Your Professional Network Should Exist Before You Need It →

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Most people don't think seriously about their professional network until they need something.

They lose a job. They want to change careers. They need an introduction. They need advice. Suddenly, the people they have worked with over the years become important again.

That's backward.

A professional network shouldn't be something we activate when we need help. It should be a collection of relationships we've built and maintained because the people themselves matter.

Your Career Leaves a Trail of People Behind

Think about the people you've encountered during your working life.

Coworkers. Supervisors. Customers. Suppliers. Competitors. Mentors. People you hired. People who hired you. Someone who taught you something when you were young. Someone whose judgment you came to trust.

Most disappear from our daily lives when circumstances change.

We change jobs. Someone retires. A company closes. People move. Years pass.

But the relationship doesn't necessarily have to disappear.

Some of these people helped shape how we work, how we think, and even how we see ourselves professionally.

Those are relationships worth keeping.

Don't Try to Maintain Hundreds of Relationships

One networking mistake is believing that bigger is automatically better.

It isn't.

Having hundreds or thousands of connections on LinkedIn doesn't mean we have hundreds or thousands of relationships.

Instead, identify the people who genuinely matter to you.

Perhaps there are ten people from your professional life whom you particularly respect and want to remain connected with. Stay in touch with them.

Not because you might need a favor someday.

Because the relationship is worth maintaining.

You don't need an elaborate system. A message a few times a year may be enough.

If you read something that reminds you of someone, send it.

If you hear that something important happened in their life or career, reach out.

Ask how they're doing.

Congratulate them.

Thank them for something they did years ago that you still remember.

Small contacts keep relationships from quietly disappearing.

Be Someone Worth Having in a Network

Networking advice often focuses on what we can get from other people.

A better question is:

What does someone gain by knowing me?

Do you listen?

Do you remember what matters to people?

Do you offer help when you can?

Do you share useful information?

Do you introduce people who could benefit from knowing one another?

Do you contact people when you don't need something?

That's how trust develops.

And trust is what makes a professional network valuable.

Choose the People Around You Carefully

Not every professional relationship deserves the same investment.

Some people encourage us. Some challenge us. Some teach us. Some bring out something better in us.

Others consistently leave us drained, discouraged, or diminished.

As the years pass, we have more freedom to decide where our attention belongs.

I would rather maintain ten meaningful professional relationships than collect hundreds of names I barely know.

Choose people you respect.

Choose people you've learned from.

Choose people whose judgment you trust.

And whenever possible, become that kind of person for someone else.

Networking Isn't a Transaction

Dale Carnegie understood something about human relationships long before LinkedIn existed. His advice in How to Win Friends and Influence People centered on genuine interest in other people, listening, remembering names, and making others feel valued.

The important word is genuine.

People usually recognize when someone contacts them only because they want something.

That's not networking. It's a transaction.

Real professional relationships develop differently.

We pay attention. We stay interested. We give without keeping score. We allow the relationship to continue even when there is no immediate professional benefit.

Then, someday, we may need advice, information, an introduction, or help finding our next opportunity.

And reaching out doesn't feel awkward because the relationship already exists.

Your Network Is Part of Your Life Story

I've come to think about networking differently as I've gotten older.

The people we encounter through work aren't simply names in an address book or connections on a screen.

Some become part of our story.

They taught us things. Challenged us. Opened doors. Gave us opportunities. Believed in us. Occasionally disappointed us. Sometimes changed the direction of our lives without realizing it.

Careers eventually end.

Titles disappear.

Companies change.

But some of the relationships remain.

Don't wait until you need your network to discover which relationships matter. Build those relationships while you have nothing to ask for.

That's when networking stops being a strategy and becomes what it should have been all along:

a way of valuing people.

Cue the Confetti: What It Means and Why Connections Matter →

Originally published November 8, 2020. Updated July 2026

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The phrase "cue the confetti" is often used as a playful way of saying, "It's time to celebrate."

The word cue is a signal that tells someone or something to begin. In a theater production, a cue tells an actor to enter the stage or a technician to start the music or lights. In everyday conversation, it simply means, "Now is the moment."

Confetti represents celebration, joy, and shared success.

Put together, "cue the confetti" means let the celebration begin.

Sometimes the phrase is used literally after a major achievement. More often, it is used humorously or symbolically to celebrate a milestone, a small victory, or simply a moment worth recognizing.

But there is another way to think about confetti.

Imagine throwing kindness, encouragement, gratitude, or compliments into the world as freely as people throw confetti at a celebration.

Those small gestures rarely stop with the first person who receives them.

A sincere compliment may brighten someone's day. An encouraging word may restore confidence. A simple act of kindness may inspire another act of kindness. Like confetti caught in the wind, our actions often travel farther than we expect.

