How to Use Networking to Your Advantage and Land the Job

As you may know, I work with Knotty, an accessories company known for their simple, yet stylish and versatile jewelry and hair accessories. It's a job that I love because I get to run their social media (even though it's not my primary job) and I love the products. 
What I love about this company so much is that it's a tiny company. And with that, there is tons of room for me to grow in my job. Even though I mainly do one thing, my bosses allow tons of room for me to do other things, like helping out with photoshoots. And since I am helping out with social media, many things that I'm learning to do for Knotty also overlap with this blog.

So how did I get this job? 
Networking. 
Seriously. 
Here's the story of how I connected with Knotty and later used that connection to land this job: 
I met the founders of Knotty through a really good friend of mine who met them through a professor. She ended up interning for them, doing social media for them last year and helping to ramp up their following especially on Instagram. She told me that they would be a great fit to work with for my blog, so I contacted them and they sent me a few of their cute hair ties around this time last year. 
I worked with them and enjoyed working with them so much that I wanted to have an ongoing partnership with them for the sake of this blog. I tried meeting up with them a few times to actually talk in person about this partnership, but there were always conflicts and it never worked out. 
Fast forward from last summer until December. I'm looking to take on another job, but I didn't want a job in retail... at least not clothing because I already had a job like that and hated folding clothes and how long it would take when I closed. So after looking on Craigslist and applying to a few non-clothing retail jobs, I decided to think about connections I may have had with any brands I have worked with through the blog in the past. 
Knotty was the first brand that came to mind. 
They were local and they were a brand that I would actually shop from, and since they were a smaller brand without a brick and mortar store, I knew that I wouldn't be working in retail in the typical sense. 
On their website, I tried looking for something regarding careers, and I found a page. They said they weren't hiring but to email them with a resume if interested. I emailed them saying I had worked with them before as a blogger to promote them but I wanted them to consider me for actually working for them if they had any positions open. 
A few days later, Lynn, one of the owners of Knotty, emailed me asking if I was interested in doing sales and if I had any experience. I told her I didn't have much experience but have worked in retail and have had to pitch myself to tons of people as a blogger. She invited me to come in for an interview and the rest is history. 
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I never expected to work for a company like Knotty before, and I didn't realize that this blog would be such a huge factor in helping me get a job. Even though my blog is like a job in itself, I was able to use who I knew through this to help me get a job in an industry that I would like to get into. 
+ My biggest tips: Don't ever leave out any connections! And try as hard as you can not to burn bridges with brands, unless they treat you horribly. But other than that, be nice to brands you work with or get into contact with. Especially if you're a blogger, just because you may not work with a brand, that person may still have a connection for you one day. 
Whether it is someone you met at church or at school or at another job or while on vacation sometimes, you never know when that connection is going to help you out in the long run. Nowadays, many jobs and industries are about who you know, so connect wisely, and connect well. 
Well that's all I got for networking tips for now! How did you get your current job? Have you ever connected with someone in such a random way that has helped you career-wise?

P.S. We are having a deal through Knotty that isn't advertised yet on social media so you're the first to know! Use the code CLASSIC20 at checkout to get 20% off your purchase! (I say to use this code on any of our classic chain products--they're our best sellers!)
Disclosure: This post is not sponsored by Knotty, although I do have affiliate links listed. but still, all opinions are my own, duh.