Hi,

Most of us have probably heard this quote at least once in our life.

Your network is your net worth (Porter Gale)

Networking is so much more than collecting business cards and LinkedIn connections, it is about making meaningful relationships with people who you share a common interest with - be it professionally or personally.

In the business world, this can be with people that you work with in your organization, other colleagues in the same industry, or even people from across industries that you may collaborate with.

Expanding your network.

Everyone in this world has different expertises and experiences to share. By networking with other people, you get a taste of each other's life experiences and stories. This will help you to gain insights about different industry trends, explore potential areas for collaboration, or learn about new topics that you may not have heard of.

Throwback to January 2023 where Kejar Kerjaya was invited to attend the Talentbank's Graduates' Choice Award Gala, which gave us opportunities to connect with various industry leaders and recruiters.

The stronger your network, the more opportunities may be available to you in the future. These days, people often talk about the 'hidden job market', where there are some jobs that may not be publicly advertised but are recruited solely through employee referrals and personal connections.

And, no, this is more than just using a 'cable', or so they like to say in Malaysia.

Networking is a two-way relationship.

With networking, it's more than just who you know or how many people you know, but it is also about what can you offer to them. When making new connections, you want to strive to build a strong relationship that is not purely one-sided on a "I am applying for this job, can you refer me?" basis.

The aim of effective networking is to plant a seed and to build a meaningful and long-term relationship that are beneficial to both parties, where you can learn from one another, and also exchange knowledge, expertise and skills.

The more diverse your connections is, the more enriching experience you would be able to get and learn from your network. It can help to unlock new opportunities and be a source of inspiration and support as you grow your career.

Kejar Kerjaya's growth is partially due to networking.

Personally for Kejar Kerjaya, we have grown mainly due to word of mouth and personal connections. We have been invited to talks and sessions purely based on people's recommendations, which is a testament on how important it is to really build that deep and meaningful connection with people.

Kejar Kerjaya was invited as Career Coach/Mentor during the recent PETRONAS CHESS Symposium with various higher education institutions at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in June 2023, alongside other career coaches and mentors.

Best of all, networking has helped us to tap into various industries and markets. This allowed us to learn about recruitment trends and insights from different industries, which ultimately helps us as we in turn help graduates and jobseekers in securing their dream job. Kejar Kerjaya coaching clients can also benefit from this vast network of talent acquisition professionals, recruiters, and other industry leaders, which can help them in their career development.

[Post] How to network effectively as a fresh graduate.

You can read more on how to network effectively on our new blog post below!

Read more

As we bid you farewell, we want to leave you with one question.

What is one unique skill or strength that I can offer to my network that can bring value to them (or their work)?

Until we see you again in the next newsletter - stay awesome, and have a wonderful (short) work week ahead!

Best,

Kejar Kerjaya