These images may be part of networking, but they are far from the whole picture. When you think about it, networking is something we do in many areas of our lives. You might open the yellow pages or read a review, but chances are that you will ask people for a recommendation. This is networking for information. The fact is that most people looking for a job at any time are lacking some information - industry trends, which companies are expanding, skills that are in demand, the names of managers and contacts in their field, etc.
Information is power, and networking is the search for information.
One stark reality is that if you are not networking as part of your overall job search, you are missing out on the biggest source of job leads. Research indicates that well over 50 per cent of job placement comes out of networking - getting a lead by talking to people. A starting point to networking is to consider everyone you know even though they may not work in your field. These are people who would like to help you but do not know how. While very few of these people may be in your line of work, all of them know over 300 people.