,上班族在一家公司已經(jīng)有聯(lián)系人時,在該公司得到崗位的概率提高了四倍。
LinkedIn職業(yè)專家安德魯·麥卡斯基爾對《財富》雜志表示:“人脈有助于獲得就業(yè)機會,同時人脈也是職業(yè)發(fā)展的一個強大工具?!彼硎荆词埂叭蹶P(guān)系”,即與你在生活中沒有密切關(guān)系的聯(lián)系人,例如LinkedIn上的第三級聯(lián)系人,依舊可以起到巨大的作用,幫你打開局面。
麥卡斯基爾表示,雖然在拓展人脈方面,白人上班族通常占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位,但過去三年,女性和有色人種也在加大投入。只是巨大的差距依舊存在。
2022年5月至8月期間,LinkedIn上的黑人上班族平均每月結(jié)交的聯(lián)系人,較一年前增加了50%。拉丁裔上班族同期每月聯(lián)系人增長率約為40%。
麥卡斯基爾表示,總體上,在2022年,黑人上班族的聯(lián)系人平均增加了11%。但這依舊落后于白人上班族。去年,白人上班族在LinkedIn上的聯(lián)系人數(shù)量,比黑人多17%,比拉丁裔多26%。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“差距正在縮小,但速度不夠快?!盠inkedIn的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,雖然有80%的黑人和拉丁裔職場人士相信,職場人脈在找工作時至關(guān)重要,但只有不到四分之一的上班族會依靠人脈網(wǎng)絡(luò)找新工作。因此可以說,認(rèn)知和行動的脫節(jié)情況依舊存在。
LinkedIn發(fā)現(xiàn),在性別方面,男性每個月新增的聯(lián)系人平均比女性多26%。日積月累之后,男性的聯(lián)系人數(shù)量比女性多46%,比例接近2∶1。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“男性拓展人脈的速度更快。”他表示,這對于長期職業(yè)發(fā)展和就業(yè)穩(wěn)定性至關(guān)重要。他說道:“你的圈子越大,獲得經(jīng)濟(jì)機會的可能性越高。”
人脈的規(guī)模很重要,多樣化也同樣重要
麥卡斯基爾表示,有色人種和女性上班族在拓展職場人脈方面確實進(jìn)展緩慢,但聯(lián)系人的數(shù)量并不是唯一重要的因素。上班族還需要確保人脈得多樣化。
他說道:“我們傾向于與熟悉的人建立聯(lián)系?!崩?,許多女性對于將陌生人添加到自己的人脈,通常會感到有些惶恐。
雖然這是人的本性,但同質(zhì)化的人脈效果較差。
麥卡斯基爾表示:“建立多元化人脈一方面是找到能夠幫助你的人,不只是發(fā)現(xiàn)就業(yè)機會,而是解碼文化。與來自不同背景的人們建立聯(lián)系,可以幫助你擺脫孤立,以及有色人種在白人主導(dǎo)的領(lǐng)域工作時有時會遭遇的‘樣板主義’現(xiàn)象。”
他表示,工作在很多方面與文化息息相關(guān)。上班族經(jīng)常被要求參加與同事和客戶的會議甚至娛樂活動。上班族如何應(yīng)對這種狀況,可能對職業(yè)發(fā)展產(chǎn)生影響。但如果你有多樣化的人脈,就可以向聯(lián)系人征求建議和指導(dǎo)。麥卡斯基爾稱,別人的建議和指導(dǎo)可以幫助你樹立信心,讓你掌握以前并不具備的能力。
麥卡斯基爾表示,在與別人建立聯(lián)系的時候,尤其是在LinkedIn上,你不需要是對方的午餐伙伴或者長期同事。但他建議,要積極主動并且盡可能讓對方感受到溫暖,這會對你有所幫助,尤其是當(dāng)對方在你感興趣的公司任職時,或者當(dāng)你希望對方作為你的證明人和推薦人時。這意味著要不時與對方打招呼。而維護(hù)人脈一定會帶來回報。
多樣化的人脈還有助于拓展你的關(guān)系網(wǎng)。麥卡斯基爾表示,令人感到悲哀的情況依舊存在:通過黑人推薦人求職時,入職一家公司的概率可能低于通過白人推薦人進(jìn)行求職。他說道:“這就是現(xiàn)實,是生活在一個存在系統(tǒng)性種族歧視的社會的悲哀。這或許不是一條有趣的見解。但在你認(rèn)識到這一點后,你就有能力改變自己的人脈,用更具戰(zhàn)略性的眼光來看待它。意識到這一點,你更有可能遇到貴人?!?/p>
另一方面,麥卡斯基爾表示,對于領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者而言,尤其是職場白人男性和白人女性,將與他們不同的人群納入自己的人脈非常重要?!皩θ?、四級甚至五級以上聯(lián)系人來說,花一點精力建立多樣化的人脈,對其職業(yè)發(fā)展可能會大有裨益?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
Networking has long been associated with painful small talk and exchanging business cards. But, for many Americans, that’s largely been replaced with connecting with industry vets on LinkedIn or Tweeting out that you’re looking for a new job—and it’s just as effective.
