When I write an ad, I am pretty specific about contact methods and processes to go through. Those rules don’t apply to those who are networking but if you are in a hiring process, you will go through the hiring process as I dictate. That may seem inflexible but here is the differences between the two and why you should utilize both.
Hiring
Hiring is one mega pain in the ass. Don’t get me wrong: I love me some hiring. Nothing gets me excited like having virtual stacks of resumes at my disposal and being on the phone with candidates all day. The hiring process is full of liability though. From the moment you submit interest in a position and you become qualified for the position, I can be put under a microscope. That means if I say you must submit an application through our online site, you have to do that. You can submit a resume to me by e-mail if I say that is okay. If I don’t want a hard resume, don’t bring me one. And don’t be pissy when instead of taking your paper resume, I direct you to a nearby computer, a library, or home to put your information into our evil ATS. Everything that I use to evaluate myself and put myself under the microscope is there. It limits my liability.
All correspondence is done via writing with only three notable exceptions. The first is the phone interview (highly scripted, polished and sanitized). The second is an in-person interview (sanitized, standardized and behavior based questions). The third is a verbal offer of employment (generic, scripted, to be followed up with writing). This is why I say I will contact you after our interview. If you contact me after I have told you this, I will refuse to return your call only to tell you “No decision has been made yet.” That’s how it works and there is no real incentive to change it. We have one of the least complicated hiring processes I have seen. You should only be so lucky.
Networking
Networking on the other hand is tons of fun. I love having lunch with contacts, with people that have a particular interest in an area that we might need in the future, in making in-roads with candidates who already have jobs and for the high percentage of placements through this arena that end up turning out spectacular. If I could specialize in an area, this would be incredibly tempting.
The beautiful thing about networking is that there is no job process. There are very few rules dictating what I can and cannot do in a networking meeting. But it has to be true networking. Not just trying to get the job networking. Nope, you have to go back to the hiring section and I’ll help you through that. Networking is what you do before you get a job. And while I love networking with HR folks, that’s not where a majority of my hires will be. So I am talking to division level and above sales managers, executive level, marketers, programmers and IT people. I might not need any of these people at any given moment but when I do have an availability, they (or someone they may know) might be ready. And while that person may have to go through the hiring process, their name is familiar and I already know a lot more about them and their fit for a position. Is it a guarantee for the job? Nope. Does it improve your chances many times over? You bet your ass. Every time.
That’s why your HR guy has rules and that’s why he makes that distinction.