Networking for Professionals

Behind every opportunity is a relationship, and behind every relationship is a conversation. Networking is about building real connections that last and have the potential to help you find your next opportunity. Data shared by the University of Maryland’s Department of Economics indicates you won’t find 70% of available jobs on any site that posts open positions. Those positions are usually found on a company’s internal network, often by referral. In other words, relationships can make the difference between finding a job or not. That’s no surprise to me. Throughout my journey, from engineer to investor, relationships have been a constant driver of growth. Mentors, colleagues and peers have not only opened doors, but also challenged my thinking, sharpened my skills and inspired my vision. Here’s what I have learned: - Be curious: Ask questions that show you care about people’s stories. - Be intentional: Connect with purpose, not just for your own gain. - Be consistent: Follow up, follow through and add value where you can. Networking isn’t a one-time event. It requires maintaining ongoing relationships rooted in trust and genuine interest in other people’s lives. Whether you’re just starting out on your professional journey or deep into your field, relationships are what power careers.

Career hack: have coffee with 1 person outside your company, every week, for a year. Whether you are a ceo or intern, this is singlehandedly the best thing you can do for your career, and you can kickstart it tomorrow. Networking is a flywheel you can start today, and it drives 1) general networking - expand your network, never know who will help with what 2) expanding your map - think of your strategy (this could be your personal career plan, your company's overall strategy, or anything in between) as a map. every conversation expands the map, and shows you whats just a bit farther off the page. 3) serendipity - putting yourself (and your goals) out into the world is the #1 best way to make things happen. you will be amazed at what comes your way. the best hack to get there: put a recurring event on your calendar called "coffee." create a doc of all the potential people you'd want to meet with. start reaching out, and scheduling them for 2-3 weeks in advance. once you are in the habit, the slot will start filling itself. but you have to get the ball rolling.

I used to be awful at networking. Then I discovered creative ways to add value that allowed me to connect with influencers, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Here are 10 of my favorites: 1. Share a piece of their advice with your team, friends, or class (then tell them what you did). 2. Ask them for advice, then take action on it and follow up with your results. 3. Share recommendations for a common personal interest. 4. Consistently engage with their content on social media. 5. Offer to have them come speak to your team or class. 6. Write a valuable comment or post and tag them in it. 7. Ask to interview them for a blog post or podcast. 8. Write a recommendation for them on LinkedIn. 9. Make a mutually beneficial introduction. 10. Compliment them on a career change. The best part? Anyone can use these. No experience required.

I made it to VP at Amazon because of the people I partnered with. The same is true for building my part-time business that made $950k last year. Create the partnerships that will let you leap forward - here’s how: 1) Understand Productive Partnerships Here are some examples of the partnerships that propelled my career: a) I partnered with my first boss out of college. I taught her technology, she taught me leadership and drove my first two promotions (lead engineer, then manager). b) At Amazon, my first lead engineer and I worked together for 8 years. I went from Senior Manager to Director to VP while he went from SDE to Senior SDE to Manager to Senior Manager to Director - FOUR PROMOTIONS. c) My COO, Jason Yoong, reached out to me and initiated our partnership by volunteering to build my Substack newsletter. Someone has to take the first step, and he did. d) Most recently, I formed the “Career Growth Collective,” where I invited LinkedIn voices Omar Halabieh, Steve Huynh, and Rajdeep Saha to work with me to amplify our messages across platforms and groups to help more people. Each person in this partnership brings different strengths. Steve and Raj are senior individual contributors with strong YouTube presences. They bring the “Principal” level perspective. Omar is based in Dubai and is actively leading a big team. He also cranks out amazing graphics every day. The different strengths that each person brings leads me to part 2. 2) The Partnership Recipe: i) Build trust with your potential partner Be honest, be friendly, be helpful! ii) Figure out a win-win partnership With my first boss, she needed a technical advisor and I needed management sponsorship. Years later, my first lead engineer did for me what I had done for her. He provided the technical expertise while I sponsored his growth With Raj, Steve, and Omar, we all want to find new readers who will get value from our work. Tip: Take the first step. Invest in the other person without a guarantee of repayment. This will kickstart the partnership, whereas waiting for the other person to make the first move will not. iii) You don’t need perfection I proposed the Career Growth Collective idea to 4 people. 3 accepted and we are thriving together. The main message I want to share with all of this is that you do not need to “go it alone” in your career. What you do need to do is risk that a few people will not return your investment in them when you try to establish partnerships. That is OK. Learn, move on, find others who will. The value of the successful partnerships will greatly outweigh the time and effort put into the ones that didn’t pan out. Who have you partnered with? Praise or thank them in a comment! Who would you like to partner with? Send them this post with a note saying it inspired you to work more closely with them. Steve, Omar, and Raj have shared their own ideas on partnership today. Follow them and read their ideas.