Roughly one in four workers found out about jobs or searched for new roles through their professional connections last year. Almost 40% used social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, according to the 2022 Job Seeker Nation Report. In fact, workers are four times more likely to get a job at a company where they already had a connection, according to recent LinkedIn data shared with Fortune.
“Networks are massively powerful for securing opportunities for jobs, but also they’re massively powerful tools for professional advancement,” LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill tells Fortune. Even so-called “weak ties”—people who you’re connected with but perhaps don’t have a robust relationship with in real life, such as those third connections on LinkedIn—can still be incredibly helpful in getting your foot in the door, he adds.
While networking has typically been the purview of white office workers, women and people of color have been making massive investments in expanding their networks over the last three years, McCaskill says. But a big gap still remains.
Black workers on LinkedIn boosted the number of monthly connections they make, on average, by 50% between May and August 2022 compared to one year prior. Latino members increased their monthly connection rate by about 40% during that same time period.
Overall, Black members, on average, added 11% more connections in 2022, according to McCaskill. But that still trails white members, who had had 17% more total connections than Black workers on LinkedIn last year. They also had 26% more connections than Latino members.
“We’re closing the gap, but not fast enough,” McCaskill says. While 80% of Black and Latino professionals believe a professional network is critical when looking for a job, fewer than one in four workers report relying on their network to find new roles, according to LinkedIn’s data. So there’s still a disconnect.
When it comes to gender, men add an average of 26% more connections than women each month, LinkedIn finds. And that adds up. Men have, overall, 46% more total connections than women—a nearly 2 to 1 ratio.
“Men are creating much bigger networks, faster,” McCaskill says, adding that matters in terms of long-term career trajectory and employment stability. “The larger your network is, the more access you have to economic opportunity,” he says.
Size matters, but so does diversity
Workers of color and women are actually moving the needle on expanding their professional networks, but the number of connections isn’t the only important factor, McCaskill says. Workers need to ensure they’re diversifying their network as well.
“We have a tendency to connect with people that are familiar to us,” McCaskill says. There’s typically some trepidation among many women, for example, to add strangers to their networks.
And while that’s just human nature, homogeneous networks are less effective.
“Part of building that diverse network is finding people who can help you, not just unlock job opportunities, but decode culture,” McCaskill says. “Building relationships with people from different backgrounds can help you combat the isolation and the sort of tokenism that sometimes happens to professionals of color in predominantly white spaces,” McCaskill says.
There’s a lot about work that really hinges on culture, he adds. Many times workers are asked to participate in conferences or even happy hour events with colleagues and clients. How workers navigate these situations can have consequences for their career. But if you have a diverse network, you can call on your connections for advice and guidance. That can give you the confidence and competence that you may not have previously, McCaskill says.
You don’t have to be best lunch buddies or long-time coworkers to connect with people, especially on LinkedIn, McCaskill says. But he adds that it is worthwhile to reach out and, if possible, keep your connections warm—especially those who work at organizations you’re interested in or that you want to use as references and referrals. That may mean checking in from time to time. But this maintenance does pay off.
Diverse networks can also help expand your reach. It’s still, sadly, true that a Black referral inside of an organization might not get you into the same rooms that having a white referral may, McCaskill says. “That is the sad reality of living in a society where there’s systemic racism,” he says. “It might not be a fun insight. But once you’re aware, it gives you the power to shift your network and to be more strategic about it. Awareness begets agency.”
On the flip side, it’s important for leaders—particularly white men and white women in professional spaces—to consider expanding their networks to people who do not necessarily look like them, McCaskill says. “Putting a little bit of effort into diversifying their networks could be a huge boon to careers of people three, four, five connections beyond.”