That is how meaningful connections are formed.

Relationships are rarely built through one dramatic moment. They grow through small acts of attention, generosity, and genuine interest repeated over time.

Perhaps that is the deeper lesson hidden inside the phrase.

Don't just cue the confetti for life's biggest accomplishments.

Celebrate the everyday moments that bring people together, strengthen relationships, and remind us that the smallest gestures often have the greatest impact.

Because in the end, connections really do matter.

The Two Rules That Matter Most in Networking →

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Networking is often presented as a way to find a job, gain clients, or advance a career.

Those things may happen.

But the strongest professional relationships begin long before anyone needs a favor.

They begin with two simple principles.

1. Be Genuine

People are remarkably good at recognizing authenticity.

If every conversation has an agenda, trust disappears.

Real networking starts with genuine curiosity. Listen carefully. Ask thoughtful questions. Learn about the other person's interests, experiences, and goals.

Relationships grow when people feel seen, heard, and respected.

2. Bring Value

One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they need help before reaching out.

Instead, look for opportunities to help first.

Share an article someone might appreciate. Introduce two people who could benefit from knowing each other. Offer encouragement. Celebrate someone else's success.

Value doesn't always have to be large.

Often it is the small, consistent acts of thoughtfulness that people remember.

Relationships Grow Over Time

Professional networks are not built in a single meeting.

They grow through regular conversations, follow-up, reliability, and trust.

Stay in touch even when there is no immediate reason. A short email, a message of congratulations, or a quick check-in can strengthen a relationship far more than waiting until you need assistance.

Technology makes this easier than ever. Social media, email, video calls, and occasional face-to-face conversations all help maintain meaningful connections.

Networking Is About People

The most successful networkers are rarely the ones with the largest contact lists.

They are the ones who build genuine relationships.

Be authentic.

Bring value.

Do those two things consistently, and your network becomes something much more important than a collection of names. It becomes a community of people who know you, trust you, and want to see you succeed.

The Difference Between Contacts and Connections →

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Most of us know a lot of people.

Former coworkers. Online contacts. Casual acquaintances. People we've met through work, social media, conferences, or shared interests.

It's easy to collect names.

It's much harder to build relationships.

A contact is someone you've met.

A connection is someone who knows you.

They're the people who remember you years later. The people who answer the phone. The people who ask how you're really doing. The people who quietly open a door, offer encouragement, or think of you when an opportunity appears because trust already exists.

Networking is often presented as a strategy.

The strongest networks rarely begin that way.

They are built through conversations, reliability, curiosity, shared experiences, careful listening, and helping others without expecting something in return. They grow slowly, one interaction at a time.

In many ways, careers are shaped less by transactions than by relationships.

The people who know us well often recognize our strengths before we do. They recommend us, encourage us, challenge us, and sometimes change the direction of our lives with a single conversation or introduction.

That is why friendships, professional relationships, and everyday conversations matter more than we often realize.

Long after we've forgotten how we first met someone, we remember how they made us feel. Respect, kindness, and genuine interest have a way of lasting.

The best networking has never been about collecting contacts.

It's about becoming someone worth staying connected to.

Continue Exploring

If this idea resonates with you, you may enjoy these related books:

Networking With a Purpose: The Informational Interview, Its Use, and Why It Is a Valuable Tool explores practical ways to build meaningful professional relationships that create opportunities over time.

The Human Factor examines the personal qualities, attitudes, and habits that influence trust, collaboration, and long-term success in both work and life.

See the Book on Amazon

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Networking Is Often Misunderstood →

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“You know… the person who was just offered a leadership position with a massive pay bump and a corner office—even though nobody seemed to understand why.”

Eventually the whispers start.

“They must know somebody.”

“They got the job because of connections.”

Maybe they did.

But that assumption often reveals a misunderstanding about what networking really is.

Many people think networking is manipulation, favoritism, or simply finding the right person to open a door. They picture forced conversations, business cards, and transactional relationships designed only to get ahead.

But meaningful networking is usually something much quieter than that.

It’s trust built over time.

It’s being remembered as reliable, thoughtful, curious, or easy to work with. It’s the result of conversations, shared experiences, mutual respect, and relationships that developed long before an opportunity appeared.

In many cases, the person who “knew somebody” had simply spent years building credibility and staying connected to people in their field.

That’s not manipulation.
That’s relationship-building.

One of the ideas explored in Networking With a Purpose is that networking should never be viewed as something useful only during a job search. Its value does not end once you get the job.

The strongest professional networks become ongoing sources of:

• insight,

• perspective,

• encouragement,

• collaboration,

• and opportunity.

They help us learn what is happening in our industry, understand people more deeply, and discover paths we may never have considered on our own.

Knowledge matters.