In my early career, I thought networking was all about building as many connections as possible. But I quickly learned that effective networking isn't about the quantity of your connections—it's about the quality. Throughout my career, the connections that have truly made a difference weren’t the ones where I just asked for help—they were the ones where I made it easy for others to want to help me. If you want to make others genuinely want to help you, it’s crucial to move beyond simply asking for favors. Instead, focus on creating value and building relationships where both parties benefit. So, how can you do the same? Here are four tactical tips to help you network effectively: ✅ Do Your Homework Before reaching out, research the person or company you’re interested in. Understand their work, challenges, and how you can add value. For instance, instead of asking a connection for job leads, do your own research first. Identify specific roles and companies you’re targeting, and then ask if they can help with an introduction. This approach shows initiative and respect for their time. ✅ Be Specific in Your Ask Whether you’re asking for an introduction, advice, or a referral, be clear and concise about what you need. For example, instead of asking, “Do you know anyone hiring?” say, “I noticed [Company Name] is looking for a [Role]. Would you be open to introducing me to [Person]? I’m happy to send you my resume and a brief write-up you can pass along, too.” This shows that you’ve taken the initiative and makes it easier for your contact to say yes. ✅ Offer Mutual Value When requesting a meeting or advice, frame it as a two-way conversation. Instead of saying, “Can I pick your brain?” try something like, “I’d love to exchange ideas on [specific topic] and share some strategies that have worked for me.” This not only makes your request more compelling but also positions you as someone who brings value to the table. ✅ Follow Up with Gratitude After someone has helped you, don’t just say thank you and disappear. Keep them in the loop on how their help made an impact. Whether you got the job, secured the meeting, or just had a great conversation, let them know. This closes the loop and makes them more inclined to help you in the future. Your network is one of your greatest assets—nurture it well, and it will be there for you when you need it most. What’s one networking tip that’s helped you build stronger connections? *** 📧 Want more tips like these? Join Career Bites - free weekly bite-sized tips to supercharge your career in 3 minutes or less: lorraineklee.com/subscribe 📖 You can also get behind-the-scenes stories, updates, and special gifts for my upcoming book Unforgettable Presence: lorraineklee.com/book

People ask me all the time how to network. Here’s a short, tactical guide on how to actually do it - grounded in real data, real results, and 3,500+ jobs found through relationships. 🎯 The #1 misconception Networking is not: “Let me ask you for a job.” It is: “Let me have a real, human moment with someone in this industry.” ✅ What actually works This is how you build meaningful professional relationships - the kind that lead to real opportunities: 1️⃣ Be around. Events, Discords, social posts, games projects, ticket giveaways, community coaching - just show up. Start by being visible. Over time, become memorable for the right reasons. 2️⃣ Don’t pitch. Connect. Ask questions. Be genuinely curious. You’re planting seeds, not harvesting. This takes months and years. There are not shortcuts to building real relationships. 3️⃣ Look sideways, not up. A junior colleague can often help you more than a C-level exec. Build trust, first, with people at your level or just above it. 4️⃣ Follow up like a human. Send messages that matter: “Just played [X] - loved the level design.” “Your GDC talk really stuck with me - thank you.” “Noticed you moved from QA to design - would love to hear how.” 5️⃣ Give before you get. Share insights, leave helpful comments, support others’ work - anything that builds trust and makes you recognizable. 6️⃣ Say hi when there’s nothing to gain. That’s the best time. No stakes, no pressure - it’s when real relationships start. 7️⃣ Don’t just “shoot your shot.” ❌❌❌❌❌ Never reach out with “Can you get me a job?” That closes doors, fast. Lead with curiosity and conversation, not a transactional, cold ask. 🔥 If I wanted to be provocative… I’d say this: Applying to jobs without connective tissue is very inefficient. Particularly for early career and more senior folks. Instead of asking, “What should I apply to?” - ask, “Where can I build a relationship?” Posting about hundreds of applications is understandable, but it misses the point. Focus on how many real connections you’ve made - then work backward to the right applications. 🧠 Avoid the Dream Company Trap Too many people focus only on the one studio they love - and end up pinging the same five people as everyone else. I always ask: Where do I already have network strength? Where can I go that everybody else isn’t going? We track 3,000+ game studios. 1,000+ of them hire. Go outside the top 50. 🪜 Think in ladders and sidesteps Instead of aiming straight at your target studio, look at who owns that studio. Think conglomerates. Think sister teams. Adjacent verticals. 📊 The data backs it up. Across our community: Cold apps: ~1–2% yield Apps with any warm connection: 10–20x+ better odds 🧭 The shift is simple Spend more time building bridges than sending résumés. Relationships are the infrastructure of hiring. Build that first. The first thing I ask anyone who's stuck is: Are you spending 80%+ of your effort building relationships? If not, do that.

