How do you get a job by using "Connections"?

In My Humble Opinion
1

In my professional area of interest, the United Nations and the World Bank are seen as the holy grails of employers. But the common consensus is that it takes “Connections” to get a job in one of these places, and that there is little hope of even getting an interview if you go only through conventional job advertisement channels. I assume that this sort of thing goes for organisations in other lines of work as well.

Is this really true, and if so, how does it work? I have two specific questions about this:

  1. why would this be attractive to the employer? If the candiate using the Connection happens to be close to the ideal, then it would be good for the company to take them without having to go through the long search process. But assuming, like most of us, the candiate is not quite ideal, would the company really want to make a long-term commitment to this candidate just to save a little trouble now? I know that I certainly would not, and the few times I have heard of people trying to get into my current company using their Connections, I have heard the same.

  2. exactly what makes a good Connection? The simplest case is if your contact is the boss in the department you would like to work for, call it department ‘A’. But what if your contact is in department ‘C’? How would that help? And what if your contact is in department A, but is junior to the person who will be doing the hiring, can you expect this junior to exert influence? Conversely, I would imagine that if your contact is a couple of steps senior to the person doing the hiring, they may be hesitant to meddle so far down the line.

So it seems to me that cases where Connections actually work would be very limited, yet people still say this is the only way to get some of these jobs.

So are there any Dopers out there who actually have first-hand experience with Connections for jobs, either on the giving or receiving end of things? I would love to hear your experiences.

2

Ahh! If only I could be so young and naive again.

“Connections” (as you refer to it) are more often than not the result of “networking” within a group of professionals within your interest group. In my last job search I didn’t respond to any job ads. I contacted people that I had worked with or worked for and asked if they were hiring or if they weren’t then who might be. This process is just followed until you are able to land an interview, at which point other skills are put into place.

3

Almost all of my employment history has come through connections. A quick rundown:

One of my college professors worked at a small theatre during the summer - he got me a job there.

While at that theatre, I worked with a designer who worked at a great regional theatre Boston. He had a job opening, and brought me in.

At that same summer theatre, I met a guy with an extensive touring background. He called the touring company and recommended me. I got a job with that company based on his recommendation.

After touring for a couple years, I moved to California. A friend of mine that I worked with in Boston was working out here, and his girlfriend heard about a job. She told my friend, who told her to recommend me, and I got the job.

It’s all about who you know, and more importantly, making sure the people you know are confident in your abilities.

4

I’d go so far to say that there is no single more effective way to look for work.

For those who don’t know how to go about it, it might look like nepotism, but networking is just as advantageous for the employer as it is for the employees. Finding just the right person for a job, and having that person be a known quantity before they even interview, is extremely attractive.

5

James Burke’s “Connections” didn’t get me a job, but it made me think seriously about finishing my education and thus becoming employable…

6

I was going to suggest you could impress your interviewer by explaining how the invention of the stirrup led directly to the computer.

7

You may think I am joking, but James Burke’s “Connections” series really did change my life. I had graduated from college with a BA in political science, which was essentially useless by itself in the job market. I was contemplating my options that summer & fall, and was following “Connections” because it was so damned fascinating.

The final episode of the series asked the question “Where do we go from here?” The answer to this was, more or less, that it didn’t really matter where we are going as long as we are going. Those that stand still get passed by, and end up in the dustbin of history. This affected me profoundly.

The next day, I went back to my university, met with some professors I knew, and ulitmately registered for grad school. I went on to collect my MS in mathematics (statistics concentration) and the rest, as they say, is history.

8

Come to think of it, a lot of my jobs from the lowliest to the loftiest have come through connections as well:

Piano Mover - a friend needed an extra back for a move, I kind of liked it and got on the crew. After a while I was the head of the crew.

Assembler/Driver - a friend who ran HR for a growing media storage company gave me a job putting the things together. Later I drove a truck and worked in the shipping department.

My sister said they were looking for temps at the cancer research center she was working at. So I temped, then interviewed for a permanent position and got it.

My current career (which is related to the job previously mentioned) started with answering a newspaper ad, so no connections there. Just little ole me. After a while a recruiter for a consulting firm got my name from a friend and hired me to work as a consultant at my particular holy grail, then I became permanent.

When my sister moved back up here, I told her about the firm that I had answered the newspaper ad for in the previous paragraph and she called them and got her current job through them.

I guess the common thread through the latter half of all this was: Join a consulting or contractor firm, which is often easier than getting hired by your ‘target’, work with them for a few years and learn the ropes and prove yourself until you get to a place you like, then work to get hired by the place you like. Usually once you’ve proven yourself it’s just a matter of a slot opening up and having to go through all the HR stuff.

Also, it won’t hurt to have a letter of recommendation or two from professors or such tucked under your belt when you go off job-searching. There may also be opportunities for interning at the World Bank or UN.

9

If you’ve got even a little experience in the field I’d follow this pattern (note: this pattern was suggested to me years ago by a wise-old-man and it has served me well).

Make a list of people in the field who are prominently placed but not so high above you’re potential rank that you can’t get an appointment.

Call them. Tell them you’re interested in the field and could you have a meeting with them to discuss it. Make sure they know you want to get a feel for it before pursuing.

If they agree them go meet with them. Quiz them about their experiences, how they got in the field, what’s been most helpful and challenging, etc. At the end, ask if there’s anyone else they would suggest you speak with to better understand the fields and challenges available.