But relationships often determine how far that knowledge can go.

The most valuable networking is rarely about collecting contacts.

It’s about building genuine human connection.

5 Good Reasons Networking Matters →

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Networking is a two-way street. It requires giving and taking to build trust. Staying in contact with your new connections is needed, and looking for ways to help them achieve their goals will develop and strengthen the relationship. It works best one on one because both sides can participate equally.

5 Good Reasons to Network

Finding Opportunities– Networking helps you meet new people, learn about different organizations, and discover career paths.

Finding Connections – Networking helps you find the contacts that can tell you what you need to know.

Understanding the Marketplace – Things change fast. You can’t see what is sometimes coming unless you meet new people with different perspectives, and overall, business connections are essential.

Gaining Creditability - Expanding your contacts and connections will give you more insight and creditability.

Finding new and fresh ideas – You can find new ideas in the marketplace faster if you look for them.

Are Virtual Interviews as Effective and In Person Interviews? →

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If you are professional and only ask for a short 15 to 30-minute meeting with someone you are interested in learning from, many professionals will give you that time. With the pandemic changing how people meet, you may not get a face-to-face meeting, but you may find it easier to get a Zoom video conference meeting.

Please be prepared with questions and do the necessary research on the person you want to talk to and the subjects you're interested in. You may like to learn about the company’s culture, a particular type of job, or the entire industry.

Sometimes in these types of meetings, your questions may be referred to others in the company, especially if they are well-thought-out and good questions. Everyone you meet is an opportunity to build your network, so follow up and connect on LinkedIn.

The purpose of the meeting is to learn. You can learn about the particular kind of job the person you meet has, which can be the goal. You can learn about the industry the person works in, competitors, and other companies they work with. You can ask for advice on approaching a potential employer or if your contact knows people at the firm you want to apply with and suggest you talk to.

Potential contacts for an interview might be more willing to connect virtually because they know they can end the meeting quickly and control the process.

You won't find a new job while sitting in a rocking chair →

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"Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere," wrote humorist Erma Bombeck.

You won't find a new job or career from the rocking chair. You have to get up and get going.

#networking #CareerChange #JobHunting #FindingJobs

6 Good Reasons Why You Should Network, After You Find New Connections →

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Is “more” better? Do more connections make your network better? The answers to these questions are found in understanding why a relationship is picked and if you are willing to be a good partner for them.

Six Reasons to Network

1. New connections can open doors for new business

2. New connections bring new referrals

3. New connections bring you into contact with new & best practices

4. New connections can bring personal opportunities

5. New connections can make you aware of new vendors

6. New connections open new alliances and partnerships

Connections vs's Networks →

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Networking is about knowing more people. Connecting is about understanding people, but it requires more. You join when you take time to listen to someone else and feel genuine empathy for them—helping someone else out of unconditional goodwill—offering sincere gratitude to another, and receiving appreciation from others—catching a stranger’s eye resulting in both of you smiling. Both parties to the connection care about the other one.

The distinction is obvious. You know many people professionally and personally, but you are connected to only a fraction of those you know.

The definition of networking is interacting with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one's career. Networking is an activity. It is an activity that can be acted upon with great or little success.

The best goal of networking is to develop contacts and connections.

Sometimes Your “Connections Wanted” Will Find You

Algorithms read the SEOs off online posts and profiles, and if you make it clear what you are qualified to do and what your skills are, it is indeed possible for the best network connection to actually find you.

Networking requires you to get out of your comfort zone. →

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You must develop relationships and connections within your network to have more opportunities to advance your career. Attending meetings and social events hosted by your professional association is a great way to connect with people in your field. Ask friends, family members, and acquaintances already in your circle to introduce you to people they know.

Networking requires a two-way street. You can’t expect to take information and insights from your contacts without sharing your communications with them. It is about trust and helping each other.

Quotes

“Find out what you have to do and who you have to meet, and then do it.”

Virtual networking works, but the challenge may come later →

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Traditionally, networking was intended to allow us to stay in touch, not lose valuable contacts and friends, and build new relationships.

The Pandemic has forced us to find new ways to network other than face-to-face contacts. The new norm is virtual networking, and it is already clear that solid connections can be gained even faster, in some cases, using this approach. The isolation that people find themselves in is a highly effective motivator to get them to reach out to make contacts. The duplicate vital contacts that used to be so hard to fit in a short meeting seem more willing to have a new face to talk to online. Zoom and FaceTime seemed to have opened some doors. It is stressful to live without human contacts, so we often push ourselves to connect in whatever way we can, primarily virtual.

Now that we are forced to find a virtual way of networking and, in many cases, surprised by the new relationships we have seen, the challenge will be to nurture these contacts and not lose them going forward.