Every opportunity that changed my life came from a relationship (not a resume). 6 tips to build a network that actually works for you: 1/ Check In Without Needing Anything ↳ Send "how are you?" texts more often than "can you help me?" emails. ↳ People forget what you said, but they remember that you stayed in touch. 2/ Give Before You Get ↳ The best networkers give help more often than they ask for it. ↳ Share opportunities, make introductions, send useful articles. 3/ Start Building Today ↳ The worst time to build relationships is when you desperately need them. ↳ Your next job won't come from a blind job app. It'll come from someone you know. 4/ Make It Personal ↳ Remember birthdays, kids' names, their big wins. ↳ One genuine conversation beats 100 business cards. 5/ Stay Consistent ↳ Set reminders to reach out quarterly. ↳ Small efforts compound into strong connections. 6/ Be The Connector ↳ Introduce people who should know each other. ↳ Become known as someone who helps others win. The net worth of your network compounds faster than your 401(k). Every promotion, every opportunity, every breakthrough... They all started with a relationship. Your dream job is one conversation away. But that conversation only happens if you've been nurturing relationships all along. Start today. Text someone you haven't talked to in months. Not because you need something. Just because relationships are your most valuable career asset. What's your favorite way to network? Reshare ♻️ to help someone in your network. And give me a follow for more posts like this.

If you want to build a network in 30 days, read this: Goal: Build a foundation for your professional network by forming genuine connections with 10 individuals relevant to your career goals. Before you start: Define your goals: What do you hope to achieve by building your network? (e.g., career advice, industry knowledge, potential job opportunities) Identify target individuals: Who are the people you want to connect with? Consider their expertise, experience, and potential value in achieving your goals. Days 1-10: Laying the groundwork Utilize social media: Update your LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills and experience. Join relevant groups and follow industry leaders. Start small: Reach out to 2-3 people you haven't spoken to recently or connect with 1-2 new contacts. Personalize your message and focus on value. Attend online events: Look for webinars, online conferences, or workshops related to your field. Participate actively and introduce yourself to others virtually. Identify industry influencers: Research thought leaders and key players in your field. Follow their work and engage with their content online. Volunteer your expertise: Research volunteer opportunities related to your industry. This allows you to give back, network, and build your reputation. Days 11-20: Building connections Follow-up with initial contacts: Send a follow-up email or message expressing your appreciation for their time and reiterating your interest in staying connected. Engage in online communities: Participate in relevant online discussions. Offer your insights, answer questions, and build your online presence. Connect through mutual connections: Research your existing network for potential connections who know people you'd like to meet. Seek introductions and personalize your outreach. Attend local events: Look for industry meetups, networking events, or conferences in your area. Prepare conversation starters and actively connect with new people. Leverage alumni networks: If you're a college graduate, reconnect with alumni in your field through professional groups or university resources. Days 21-30: Nurturing relationships Share valuable content: Share relevant articles, industry news, or resources with your connections through emails or social media. Offer congratulations and support: Celebrate your network's achievements and offer support during challenges. Show genuine interest in their lives and careers. Schedule informational interviews: Reach out to individuals you admire and request informational interviews. Use this opportunity to learn more about their career path and gain insights. Be a resource: Look for ways to help others in your network by offering introductions, sharing opportunities, or providing relevant information. Schedule coffee chats: Invite 1-2 people you've connected with for virtual or in-person coffee chats to deepen your relationships and explore potential collaborations. Source: "Reach Out" by Molly Beck

