If you’ve visited this blog before or you’re doing any job seeking, you’re probably familiar with the term ‘networking’. It’s been around for a while now, but it’s so closely associated with building business connections, that you might have forgotten you have networks everywhere.

Every friend you’ve made and every school, place of worship, sports club or social group you’ve ever attended makes up your social network.

So, when you’re looking for a job or a work placement, make sure you let everyone in your social network know about it. You might be surprised what you discover.

A friend’s parent might offer to be a referee on your résumé. Or your sports coach might work at the company where the vacancy exists. They could give you some insight into the organisation that will improve your application or your interview for the job.

If you’re at the start of your career, your social network is likely to be far larger than your business or industry network. Be comfortable letting everybody know what you’re up to in the careers space, and make the most of any offers of help or advice that come your way.