Many times on the itzbig blog, we’ve extolled the virtues of being networked; it’s good for both employers (and their agents) and candidates alike. While the nature of a business network is to be selective, the nature of candidates - especially millenial job-seekers - is to cast incredibly wide nets in the pursuit of establishing vast networks. Think of online communities like MySpace and FaceBook, where users are implicitly encouraged to add as many friends as possible. Think of the instant connections provided by networks like Twitter. Huge networks like these might be great for your ego, but job discovery is going to benefit more from a focused, selective network than from an all-inclusive one.

In theory, it might seem that the widest network will put you in contact with the most prospective employers, but, in practice, focusing in on more targeted, higher-quality contacts is always going to yield better results. In a post on Forbes.com, Barbara Ehrenreich reminds networkers that

“You aren’t meeting people because you want to make friends or find allies but because you want something from them. […] This is not the free-floating sociability of prehistoric hunter-gatherers; it’s a calculated performance.”

It may sound callous, but it’s a best practice and it’s true. You’re trying to get a job through this network. You can maintain another network in which you befriend anyone and everyone, but a focused network is integral to successful job discovery.

A candidate should also keep in mind that a network has to be an ongoing endeavor. That means constant maintenance, but the payoff might just be your dream job. Drawing on research Microsoft performed on its MSN network, Web Worker Daily suggests that there are four main styles of maintaining a professional network: cultivator, pruner, harvester or gatherer. The last three have tendencies towards making and losing connections quickly, making too many or not making enough. However, a cultivator spends

“a significant amount of their time nurturing friendships. They’re always arranging get togethers and are in constant touch with friends online and on the phone.”

Their results tend to be more accurate because the connections are stronger and more targeted.

If that kind of network cultivation sounds time-consuming, that’s because it generally is. In the research itzbig did to build our new network, that kind of serious time expenditure was one of the main concerns candidates reported. We took it seriously, and we think that our system can create a better network for you by establishing accurate matches instead of just throwing your resume into an online black-hole and hoping that the right connection comes along. Come sign up and let us do the networking for you.

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