When you get home: hand write a thank you note expressing something personal that came out of the meeting. Tell them how grateful you are and that you look forward to pursuing a job in the field.

Move on to the next one. Eventually you’ll be connected into a group of good men and women who all know that you’re looking and can eventually recommend you to someone you someone to you and bang! You’re off on a career.

10

I did in fact get my best job ever through a connection. It didn’t require any skill at all and paid very well.

Ironically I was pushed out by nepotism.

11

I got my first corporate job through a family connection - my dad.

I had graduated from college with two humanities degrees and had completed all the coursework for a teaching certificate (but had not taken the final tests). After my dreadful experience student teaching - I knew I hated it, so I was bumming around waiting tables and working in a bookstore.

My dad’s company had decided to implement SAP software. It required computer training for nearly the entire work force, including line assembly men. My dad got the hiring manager to interview me and I’m sure he got me the job. Tools-based computer training turned out to be something I had a real talent for, and I did a great job.

I hated the company and the location, but it was 2 years of experience that looked great on my resume. After working there 2 years, I was able to find another great job soley on my own merits. I’m now a corporate trainer for a huge company - it’s like teaching except without all the red tape and whiny parents.

The foot in the door was priceless, though.

12

My first job was at the local grocery store… no connections needed, you just apply and call back until you’re hired.

The bakery lady there had a daughter working @ pizza hut who said that drivers made a lot of money, so when I turned 18, I used her daughter as a recommendation to get the job at pizza hut.

after a year at pizza hut, I started going to the local bennigan’s after work every night, EVERY NIGHT, and befriended some of the management, one of said managers heard me bitching about pizza hut one night and gave me a job app

I had a new job a week later.

Unknowingly, while serving at bennigan’s, I waited on the GM of another location(to which I later transferred after he left - long story) and really impressed him. No one ever told me who he was, but just said he was hard to please - which I didn’t believe since he always asked for me and liked my service.

So one night later on I’m at the bennigan’s I transferred to where he used to be a manager, and I saw him at the bar, asked him what he was up to these days… said he was managing a ruby tuesday… he was a bar regular at bennigan’s after that for awhile. One night at Bennigan’s, the shit hit the fan, and this ruby tuesday manager was at the bar, I walked over and said “you hiring?” he told me to come by the next day and get my orientation done.

Been at ruby’s a year now… one of my managers left ruby’s about 6 months ago after a 3 month stint at my location and headed to a 4-star resort on the beach. Last week, he came by ruby’s and told me he needs me to come work for him to get some shit straightened out. He breezed me through two out of four interviews(him and his boss), I got myself through the interview w/ the vice president, and the head of HR will be calling this week for my fourth and final interview before I (hopefully) get hired.

It’s connections, man… I’m planning on bringing some of my server friends with me from Ruby’s as well.

13

Sources of “connections” would include former employers, college or grad school alumni or just people you know. One way to make additional connections is attend industry or other events where you can meet other people.

It works:
High School Fast Food Chain Restaurant - I had worked in one that previous summer. They didn’t have an opening the following summer but were able to forward me along to their sister restaurant down the street.

College Temp Job - My friends father hired us through a temp agency for the summer to run cables, move furniture, other odd jobs in his office. He would also pay a premium over what they would normally pay temps.

First and Only Engineering Job - Hired through a fraternity alumni from my school who owned his own little firm

First IT Consulting Job - Hired through a HS friends roomate who was well respected at the firm

Big-5 Management Consulting Firm - Resume forwarded through a fraternity brother in one of the finance groups

Current consulting firm - Hired through a recruiter but ended up personally knowing three people already working there. Director went to my college and they hire a lot of people from my previous employer.

And of course, there are numerous contacts who have given me leads that just didn’t pan out.

14

Generally I’ve found/gotten jobs through want ads and other advertising, or through temp/placement agencies.

The only way I’ve ever used “connections” is to find out about jobs. I’m still pretty entry-level, so my connections are mostly friends or prior co-workers who let me know when their company is hiring. They (my connections) aren’t good enough to give me a job or an interview outright, but they do allow me to apply for the job.

Some of these jobs weren’t advertised at all, but they only interviewed internal applicants and people who had “connections” to find out about the job.

15

As you move up in a career, almost as important as having the right skills to get the job done is knowing the right people. They are not always just hiring you, but purchasing/ renting your network of contacts.

For example, 2 applicants to sell cars may have equal sales skills, but if one is new to the area and the other grew up locally and played sports with all the guys in surrounding schools, he may have an advantage at a job.

And yes, sometimes this is unfair. The guy whose dad worked for the World Bank and whose mom worked for the UN and they were always inviting work associates over to dinner while he was growing up will have an advantage over you in your field.

On a practical note, there is an organization called the United Nations Association that is a club that gets together to stay informed about UN initiatives, educate people about the UN, reminisce about their days working for the UN, etc. If there is an active chapter in your area, joining that organization and becoming active, maybe as a club officer, would be an easy way of expanding your UN contacts quickly.

Treat EVERY contact as potentially valuable and start by giving, not by asking for help.

Good luck!

16

My theory is that when you reccomend someone for a job, your indirectly putting your own job on the line to vouch for them. Because they know that your risking something by supporting them, they are sub-conciously more inclined not to disappoint.

17

I’ve gotten several jobs through connections, and several through answering want ads.
The want ads jobs all lasted longer and were more satisfying. They had already identified a need, and were willing to pay to fill the slot. So they had motivation and conviction.
The connection jobs were more tentative all around, and didn’t lead to advancement.