networking

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

I’m being flooded with business offers by friends and family

A reader writes: I work in an industry and on a product where business is booming. We’re making headlines internationally and people are flocking to the product. With this attention has come a large amount of in-bound sales offers from other companies. Software, insights tools, celebrity talent agents, you name it. My inbox is flooded […]

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how do I network without being too transactional?

A reader writes: I have a networking/recommendations question. My company’s been acquired and I’m worried about impending layoffs. I’ve been thinking about a return to grad school anyways so maybe this is the push I needed, but will still need a new job before then. My LinkedIn is a bit bare, but I’m a hard […]

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how can I stay in touch with former coworkers?

A reader asks: I’ve been working for a while with a senior colleague who has been amazing — knowledgeable, supportive, and patient. He recently moved on from my organization. When he left, he told me to keep in touch. I’d love to keep in touch but have no idea what to say! I feel like […]

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conference schedules are too F’ing long

A reader writes: I’m attending a professional conference this week and it struck me that super long conference schedules are not something I’ve seen discussed on the blog. Here is an example: The conference I am attending has optional workout events starting at 6:30 in the morning. Breakfast starts at 8 and runs until 9, […]

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can I ask coworkers why they didn’t hire my daughter?

A reader writes: My daughter applied for a job at the firm where I’m currently employed, in a department supervised by three very good friends of mine. I’ve known them all for over 20 years. I consider them great coworkers and friends. My neighbor also applied for the job. My neighbor has been out of […]

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does posting sob stories on LinkedIn hurt your job search?

A reader writes: I work in a field that has been heavily affected by layoffs in the past year. I have been lucky and managed to maintain work, but many talented people I know have not been so lucky. My question is about whether posting depressing, sad posts on social media, especially LinkedIn, affects your […]

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I don’t want to help rude networkers

A reader writes: I’ve been in my industry for eight years now. From the outside, it’s a very cool area to work in (and mostly it is…) and it’s definitely more on the map as a career path than it was when I started. Lots of grads are very interested in a job like mine, […]

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how do I turn down a persistent favor-asker?

A reader writes: About a year and a half ago, I agreed to have coffee with a company intern who was finishing up her internship and preparing to graduate. I did this as a favor to a colleague — this intern never did any work with my team or department and we never interacted prior […]

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