Yes, it’s possible to network into a job in a new career

Editor’s Note: This is the ninth of 12 columns on making a career change which appear the second Sunday of each month, from September through August. Last month’s column discussed getting experience in your new career, while the months before focused on LinkedIn for career-changers; résumé strategies; backto-school decision; career change steps in your 60s; 10 ideas for choosing a new career; a sample timeline; and questions to consider when changing careers.

If you’re changing careers, you might not know many people in your new field. In that case, perhaps you feel the advice to network into your next job isn’t going to work for you. Au contraire, Pierre!

For anyone not up on their Franglais, I’m trying to say that’s not true. The actual truth is basically the opposite. When you’re entering a new field, networking becomes more important than ever. That’s because A.) You don’t yet have experience or lengthy credentials to impress the hiring manager; and B.) With less experience on your résumé, online application systems may pass you over.

Networking to the rescue. By talking to people in the new field now, you’ll build a set of acquaintances and relationships that can blossom into substantial help for your job search later on.

By the way, if you don’t like the word “networking” (I mostly don’t), change the term. Instead of networking, what if we call this “a process of making connections”? To make a connection means someone has to reach out to someone else. In a job search, that’s naturally going to be the job-seeker, so that leads us back to today’s question: How do you make connections in a new field?

Here are three ideas to get you started.

■ Talk to your instructors. Career changes often are preceded by training programs, whether that’s a skills certificate or a full degree. If that’s true for you, your instructors may be “adjunct,” meaning they teach part-time but perhaps work in their field as well. Even if your instructor is a full-time professor, he or she undoubtedly knows people in your new vocation.

■ Talk with your other contacts. Friends, family, insurance agent ... these are people who may know someone in your new field. In this case, though, you’ll want to be clear in your request or you may find yourself in an awkward meeting with someone who can’t help you.

Here’s an example. Suppose you say to your well-connected insurance agent, “Randy, can you introduce me to anyone in the nonprofit world? I’m making a career change there.” Next thing you know, you’re having lunch with Randy’s sister, who started a one-person dog rescue operation last year. Not that she’s not going to be helpful ... but is she?

What if you said to Randy instead, “Do you know anyone in a medium-sized nonprofit that focuses on housing or food issues? That’s the kind of place I’d like to work next, and I need to start meeting people.”

■ Join/attend a related professional association. I saved my favorite for last. The great thing about professional associations is that they exist, by their very charter in most cases, to serve people in a specific field of work.

■ Don’t be fooled by the term “professional,” by the way. These groups are not specific to only “elite” professions. There are associations for truck drivers, social workers, restaurant chefs, health care workers, software engineers, plumbers and any other work you can think of.

Every group is a little different, even in the same field, so you’ll want to conduct research online before identifying one that fits. For career changers, the best features of an association would include a job board specific to the field, in-person events, a newsletter or blog, a member list so you can reach out and meet people, and perhaps class offerings that help you stay up to date.

To find a suitable group, start with a simple online search pairing your new work with the words “professional association” in the search box. Or you can ask your instructors or others you’ve already met in the field for their recommendations. In most cases, you’ll be able to attend a meeting or two without obligation before needing to make a decision about joining.

So, there are three ways to make connections (or network, if you prefer) as you enter your new career. Be sure to keep track of those you meet because you’ll want to refresh the connection later when you start your job search.