Network your way to a new role

HAVING an effective networking strategy is the key to securing your next role faster. With continued market shifts, retrenchment anxiety and AI disruption becoming mainstays of the modern workplace, leaning into your relationships has never been more important.

- TIFFANY UMAN

Here are five ways to network your way to a better role:

Reach out internally

Your next big opportunity may be within reach at your current company - and even if it’s not an available role right now, the right conversations can proactively open up doors. You should identify a manager or leader you would like to work with and set up an informal meeting to express your interest in joining their team. Position it as a step towards your future goals in the company, not an escape from your current role.

The benefit of being an existing employee is that you already know the business, company culture and internal dynamics. Use that to your advantage.

Reconnect

Your past relationships hold more opportunities than you realise. Reconnect with former bosses, colleagues and mentors with the explicit intention of investigating potential roles within their companies or connecting with someone in their network.