The Power of a Social Network

Since leaving university, and especially in recent months, I have come to realise just how important having a social network is for any young person attempting to pursue an ambitious career. When using the term ‘social network’, I am not referring to Facebook, Twitter, or indeed the multi-award winning movie by the same name – although the use of social media will be discussed later. What I refer to is an actual network of contacts in your particular industry. More than ever it has become about who you know rather that what you know or even where you’ve been educated. In this blog post I will try to explain why I think building a social network as early as possible is integral to succeeding in a chosen career.

Why is a Social Network important?

Graduates of the past few years have been categorised as Generation Y, or Gen Y. I am part of Gen Y and can vouch for just how competitive the job market is. My chosen career has been in politics and I have reliable evidence to suggest that to work for an MP, or to get a job within a Public Affairs consultancy, you’ll have to make your CV and covering letter stand out amongst a stack of over two hundred others. That is two hundred candidates with honours degrees from top universities, extensive knowledge of the political system and a passion for politics. But more often than not the candidates that get through to an interview stage are there because they know somebody within the hiring organisation and have had inside knowledge of what criteria the HR department/Member of Parliament is using to differentiate the two hundred applicants*.

Building a social network of contacts within your chosen industry can allow you to have a heads-up on a position becoming available. Many organisations will trust the judgement of their current employees to recommend their contacts to apply for vacancies and avoid a potentially lengthy process of recruiting externally – not to mention the volume of applicants! As well as the benefit of the heads-up, having someone within your social network who works within the organisation to which you’re applying will not only help you to know about an opening and assist you with the initial application, but they’ll be able to give you tips on what sort of person is required to fill a position. Then, when you sit down in the interview you are already in the mindset of what it is like to be an employee of the hiring organisation.

The benefits of a social network are not solely around getting a job and it must be added that a social network is certainly not a foolproof plan to getting a job but I am personally convinced that it will assist any candidate in getting closer to the top of the two hundred. Furthermore, a social network can assist you with advice, personal development and more.

*I accept there will be many exceptions and take nothing away from those who have successfully gained employment without the use of a social network 

Building a Social Network

This is not an easy task. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have made making connections relatively simple. These platforms have their use and when used correctly can aid the construction of a social network. But from personal experience nothing can replace meeting like-minded people face-to-face at the numerous networking opportunities available to Gen Y. Again from a personal perspective, when building a network in the political arena there are a number of networking opportunities that come highly recommended: shamelessly my own organisation, Generation 2 Generation, aims to host events where leaders in politics, business and journalism can meet the potential leaders of tomorrow; The Public Affairs Network hosts an excellent and very popular monthly networking drinks; and for those Gen Y’ers who want to network with fellow political party activists then Conservative Future, Young Fabians, Liberal Youth and others all offer excellent social events and opportunities to meet new people.

Business cards are at the heart of building a social network. Swap them at any opportunity.

Using a Social Network

The important thing to remember about a social network is that the people within it do not have to become your best friends, nor do they have to be on your Christmas card list, they are those people who will call on you with a heads-up on a vacancy or someone who you can share advice with over a coffee or a beer.

Finally, do not underestimate the power of a Social Network. As jobs become harder and harder to come by, students, graduates and young professionals should build and utilise their very own social networks.

9/11 Ten Years On

It is somewhat hard to comprehend that the 9/11 attacks took place 10 years ago. It will forever remain a moment in history when everyone can recall where they were on that day. I for one was mid-way through my Year 11 work-experience! Today, as 11^th September 2011 approaches – when we will mark the 10^th anniversary of those horrific attacks – we are once again bombarded with footage on our TV screens and images in the newspapers of the moment United Airlines Flight 175 smashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan. However many times you see it, it never gets any less shocking.

Over the past decade much has been written about 9/11 – I focused my undergraduate dissertation on it – and there is likely to be a lot more. Over the past week there have been numerous television shows across the terrestrial channels that have each illustrated a different perspective from 9/11. The pick of the bunch for me was the ITV documentary that aired on Thursday 1^st September. It covered the movements of President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, Mayor Giuliani and other senior US Government officials. From watching those images it is clear to see that they were not prepared for those attacks; just as the world was not prepared for those attacks.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War there was a decade of relative global peace. Aside from the interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo and the threat of the IRA, Britain was not actively involved in conflict. 9/11 changed all that. Since 2001 the UK has been involved in long campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is yet unclear whether ground troops will find themselves patrolling the streets of Tripoli but the UK has been heavily involved, albeit diplomatically, in Libya and other uprisings during the ‘Arab Spring’. It is important to ensure that the lessons learnt from the past decade can be applied to any diplomatic or military action that the UK is involved with in the coming months and years.

The force of Al-Qaeda has been felt across the globe since 2001 with attacks in Bali, Mumbai, London and elsewhere. The threat level still remains high and it is unclear whether the death of Osama Bin Laden will have any effect on the future actions of the world-wide terrorist network.

Since that world-changing day in 2001 so much has happened: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; terrorist attacks in London, Bali and Mumbai; the killing of Osama Bin Laden; and the Arab Spring. I would like to invite you to join Generation 2 Generation and a panel of eminent speakers in London on 28 September to discuss the ramifications of those horrific attacks on 9/11. We'll discuss where we are now in the fight against global terrorism and how we can use the lessons from the past decade to make sure that the same mistakes aren't made in Libya, Syria and indeed, Afghanistan. For further information regarding this event please visit http://g2gglobalpolitics-eorg.eventbrite.com/

I welcome any comments and thoughts on this topic.

Generation 2 Generation is a non-partisan, not for profit organisation which organises talks and debates on current affairs for young professionals and students which feature leading figures from politics, business and the media. It aims to be a forum where today's leaders meet tomorrow's ones. Previous speakers who have addressed us include George Parker (Political Editor, The Financial Times), Liam Fox MP (Defence Secretary) Mary Dejevsky (former Washington and Moscow correspondent, The Independent), Lynne Featherstone (Equalities Minister) and Ed Vaizey (Culture Minister). You can find out more about us at www.g2gnetwork.co.uk.