Why Build a People Network?

You may be thinking, “Why do I need a people network?”

You have knowledge and skills. You work hard. Maybe you already have a job you like. Why spend time developing relationships with people you don't know?

I understand the question.

This is actually the 23rd article I've written about people networks, and I know that sounds like a lot. But after all this writing, I still haven't found the magic words that will convince someone to start building their network.

So let me try something different. Let me tell you what I have learned from experience.

There is an old saying:

It is not what you know, but who you know.

You may have heard that before and dismissed it. It can sound like one of those things older people say that doesn't seem particularly relevant when you're starting your career.

I understand that, too.

But eventually, you discover that there is a lot of truth in it.

What You Know and Who You Know

What you know is important. Your education, skills, experience, and ability to do your job all matter.

But those things don't exist in isolation.

At some point, you will benefit from knowing someone who can introduce you to an opportunity, recommend you for a job, answer a question, teach you something you don't know, or simply tell someone else, “You should talk to this person.”

That's the who of what you know.

I have helped a lot of people get interviews and jobs because of people I knew. All three of my children who work in technology received an internship interview because I made a phone call.

The call didn't guarantee them a job. It simply opened a door.

And sometimes, opening the door is the hardest part.

People Hire People They Trust

During my career, I was involved in hiring hundreds of people. At one point, we interviewed over 400 candidates for various positions.

Hiring is difficult.

You can spend an hour talking with someone, look at their resume, ask questions, and still wonder what you are actually getting. A resume tells you what someone has done. An interview gives you some sense of who they are. But there is still uncertainty.

Now imagine that someone I trusted called and said, “I know someone you should talk to. I think they would be a good fit.”

That changed things.

I wasn't blindly hiring the person. But I had something I didn't have with a complete stranger: a trusted recommendation.

It happens with hiring. It happens with business opportunities. It happens when people choose consultants, partners, speakers, mentors, and even people to ask for advice.

For this to happen for you, people need to know you.

Your Career Will Change

This matters even more because careers are changing rapidly.

Technology, economic shifts, and changing business models are altering the work people do. The skills that are valuable today may not be enough five or ten years from now.

Even highly educated professionals are increasingly expected to work across disciplines. An engineer may need to understand business. A marketer may need to understand technology. A manager may need to understand data, customers, and finance.

If you want to grow, you have to keep learning and adapting.

But you don't have to figure everything out yourself.

Knowing people in different industries, companies, and areas of expertise gives you access to knowledge you don't have.

Instead of asking only, “What do I know?”

you begin asking, “Who might know?”

That is a powerful shift.

People Create Opportunities

Many opportunities begin with a simple sentence: “I know someone you should talk to.”

Someone tells you about a job that hasn't been posted yet.

Someone introduces you to a person who becomes a mentor.

Someone recommends you for a project.

Someone invites you to speak.

Someone tells you about an industry you had never considered.

You cannot predict which of these things will happen.

That's the point.

A people network creates possibilities that you cannot create by yourself.

You don't develop relationships because you know exactly what opportunity you will need five years from now. You develop them because you don't know.

The people who know you can recommend you, teach you, encourage you, introduce you, challenge you, and sometimes open a door you didn't even know existed.

You may never know which relationship will become important.

If you're beginning to see why a people network matters, the next question is probably, “How do I actually build one?”

That's where the other articles I've written about people networks come in. I explore how to find people to connect with, how to start conversations, how to build relationships naturally, and how to nurture those relationships over time. There are also articles for specific challenges, like building relationships when you're an introvert or when you simply don't like the idea of “networking.”

You don't need to become someone you're not. You don't need to meet hundreds of people. You just need to start developing genuine relationships with the people around you.

What you know may get you ready for the opportunity. Who knows you may help you find it.