I received a call yesterday from a good friend, an executive director at a thriving law firm.  We’ve known each other for years and while we ended up discussing business, it started my wheels thinking about relationships and how they build a business in professional services. After years of focusing the best marketing techniques in professional services, I always revisit one theme. Building strong relationships is key to developing a firm, and growing a practice. While having excellent skills will always be table stakes, the strength of a relationships is also an essential component. One thing is clear: it's all about the relationships we as individuals build and nurture. Here are five tips to strengthen those connections that matter to you. 💡 1.    Lead with Empathy Understanding what your clients or prospects are going through is crucial. It's not just about the business side—it's about seeing the bigger picture of their challenges and successes. When you truly empathize with others, it deepens trust and connection. 💡 2.    Find Common Ground We all have shared experiences—whether it's career paths, mutual interests, or personal milestones. Finding those commonalities can make the conversation more comfortable and genuine, helping to build a solid foundation for the relationship. 💡 3.   Care About Their Success It's not enough to focus solely on your own goals. You have to genuinely care about the other person's business, and that means understanding their industry, their pressures, and their needs. 💡 4.   Show Interest In-Between the Transaction A relationship built solely on a deal or a single litigation (even if the dollars are significant) is transactional, generally with a beginning and an end. Show interest in their life outside of work, and stay in touch with them in-between matters. 💡5.  It’s a Long Game Building strong relationships doesn’t happen overnight and there is no magical system that works the same for everyone. Follow up regularly, stay in touch, and show you’re consistently thinking of them. Relationships need nurturing, and this level of attention proves that you’re not just there for a quick win—you’re in it to support them for the long haul. Relationships are at the core of everything—whether you’re building a practice or growing a larger business.

I hate to break it to you all, but I’m a fraud…. I am not the extrovert that everyone assumes I am. In fact, the first picture you see is me hiding in the bathroom mentally preparing for a networking event. For those who don’t know, a couple weeks ago it was CBC week. Essentially this means everyone and their mother came to DC. Everyday there were a multitude of events from networking and mixers, to late night parties. Despite what y’all see on here, I am not the most outward person (a faćade I know) To be honest, I normally get anxious when networking. I feel awkward randomly walking up to someone I don’t know and trying to start a conversation. I’m scared it’ll feel forced or I’ll seem too overbearing. However, as a young professional, I’ve made a pact to myself to do things that put me outside of my comfort zone and going to networking events alone is one of them. As daunting as it may seem, once you have a strategy for networking, things seem to work out just fine. So here are some things I do to prepare for networking events: 1️⃣ Review event attendees Most events posted on platforms like Eventbrite and LinkedIn will display who is attending the event. I always try to make it a priority to look into the attendees at least once before the event. As I do this, I note who aligns with my interests or work to remind myself to connect with them at the event. 2️⃣ Make a list of common questions to ask If there’s one thing people like to talk about, it’s themselves. Due to that, I have a running list of questions to ask individuals who I meet. I try to ask a mix of questions that are both personal and professional. Here are some examples: ✨Tell me a little about what you currently do. Is there anything you would change about your current role or industry? ✨Where are you from originally? How did you experience growing up shape who you are today? (side note, if they’re from the area in which you’re networking in them, you could also ask about their favorite local spots) ✨If you weren’t in your current field or role, what do you think you’d be doing instead? 3️⃣ Set goals I have learned that you do not have to network with the entire room to have had a good experience or make your mark. In fact, I would argue that having a few good conversations outweighs having 50 basic ones. Thus, the goals I set for myself are focused on making genuine connections. I normally set the goal of having at least 3 genuine conversations over the course of a 2 hour networking event. So far, I’ve been hitting the mark! 4️⃣ Monitor my social battery I do not believe in forcing ANYTHING. So when it comes to a point when I’m all talked out, I leave. There is no shame in it. There is no blame in it. I encourage you all to do the same. You do not need to make yourself stay in a place in which you are overwhelmed. — What are some ways you prepare for networking events? #tipswithtaylor #networking #genz