Have On-Line Searches Replaced Traditional Networking? →

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On-Line Job Search Platform companies seem to be on the screen every time you turn on your TV inviting you to find a job with their help. Is this really the new way to find a job? Has this approach changed the standard where 80% of all jobs are found through networking? Is networking now less important, or could it be more important?

The answer is no and recent studies have shown the value of networking in finding a new job has actually gone up, approaching 85%. To understand why, we need to look closer at the people looking for a job.

Recruitment International's research found that 70% of professionals in the labor market are passive job seekers. This mean that active job seekers represent only about 25% of the total amount of people looking for a job. The largest group of job seekers, outnumbering all others by about 4-1, are still employed and considered passive job seekers. They are not in a big hurry and are just looking for a better fit.

For this group networking is something they are good at, seeking job opportunities through contacts from professional networks, work associates and industry connections. 

It is a myth to think that on-line job search options are taking over the process, or even the best approach, to finding a job.

Only 25% of all job openings are advertised anywhere, and that means that On-Line Job platforms are not connecting to most of the opportunities and networking is critical. Employers sometimes assume these platforms can allow them to slim-down their own HR staffs, expecting recruiters to do their work, and neglect their own efforts to network looking for the best employees. The best potential employees are ones that a good HR department has to look for

On line platforms do search for the best candidate but instead search for as many as possible the fit the criteria they are given in hopes that the employer will find the best among them. Platform searches are missing access to the passive job seekers and are not likely to find the best candidates

At least when a job seeker uses a recruiter as a go between time can be invested in educating the recruiter on the candidates experiences and skills and that then can be extended into a deeper search. The only chance a active job seeker has of competing against the passive job seeker is to get in front of an HR department in a search mode before they go public with the search or to say it more clearly, by networking.

The networking that is most effective is done before the jobs are posted and are done learning more about the industry, the company or a specific job. Informational interviewing helps a candidate get the best jobs.

Have you been "PAYING IT FORWARD" as part of your networking plan? →

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Looking for a job? You need your network more than ever before. Networks require attention and work to be effective.

Decide who your network is and pick your best contacts. Past co-workers, especially those that moved on before you, past supervisors, owners, competitors, customers, suppliers. Ask yourself how can you be of value to these people. When something happens that you know one of your contacts would have an interest in then send them a note about it. This is what “Paying it Forward’ is all about. If you just develop the habit of doing this it will appreciated as being sincere because that is what it will be.

Even if your out looking for a new job yourself you will learn things that would help others so pass it on. .

Industry Specific Acronyms questions point to Networking Opportunities →

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Sometimes when you look at a job listing, the skills required have industry specific labels on them, or they are grouped under an acronym that is industry specific. Everyone is expected to know what is meant by the acronym, but if you are considering applying from another related industry it may not be clear enough to you.

The first step is to accurately inventory your own job skills and clearly know what you have. Jobs happen when the employer sees a good match of skills to needs. It may take some work to understand how to label and define your own skills: networking can help you uncover what you don’t know.

It isn’t uncommon for a potential employer to create ambiguities in what they ask for. They may call something a Project Management position but when the skills set is analyzed it can be clear they really want a Project Coordinator.

Sometimes a company will understate the importance of what they want asking for a Project Manager but really needing a Manager over the areas they are staffing.  

Perhaps the job seeker in his current job has been performing as a Project Manager in every way but has been paid at the Project Coordinator level with that title in the current job. In this case making a change especially needs to be based on selling job skills rather than titles. A complete and accurate understanding of the job skills asked for in the job listing is very important in this case.

It is very important to be able to get feedback from more than the HR department on potential jobs. Learning in advance about how skills are described will be critical if your changing industries and you don’t want to walk into an interview not having learned that.  Understanding why Goals and Initiatives are chosen, and sometimes even listed on the company web site, will help you see where your skills really fit, enable you to show your strengths and communicate more effectively.

Goals, initiatives, and mission statements seem to always make the organization Web Site. In cases where a set of specific job skills is closely tied to those areas it means someone in the organization has some passion for them and if you can identify them they likely will be willing to talk. 

One web site recently observed showed several company initiatives tied to an overall company goal and even listed committees assigned to the initiatives. In this example the initiative of “patient care” was listed and it caught the attention of a project manager from the aerospace industry. A call was made to the initiative committee chairman to discuss what project management of patient care consisted of?  It was found that many items were the same, with slightly different labels and some of the processes were the same, with only a different acronym used to describe it.

This networking initial call enabled a meaningful interview to follow with some background interest in what was happening from the committee chairman who had been met with. It is always an advantage to have talked to others in the company but this approach was a natural opportunity

Networking helps understand the organization you have an interest in, but it can serve to help you see your own job skills more completely too. The best jobs are found using networking.