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Why Your Network Matters In Your Job Search, with Katy Byrtus

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We all know we need to network, yet the thought of being in a room full of strangers making small talk turns many of us off. What if networking could be as natural as speaking with a friend? It can, according to Find Your Dream Job guest Katy Byrtus. Katy says the best network is made up of those people you already know. Katy suggests reaching out to former coworkers, managers, and mentors, considering that people enjoy helping others. A job search can be challenging. Don’t go it alone. Use your network to make it easier and more sustainable than staring at a computer screen for hours on end. 

About Our Guest:

Katy Byrtus is a creative recruiter at M+P  who connects candidates with jobs. 

Resources in This Episode:

Transcript

Find Your Dream Job, Episode 439:

Why Your Network Matters In Your Job Search, with Katy Byrtus

Airdate: February 28, 2024

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.

Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume. TopResume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster.

Get a free review of your resume today.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

Many people looking for work focus only on applying for jobs.

But if all you do is send out resumes, says today’s guest, you’re ignoring one of your most valuable professional assets.

Katy Byrtus is here to talk about why your network matters in your job search.

She’s a creative recruiter at M+P who connects candidates with jobs.

She joins us from Portland, Oregon.   

Well, let’s jump right into it, Katy. Why do so many job seekers shudder when they hear the word networking?

Katy Byrtus:

That’s a great question, Mac. I think networking can feel intimidating, and I think old-school networking can feel like you enter a room of five hundred people and need to meet every single one of them. So, when I think about networking today, it means a lot of different kinds of things.

It can mean meeting people through LinkedIn and having virtual conversations. It can mean attending in-person networking events that are more intimate in nature, where we can be both our maybe professional and personal selves. And so, I think people shy away from networking because maybe they don’t really know what it is or what it could look like.

Mac Prichard:

Well, let’s talk about networking and the difference your network can make. Tell us more about this, Katy, this idea of how a network can help you in your job search.

Katy Byrtus:

A network can really help do a lot of different things in your job search. A network can help support you in your job search when you’re feeling like you’re hitting walls. A network can help open doors for you. It can help with introductions and referrals for jobs that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of before.

Your network is really your support network. Your cheerleaders. The people in your corner that are there to help you in your career development and in searching for new opportunities.

Mac Prichard:

What happens, Katy, in your experience, if a candidate tries to do a job search alone and doesn’t ask their network for help?

Katy Byrtus:

It’s a really lonely and long road. I think if you get stuck behind your computer applying to endless jobs on LinkedIn, on Indeed, on all of the boards, it can be really lonely and isolating and really demoralizing.

And so, when people know that you’re looking for work, they want to help. We’ve all had to look for work, and it’s a really challenging process. And so, letting people in your network know that you’re looking, you know, it doesn’t have to be the people at your current job. I know that isn’t always a safe space to share that you might be looking for new opportunities.

But who are the people that you’ve worked with before? Who have you volunteered with? Who do you run into at networking events or industry events that might be able to help and support you in that search? Because going at it alone means that you’re gonna be going at it probably for a lot longer than you want to be.

Mac Prichard:

Katy, you said that people want to help. Why do people want to help? Especially someone they may not know that well or have just met a few moments ago.

Katy Byrtus:

I think, in general, we, as humans, it is in our nature to want to help and support others. I know I haven’t gotten to where I am today alone. I have a lot of mentors, past managers, past coworkers that have offered me a great deal of support to be able to be the recruiter, the coach, the professional that I am.

And so, when you look at a lot of different member organizations, they all have mentorship programs because we all want to help people come up in the industry that we’re in. When we’re passionate about what we do, we want to help others who are passionate, too.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned some ways that your network can help you during a job search. You’ve talked about mentorship, for example, introductions. Let’s talk specifically about referrals. Why do hiring managers care so much about referrals from someone’s network?

Katy Byrtus:

Hiring managers care about referrals because it’s more than a resume. It’s a person. And so, when you’re coming in with a referral from someone that maybe works within the company or has worked with that hiring manager before, or maybe a recruiter is able to give you a referral for a role, it is saying, like, a stamp of approval for that person. I sign off on this person. I know them. I’ve worked with them. I know that they’re gonna bring value to your team, and it is more than you can show oftentimes than within a resume and/or a cover letter.

Mac Prichard:

Let’s talk more about other benefits of networking besides referrals. And I know when you talk about why your network matters in your job search, you like to talk about the relational benefits of networking. Tell us more about this, Katy. What do you have in mind there?

