BERLIN: LinkedIn lives off the idea of FOMO, a fear of missing out - in this case on potential job opportunities and contacts that could further your career.

Is there much truth to that? Is business networking worth all that time and effort?

Yes, according to career consultant Silke Grotegut. "If you don't have a good network, you will definitely have a harder time in the working world," she says.

Because of the shortage of skilled workers, the job market has completely turned around, Grotegut says: "That's why companies no longer wait for the right person to contact them."

Instead, companies go on the search themselves. Inevitably, the path leads to digital career networks.

The career coach also points to the so-called hidden job market. Many jobs are not advertised publicly and companies fill these from their own network or their extended network.

So they hire people who’ve been recommended by employees or who were found during a previous recruitment process. This is where a profile on LinkedIn can play a major role.

Magdalena Oehl, who’s the deputy chairperson of a start-up association in Germany, says visibility is everything in the world of work.

Particularly in the case of founders, it makes sense to be visible to attract the attention of potential investors and employees.

Build up a network in small steps

To be successful in business networks, you need to be willing to talk and make contacts, says organisational psychologist Babette Brinkmann, a professor at the Technical University of Cologne.

Those who are new on sites like LinkedIn should first see who they already know there, for example, former classmates, fellow students or team members.

Magdalena Oehl says the key to success is to maintain a consistent online presence. If you want to quickly build an active, growing network, you have to post regularly.

"At least as important is network maintenance, which means writing messages to each other, responding to content, and pointing out interesting posts," she says.

Costs and benefits

When it comes to your professional network, quality comes before quantity, says Silke Grotegut. Building and maintaining a network takes a lot of planning, effort, and time.

The optimal situation, according to Babette Brinkmann, is when it doesn't feel like a burden and when the costs and benefits are in balance.

In addition to the time you need to invest, business networks sometimes cost money. With LinkedIn, "the most important features for the job search are already included in the free version." However, additional features have to be paid for.

All in all, business networks are worthwhile. "This model of spending your entire professional life with one employer will no longer exist in this form in the future," says Grotegut.

If you want or need to change job, being visible and having a network in place will help you to make a new start more quickly.

 - dpa