how do I get away from clingy networkers at events? by Alison Green on April 18, 2022 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 […] Read the full article →
is networking overrated? by Alison Green on February 8, 2022 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 […] Read the full article →
how can I avoid business contacts who just want to pitch me? by Alison Green on October 20, 2021 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 […] Read the full article →
how do you network in the era of Covid? by Alison Green on October 7, 2021 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/ […] Read the full article →
can I turn a request for free help into paid consulting? by Alison Green on September 13, 2021 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, […] Read the full article →
should you connect with strangers on LinkedIn? by Alison Green on June 30, 2021 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, […] Read the full article →
my coworkers said they’d write me LinkedIn recommendations — but never came through by Alison Green on May 3, 2021 A reader writes: I am in a puzzling situation. I only have a few days left at my current job, and I am exchanging LinkedIn recommendations with a lot of colleagues. I ask people if that would be okay to do so before actually writing these to make sure that they are on board with […] Read the full article →
what’s the best networking experience you’ve had? by Alison Green on March 25, 2021 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 […] Read the full article →
a man claiming to have an Oscar (he doesn’t) wants to give me advice on my field (that he’s not in) by Alison Green on March 23, 2021 A reader writes: I’m an indie filmmaker in the process of hiring an intern to work on my feature-length documentary. I posted the job in some niche industry/women/BIPOC groups I’m in, along with one generic group of job-seekers in my metro area. The latter post prompted someone to message me directly offering to answer any […] Read the full article →
my networking meetings aren’t leading to interviews by Alison Green on January 21, 2021 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 […] Read the full article →