Katy Byrtus:

Yeah, I think this goes back to kind of what you were asking earlier about, why do people want to help? I think that we are, as humans, very relational and communal in nature. And when we find people that align with our values, whether it’s on a personal or professional level, it helps us succeed in growing our career, in finding that next role, in maybe working through a daily challenge that you have. It is so important to have these relationships with people outside of our nine-to-five or outside of our immediate teams that can help support us in ways that we don’t really know yet.

Mac Prichard:

Do you have to know someone well in your network in order to enjoy the benefits of that relational approach?

Katy Byrtus:

Not necessarily. I mean, I think it depends. I think it helps.

I think in these days, we have hundreds if not thousands of connections on LinkedIn sometimes, and there’s no way that we personally know every one of those people. However, we might know something about them because of the thought pieces that they’re sharing, because of the panels that they might be speaking on. Because of the content that they’re putting out there, we have an idea of maybe who they are and what some of their values are.

And it never hurts to reach out and either ask for an introduction or ask for a virtual or in-person cup of coffee to get to know someone better. I think it starts when we don’t know each other that well, but there’s so much opportunity to deepen those connections both online and offline.

Mac Prichard:

Well, terrific. I want to take a break, Katy. Stay with us. When we come back, we’ll continue our conversation with Katy Byrtus about why your network matters in your job search.

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Now, let’s get back to the show.

We’re back in the Mac’s List studio. I’m talking with Katy Byrtus.

She’s a creative recruiter at M+P who connects candidates with jobs.

Katy also works at Talent Career Coaching, where she helps clients with job searches.

She joins us from Portland, Oregon.   

Now, Katy, before the break, we were talking about why your network matters In your job search, and at the end of the first segment, we talked about the benefits of a relational approach that tapping into your network allows you to follow, particularly in showing your human side.

Another reason you cite for why your network matters when you’re doing a job search is that relationships are gonna help you go further. Tell us more about what you mean here, Katy. Why do relationships make such a huge difference when you’re looking for work?

Katy Byrtus:

They make such a huge difference because, as you asked earlier, around the isolation of the job search. And so, your relationships matter in helping support you through a job search because it can be a really challenging process. They matter because they might have connections to companies and opportunities that maybe you don’t have access to or you haven’t heard of before.

And they matter because you never know where else they’re going to come in to play. Maybe you met someone with an industry member organization that you’re a part of, and four years later, you’re applying to a job at a company that they work at. Boom, there’s a referral. You have that existing relationship.

You have that existing connection, and you’re able to say, hey, I’m applying to this job. I’d love to learn more about this company. Could we grab a coffee? Could we grab twenty minutes?

Mac Prichard:

I like that example. When you sit down with that person, and you have that conversation, what does success look like when the conversation comes to an end, and you both stand up and leave the room?

Katy Byrtus:

I think what success looks like at the end of one of those conversations is that you’ve had the opportunity to ask some really meaningful questions about them, their career, how they got to where they are, how they experience the organization or the team that they work for, and maybe what advice they have for you in applying to that job or that company. And I think the other person walks away feeling pretty good that they were able to support someone in their network, maybe in a way that they had received support before.

Mac Prichard:

What’s the best way to take that knowledge that you’ve gotten from that conversation and apply it in a practical way to your job search? How’s that gonna help you speed your job search along?

Katy Byrtus:

Well, if we’re going with the same example that there is a role maybe on their team or in their company that you’re interested in, you got a wealth of knowledge of inside information about that company culture, about the people that work there, about what the day-to-day looks like. And so you can use that in your application materials. You can use that as you’re writing your resume and your cover letter.

Mac Prichard:

Give us other examples, Katy, of how you can leverage your relationships in your network when you’re doing a job search. You mentioned the example of meeting someone who works at an organization where you’re interested in applying for a job. What are other ways you’ve seen people successfully leverage relationships in their network?

Katy Byrtus:

Yeah, I think other relationships, I think mentorship is a big one. For me, I’ve always had mentors that are external to my workplace. And so, I have people outside of my day-to-day that I can go to whether I’m having a challenging day on the job or I have something to celebrate. I have these other people that know me professionally and personally in a lot of cases to help support me along the way in my professional development.

And so, in the search, even if you’re currently searching, maybe something that you decide to do to help broaden your network is you become a mentor yourself. And so, you’re helping to fill your cup in a space when you’re having challenges and looking for work, as well, but maybe you can meet some other people in the process and help support each other.

Mac Prichard:

Some listeners might be surprised to hear that suggestion, and I think it’s an excellent one, by the way. Because they may worry that they don’t have anything to offer, especially during a job search. Tell us more about experiences or examples you’ve seen of job seekers being mentors to others and being of help to others.

