No matter how well educated or experienced one is, one can’t get on without getting networked and noticed.
So, how does one get noticed?
As of now, posting one’s resume in the LinkedIn site is the best way.
But just posting your resume won’t do. Because then you’ll have to hope that some HR person will notice it and process the information. It is too iffy or hit and miss. The standard deviation for the successful cases is very high.
Even if a global search on certain keywords of a HR person throws up your resume as one among several, you still have to go through the grind of preliminary screening, functional interview and HR interview for finalisation of terms. In each of these stages, you are at a disadvantage.
1. Preliminary Screening:
It is a rule of thumb process. Only your academic performance and job testimonials count here.
You may be very good, but not proficient at beating the system and scoring marks in academic studies.
Again, you may have performed very well in your previous assignments but may not be good at managing your bosses and so your testimonials may not be impressive.
You’ll obviously get rejected at the first hurdle.
2. Functional interview:
If your domain knowledge and skill sets are good,  you’ll generally sail through.
But then, personal bias of the interviewer may hinder you. And again, your performance at that given moment, your mindset etc may let you down.
3. HR interview:
The HR person gets his/her bonuses based on how many good fishes (S)he catches using poor quality baits. They will try to wear you down by playing on your fears, anxieties and uncertainties to whittle down the terms. So even having cleared the first two hurdles, you will end up underselling your talent, skill sets and experience.
So then, what’s the way out?
In my last post, I’d said that you’ve to decide on your career path first. Let’s say that you’ve zeroed in on operational risk management.
Having posted your resume in LinkedIn, now search for operational risk management in LinkedIn. One or more groups dedicated to this subject will appear. Join all the groups. Follow the discussions, read the articles.
In the beginning, all you can do is to applaud comments and like the articles. But be diligent. Try to understand the discussion points and articles.
Naturally, you’ll have doubts. Send a mail to the author of the article. (S)he will certainly oblige. Imagine you are the author. You have posted an article. There’s this kid, who not only took the trouble to read your article, but tried to understand it and has doubts. Won’t you be thrilled and have a soft corner for the kid? That’s how the author will feel about you. Now, you are someone the author is mentoring and you have a valuable connection.
Diligently build such connections and create a useful network. You will soon reap the rewards.
How come? Well, these authors will either be CXOs (you can substitute the letter X with E, O, I, F, R, T etc. In short, they are the big shots) of a company themselves or  subject matter experts (SME) whom the CXOs contact when they are on the look out for a bright young kid to fill a crucial vacancy.
These CXOs have little faith in their HR mill when it comes to crucial jobs. The HR mill is OK for run of the mill stuff. But for crucial jobs, CXOs will either chose their own protégés or approach SMEs for tips.
So, either the CXO will remember you or the SME will provide your coordinates to the CXO. In your case the CXO will be the CRO (Chief Risk Officer).
The CRO will then call the HR person and say, ‘look, there’s this Mr/Ms X. I want him/her for this vacancy in our operational risk department. You can offer up to so much as CTC. I expect you to make that kid accept our offer. If you have issues, get back to me.’
Now there will be no HR drama and all that nonsense. The HR person is after you, trying to make you accept the offer. (S)he has to somehow get you hooked. You are negotiating from a position of strength because you know that (S)he is desperate to hire you. The only reason (S)he can give for not being able to get you on board is that you are demanding more.
Even then, (S)he has to go back and tell the CRO that (S)he couldn’t get you to accept the offer only because the terms are not attractive enough. In most cases, the CRO will raise the offer to get you on-board.
This is how the smart guys/gals operate. Try to become a smart guy/gal yourself. Leave the plodding to the donkeys. They were created by god/nature for that specific purpose.
Raja P Areyada
Retired Banker. Expertise in International Finance, Payment systems, Treasury automation, Trading platform development & deployment, Information security, Risk Management, Financial Inclusion, IT software development.
Wide array of interests including Philosophy, Quantum Mechanics, Macro Economics and Parapsychology.
In today’s hyper competitive job market, relying solely on LinkedIn for visibility feels like a lottery rather than a strategy. The article rightly highlights how the recruitment funnel for screening interviews, and final selection often places deserving candidates at a disadvantage despite strong qualifications.
Perhaps it is time we rethink hiring beyond algorithms and keyword searches and bring back what truly matters – recognising human potential beyond digital noise.
Extremely good guidance and look forward to the ensuing articles. We have already shared Part one with the Principals of some of the colleges in Kodagu, with whom we are in touch with. Will share with the students too.
Great article! Especially appreciate the emphasis on active engagement rather than passive job hunting. The guidance on connecting with authors is invaluable it demonstrates and opens doors to genuine professional relationships. It is a realistic and very effective roadmap for getting noticed and building a strong professional presence.
This article in the promising series makes a strong and practical case for why networking matters just as much as education and experience. It clearly explains how relying only on posting a résumé on LinkedIn is not enough, given the uncertainties and biases in the traditional hiring process from preliminary screening to functional and HR interviews.
What stands out is choosing a clear career path, joining relevant LinkedIn groups, engaging with discussions, and reaching out to industry experts with thoughtful questions/answers. This approach not only helps in learning but also in building meaningful mentor relationships with CXOs or subject experts who can often influence key hiring decisions.
Smart, strategic networking can shift from being just another applicant to someone leaders actively want to hire.