Finding a job in today’s economy can be tough, yet many job seekers underestimate the importance of networking in the job-hunting process.

So Why is networking the best way to find a job?

• People do business primarily with people they know, like and trust. Rėsumės and cover letters alone are often too impersonal to convince employers to hire you.
• Job listings in newspapers and other media tend to draw piles of applicants, which puts you in intense competition with many others. Networking makes you a recommended member of a much smaller pool.
• The job you want may not be advertised at all. Hiring is always a roll of the dice, but an employer can tilt the odds in his favour by interviewing people recommended by trusted friends or associates. Networking leads to information and job leads, often before a formal job description is created or a job announced.

Job-hunters take a lot of flack on their networking prowess, usually for one of these reasons:

• They don’t network until they need a job.
• When they network, they immediately ask for job-search help.
• They request introductions from people they’re meeting for the first time.

“Don’t assume that because you’re in the job market, you’re stuck on the receiving end of the networking-assistance equation”, Smith cautions.  A common and understandable belief about job-seeking networkers is this: of course I want to talk about my job search, at every chance I get. I need a job!

The fact is that networking never works when it’s me-focused. Needing a job is a tough spot to be in, but virtually every networker you meet has an obstacle of one kind or another in his path. One person is an entrepreneur desperately in need of business. Another businessperson is stressing mightily about a website project spinning out of control. In other words, we all have our problems. The fact that you’re job-hunting doesn’t diminish the importance of everyone else’s issues.

Let's be real, real networking is about a lot more than just "linking" to other people. Networking is about providing others with assistance knowing that others in your network will do the same for you.

An effective online networker is someone who really knows their stuff and is willing to share it to help others. Success is not intrinsic in simply making contact, success is found by what you make of every contact.

With music and magic in the air and retailers telling you it's time to go shopping, it can be hard for even the most dedicated entrepreneur or professional to stay focused on his or her business.

As sure as Rudolph has a red nose, there is not a better time to start building long-term business relationships. Whether you hope to land a new job, meet a new client, make that big sale or get a long-sought promotion, the festive season can be a gold mine - but only if you know how, and where, to stake your claim.

To be successful, you have to do what successful people do and successful people are highly action-oriented.

People at the top of every profession share one quality — they get things done. This ability supercedes intelligence, talent and connections in determining the size of your salary and the speed of your advancement.

So many times, we plan to do things. We’re going to develop a networking or referral plan. We are going to start a business. We are going to implement our strategic plan. We are going to have a meeting. We are going to make the change. But do we act on our decisions?

Yes, actions do speak louder than words. The old statement that ‘knowledge is power’ is flawed; knowledge is only potential power: Nothing happens in this world until you take action says Karl Smith, founder of Business Networking South Africa. Knowledge is really only power in reserve. It remains useless if it's not tapped into by applying action. Knowledge that is not put to action remains just knowledge in your head and provides no benefit. It's completely wasted!

Just as it is for men in the business world, for women, life is just as hard and some would say somewhat harder. Every year Women's Month is celebrated during August. Hundreds of events occur throughout the month to pay tribute to the economic, political and social achievements of women.

While much will be said during this month about the progress women have made in the business world, it’s difficult to escape the sad reality that a “glass ceiling” still exists.  Even before the term "glass ceiling" was coined 20 years ago, researchers debated why women seldom reach the highest ranks in business.

“It’s cracking, but it’s still there,” says Karl Smith, founder of Business Networking South Africa.

So what are some of the cracks? Women entrepreneurship is the next professional frontier. Women are increasingly more likely to hold senior level positions in the workplace, and that gives them excellent skills with which to start a business.

Networking is booming at the moment with more organisations being formed every week and with many more organisations calling an event a “networking opportunity”.

Many professionals, entrepreneurs and sales people are looking for ways to grow their businesses and they spend valuable time going to networking events hoping that they establish some new business relationships which will hopefully translate into money. But how many times do people actually close deals and establish business relationships because of a networking event? Which brings me to my big point.

Most organisations waste so much intellectual property and knowledge possessed by their people who work there.  Why is this?  

It is simply because organisations tend to work in silos. If people build relationships more freely and this can only be done by a change in strategy by the management, then this waste of intellectual property can be reduced dramatically. In addition to wasted cerebral resource there are so many opportunities lost for multi-service firms and companies to cross sell to existing clients.

The simple reason is people are comfortable promoting their own expertise but feel totally uncomfortable promoting others. They don't really understand what other people do and in bigger organisations often wouldn't even know who to recommend if they did. When people hear “Networking” most immediately think of attending external activities; Chamber events, membership meetings and black tie events.  

There are a number of seasonal strategies that you can employ to enhance your business relationships, boost your personal brand and strengthen your bottom line. As people tend to be more relaxed during this time of the year, take advantage of these circumstances by reaching out and interacting with various individuals.  

As a small business, job hunter or business developer, you have the ability to establish strong face-to-face relationships, and the holidays are the perfect time to leverage that advantage. Most local industry organisations and business associations host holiday networking events. This is the perfect opportunity to go out, have fun, meet people and identify business opportunities. Here are a few networking tips to help make the holidays even better for business:

Networking as a career management strategy is important as the burden of responsibility for one’s career has shifted from the organisation to the individual, with the notion of employability becoming one’s career goal says Karl Smith, author of Beyond The Business Handshake: Dare To Build High-Trust Business Relationships. Moreover, more and more corporate, government and other organisations see building social capital as an organisational priority.

Social capital is ‘the structure of individuals’ contact networks - the pattern of interconnection among the various people with whom each person is tied’. It constitutes a valuable resource. Relationships possessed by an individual can provide one with access to new information, resources and opportunities says Smith.  This information, resources, and opportunities, both within and outside one’s current firm, can result in direct enhancements of one’s career and the firm’s competitiveness.