Katy Byrtus:

Yeah, gosh. So, I just learned about this really cool program. I want to say it’s called Never Search Alone. It’s kind of a movement that was started over the last couple of years, and there’s this really growing community around job search councils for people, where they bring job seekers together from different industries to support each other in a job search.

And so, I get it, where you might think you don’t have anything to offer. But you always know something different than the person sitting next to you. And so, this kind of peer mentorship phenomenon around job seeking with other job seekers, I think, is something that’s really cool. I’m excited to learn more about it.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned mentorship, or rather reaching out to mentors during your job search, as an example of how to leverage your network. What’s the best way to approach mentors, particularly those that you might not have been in touch with in recent years or months? And what should you be asking for help with?

Katy Byrtus:

You know, I think about this, and I think about one of my first managers that I had when I was still in social work. And she was probably one of the best managers I ever had, too. Shout out, Heather Sellick, if you’re listening, and she’s someone that I don’t stay in touch with very closely, but I know I can reach out to at any time and vice versa.

And so, it never hurts to say, I know a lot of time has passed. How are you doing? And just strike up a conversation that way before kind of diving into maybe, I’m really struggling on my career search, or I’m really struggling in figuring out what to do next in my career. Would you be willing to catch up and have a conversation? And nine times out of ten, I bet they would.

Mac Prichard:

And how specific should you be when you sit down with a mentor? Should you walk into that conversation with an ask in mind? Katy, what’s your experience?

Katy Byrtus:

I think it’s best to go in really open. I think it’s best to go in without a lot of expectations of maybe what you might get or gain from that conversation because, again, you’re going into a conversation with someone that knew you or knows you very well. Maybe they knew you at one point in your career, but they don’t really know you all that well now. Maybe it’s been a few years.

But they did know you at one point. And so, they’re gonna be able to share really valuable insights in kind of whatever it is that you’re working through. And so, I think going in with kind of little to no expectations and just being really open as to where that conversation could go is really helpful. Maybe they have some support they need from you, too.

Mac Prichard:

Often, I hear from candidates that they’ve reached out to someone in their network, and they haven’t heard back. What’s the best way in your experience to ensure that you will get an answer? And if you don’t, how many times do you recommend someone follow up?

Katy Byrtus:

I usually say, if you don’t get an answer, keep it moving. Don’t take it personally and go on to the next one because you never know what’s going on in their life and kind of what their, maybe capacity looks like to offer support to someone in that moment.

And so, I think, when you’re thinking about what type of outreach to do, it depends on who you’re outreaching to. If you’re reaching out to people you maybe don’t know at all or don’t know very well, and you’re asking for something like an informational interview or a virtual cup of coffee, that’s when, if they don’t respond, don’t take it personally and move on.

But if it’s someone that maybe it’s an acquaintance of someone you know a little better, being really personal in your outreach around maybe acknowledging something that is going on with them, or a recent post that they made. “I saw that you spoke on this panel recently. That’s so cool. I’d love to catch up and hear more about it.”

And so, maybe not coming right out with, I’m looking for my next job. I’m really struggling. I need someone to talk to. But you’re making it kind of go back to that relational piece of, what might they get out of the conversation, as well?

Mac Prichard:

Well, it’s been a terrific conversation with you, Katy. Now, tell us, what’s next for you?

Katy Byrtus:

What’s next for me? I mean, you can find me rockin’ out creative recruiting with the M+P crew. I’ll still be doing some career coaching on the side, and I’m just really excited for, I’m excited for the new year.

Mac Prichard:

Well, terrific. Well, I know that listeners can learn more about you and your work at M+P and your career coaching work, as well, by connecting with you on LinkedIn, and when they do reach out to, I hope they’ll mention they heard you on Find Your Dream Job.

Now, Katy, given all of the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember about why your network matters in your job search?

Katy Byrtus:

I think, at the end of the day, we’re all people. We want to help each other. And that’s why our network matters.

Mac Prichard:

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Next week, our guest will be Claudia Bruce-Quartey.

She’s a career coach for female professionals who want to speak confidently about accomplishments and ask for raises.

You have a short list of employers where you want to work.

But you don’t know anyone at these organizations.

What do you do next?

Join us next Wednesday when Claudia Bruce-Quartey and I talk about how to network with your target employers.

Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.

This show is produced by Mac’s List.

Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media.

Our sound engineer is Matt Fiorillo. Ryan Morrison at Podfly Productions edits the show. Dawn Mole creates our transcripts. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.