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As a job hunter, you know that networking is often essential to finding a new position. You may have already called your old boss or sent your résumé to the neighbor who is a human resources manager.

But you know more people than you realize. Tap your hidden network of contacts, which can help you on the path to landing a great position in many ways:

Alert you to job openings or potential opportunities

Explain areas of responsibility and duties associated with various functions and job titles, and how these fit within the organizational structure

Provide recommendations, either on paper or via LinkedIn

Enlighten you on attributes desired by the hiring manager and team members

Offer you a position or introduce you to someone who can

Advise on how to navigate the candidate screening and selection process.

Take a moment to consider who you know in these networks:



School Contacts

Your initial list of school contacts will most likely include high school and college buddies, sorority sisters or fraternity brothers, and members of your alumni association. That’s a great start but there are more who fall into these categories:

Classmates in leadership development schools and colleagues in training programs for professional and industry designations

Former teachers, counselors, advisors, and coaches

Past professors, particularly those who consult with corporations as well as those who serve on advisory boards for entrepreneurial ventures and non-profits

Community college instructors, including those who hold full-time positions at area businesses or freelance in their specialty areas

Parents of your child’s classmates, whom you may encounter at school events or serve with on volunteer committees

College or school-specific groups within the university system (for example, there are networking opportunities with the University Alumni Association and Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Alumni chapters that meet largely for social interaction

LinkedIn groups associated with your college or university

Athletic and band booster clubs



Community Groups

If you are involved in a faith community, you have probably called those you see on weekly basis. You may also network with people in your local civic or chamber groups.

However, there are many people in community-based groups that you meet with face-to-face on a regular basis but you haven’t considered as part of your network. By serving (or sweating) side by side, they may know much about your work ethic, value, and dedication to teamwork as well as your ability to lead meetings, recruit and organize volunteers, coordinate special events, etc. Think of people such as:

Volunteers with outreach ministries, either directly associated with your church or comprised of people from many churches in the wider community

Cycling, running, and triathlon club members

Members of your community pool and tennis club, fitness facility, or local “Y”

Fellow artists or performers associated with arts associations, theater groups, or dance troupes

Members of affinity groups such as book clubs

Parent volunteers associated with scouting groups and youth athletic teams



Service Providers

You might have gotten in touch with a corporate recruiter or your career-services provider as soon as you realized that you needed to find a new place of employment. Other service-oriented people may be able to help also, such as:

Fellow job hunters and organizers associated with community job-search support groups

Your accountant and attorney, who may know business owners and hiring decision-makers

Your insurance agent, who likely comes into contact with thousands of people each year

Your barber, dry cleaner, bike mechanic, etc. who also know a lot of people



Work Networks

Naturally you think of your old boss or the owner of the company where you worked. Others from your past work experiences include:

Customers, who can attest to your excellent service and industry knowledge

Vendors, who are familiar with how you conduct business

Colleagues, who may have matured and grown professionally since you last worked together

The children or the parents of coworkers (depending on your age, those who are a generation younger or older may be excellent contacts within your hidden network)

People you met through trade associations and professional groups



Online Contacts

Of course, you think of your direct LinkedIn connections and perhaps your extended network (mine contains more than 3 million people), but consider these also:

Facebook friends

Those in your Google+ Circles

Twitter followers

Online forum leaders and members with whom you interact on a regular basis

Friends, Relatives, and Neighbors

You have probably let your circle of friends, family members, and next-door neighbors know about your job search. But consider those whom you’ve known for a while but may not see quite as often:

Friends of friends, including those who may be more connected than you realize because their volunteer activities, front-line positions, or avocations puts them in contact with community or business leaders

Far-flung relatives or those outside of your immediate family, whom you see infrequently but predictably at family reunions and weddings

Current neighbors, including those in your neighborhood association, plus those from childhood and early adult years and the now-grown children of your neighbors.

Are there hidden networks that you have tapped to help you land a job? Share in the comments.