Advancing in your career isn’t a solo endeavour – it’s a team sport.
Every job you’ve applied for has involved people that have helped you – be they references or champions that put you forward for the role.
And you in turn you’ve been an important player on other people’s teams.
So it’s useful to appreciate that recommendations are mutually beneficial.
They obviously serve the person who’s received one in a direct way.
But the recommender also benefits because they are associated with someone who’s worthy of being recommended.
And those that understand this dynamic become masters of growing their social capital.
Because the higher you advance, the more weight your recommendations will carry.
But it’s also the case that the higher you advance, the more you want to recommend others as this means you have a wide and deep network of meaningful connections to draw upon.
So rather than thinking about your references when you’re looking for a job, really appreciate that your social capital is an investment whose currency takes the form of meaningful recommendations.
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