networking

Ugh, networking. It’s actually not as terrible as you think. Mostly.

how do I get away from clingy networkers at events?

A reader writes: I am fortunate to be fairly well-known in my field and attend a lot of professional events. I try to meet as many new people and existing contacts as possible during these events, as part of my purpose in attending is to make the contacts I need to do my work. At […]

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is networking overrated?

A reader writes: Job searching advice usually focuses heavily on networking, and while I know you emphasize it less than others, you have also written about the importance of reputation-building and networking. This … doesn’t really match my experience. I don’t have much of a professional network, despite graduating five years ago and working for […]

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how can I avoid business contacts who just want to pitch me?

A reader writes: I often get requests for phone conversations from people in related industries who want to “ask my opinion” about some aspect of my area of expertise. After 30 minutes of conversation, it always turns into a sales pitch for whatever product they’re working on or company they’re consulting for. I find this […]

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how do you network in the era of Covid?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I live in an area with a lot of rules around the pandemic still — masks are mandated for indoor public spaces, many orgs are (wisely) still offering many things online, universities and such are mandating students and staff be vaccinated to come on campus/ […]

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can I turn a request for free help into paid consulting?

A reader writes: I work in a pretty specific niche area. I was recently at a conference describing my work, and a leader from another organization came up to me to ask me how he could find someone like me to work for him. I emailed him some information about the graduate school I attended, […]

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should you connect with strangers on LinkedIn?

A reader writes: I work in an industry that’s largely freelance, with a massive component of networking and word-of-mouth. But almost all of that networking is done in-person. As far as I know, I’ve never gotten a job or a useful contact out of LinkedIn because it’s just not really the way we work. Additionally, […]

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what’s the best networking experience you’ve had?

So many people hate networking — they worry it feels slimy, they don’t quite know how to do it, or it just makes them uncomfortable. It doesn’t help that most of us have had run-in’s with bad networkers. So let’s talk about good networking. What’s the most satisfying or useful networking experience you ever had? How […]

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my networking meetings aren’t leading to interviews

A reader writes: I’ve been job-hunting for many, many months now, and recently a personal connection was able to introduce me to several high-level contacts in my desired industry. (I am three years post-college graduation and looking for a role in social justice/community organizing.) Through this contact I have spoken to senior/executive-director level people at […]

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