How do I start networking?

This final installment to my Networking Series is going to be a special one because I truly want to showcase the potential results that networking can bring you.

And how, you ask?

In a nutshell:

Just like with any long-term relationship: you make deposits. Every single day.?

Only then can you take out a withdrawal when needed.

So…in case you didn’t see my post from last week: I quit my job.

I have never in my life quit a job without having another one lined up first, but I also knew that this job was simply not the right fit for me, for a myriad of personal and professional reasons.

At the end of the day, no matter where my career leads me: I am a divorced mother of three neurodivergent children.?

This is my constant.?

This is at the core of every major decision I make in my life, from where I work, to who I date, to which community to lay down roots, to the friends I surround myself with - to yes, who I actively network with and what kind of support system I build to surround me as an individual, me as a mother, and us as a complete unit.

While my kids are older now and not as much of a flight risk (my middle was a “runner” - if you have ever had one of those…I’m here with you. Know that it gets better - just hang in there! He’s 14 now and has calmed down immensely since those early days), I am still not comfortable with some random part-time stranger watching them for those few weeks I have them solo in the summer - especially when I am gone for 13 hours at a time each day, at an office 45 miles away from the house.

Camps are not only expensive, but don’t always fall on the dates I have them, and my mother is on her third round with cancer (this time - a tumor in her brain), so flying her over for weeks at a time to help me out just doesn’t work anymore. It’s too big a toll on her energy to be away from home for that long now.

(plus - I kinda like my kids. Like, a LOT. And want to spend every waking moment I can with them. I usually minimize client disruptions by taking long weekends in the summer + working remotely the other small handful of days. When it became clear at this new job that this would not be an option anymore, I knew I had to pivot - immediately - to ensure that I could get established into a better-suited job before summer hit)

And instead of continuing to go all-in to a job that we had both agreed wasn’t a good long-term fit for me, especially with summer closing in quickly, I chose to fire all cylinders towards finding a new job.

So I put in my notice and quit.

After having an in-person sitdown with my boss, calling a meeting to inform my local team, emailing all my teammates who do not reside in Houston, redirecting all of my clients to their new POC/group emails, and outlining the handover process, I took to LinkedIn to start networking.

How, you ask?

By having one singular goal to focus on in that vulnerable moment.

The plan was simple:

1. Explain my situation thoroughly & upfront to avoid having to repeatedly clarify on an individual basis behind the scenes (saving precious time & finite energy that I could allocate towards outreach instead)
2. Ask for help in a variety of ways from anyone within earshot (since I didn’t have a specific job or industry in mind - “sales is sales is sales” - this opened me up to talk to the general population)

What happened next?

BLEW MY MIND.

• Within an hour, I had about 2,500 impressions, 50+ likes, 10 comments, and 7 reposts.
• Within two hours, I had almost 5,000 impressions, 100+ likes, 15 comments, and 9 reposts.
• Within six hours, I had roughly 21,000 impressions, 300+ likes, 32 comments, and 26 reposts.

The next morning?

34,000 impressions, 500 likes, 46 comments, and 42 reposts.

Oh. my. WORD.

And still, the numbers kept climbing.

At the time of this writing (Sunday, April 28), here are the stats since the post went live on Tuesday, April 23 around 1:30 PM:

• Impressions (times my post was seen in someone’s LinkedIn feed) = 58,266
• Likes = 704
• Comments = roughly 70-ish people (I responded to as many as I could, which contributed to driving up the count, so tried to adjust down to filter out my responses)
• Reposts = 62
• Inbox messages from people actively working to find me a new job (and not simply well-wishers/curious bystanders - there were a lot of those too!) = 52
• Direct job links/warm intros to people who make hiring decisions = 34 (and that’s not counting the handful of people/jobs I declined due to some sort of weird pyramid marketing scheme that I could smell from the way they presented their “job offer”)
• Interviews = 6

I even took a screenshot so you could see for yourself:

But…HOW?

How did this happen?

Networking, my dear Watson.

I have spent the last 7-8 years investing the time and effort to build my network: brick by brick, post by post, comment by comment, connection by connection, in-person meeting by in-person meeting.

Networking is a two-way street, remember? It’s necessary to give first before you can take from the pot, and while I hear people often say, “LinkedIn is supposed to be a professional network to look for jobs - it’s NOT Facebook…” they are only partially correct.

Is LinkedIn a professional network?

It sure is.

But is it NOT Facebook?

Sorry to break it to you, but LinkedIn is just as much a social media platform as Facebook is, which means it requires an emphasis on the “social” part to increase your chances of successfully leveraging it as something other than a glorified job-seeking database.

Last week, I used LinkedIn for the first time to look for a new job. Just like it was originally intended to be used for.

But without those years of making daily deposits to build up my online and in-person networks, my job search efforts would have probably been far less fruitful.

(almost 60,000 unique sets of eyes looking at my “Open To Work” post?? That would have never happened if I wasn’t so active on LinkedIn the way I was!)

I share all this with you not to brag about numbers, or discourage you for not being where I personally am today.

I share this with you - this whole series, in fact - in the hopes that it encourages you to START.

At the end of the day, nothing grows without us making a conscious decision to start something new.

My wish for you now that this networking series is over is that you feel confident enough to start putting yourself out there:

• Like posts that resonate with you
• Leave comments if you feel strongly about something
• Share posts while adding your own words about why you’re sharing it so people get a glimpse at the human behind the screen
• Send people messages if they inspire you - you never know if they’re also wondering if they’re merely shouting into the void, and your validation that you “see” them will keep their efforts going

If a little ol’ emotionally broken introvert can move to Houston after her divorce almost 8 years ago with a lengthy traditional work experience gap due to actively raising her babies while running an online business to help make ends meet due to the joys of moving around constantly (thanks, Active Duty Army family life!), AND she can use those decades of hardcore life experience to start a career in this industry with zero corporate experience, zero LinkedIn presence, and zero connections…then end up building THIS over time?

I have faith that you can too.

Start today.

Rome wasn’t built overnight, and your network won’t be either.

It makes me chuckle in the best way each time someone comes up to me (and this happens at every single conference/convention I attend, I swear) and says, “OMG you’re Stella!? You’re like - a LinkedIn celebrity!”

I assure you, I am no famous celebrity…lol.

I just show up.?

Everyday.

That’s it.?

That’s the post.

Now get out there and DO it.

Because I can’t wait to meet another “LinkedIn celebrity” when I’m out and about!

Much love and the BEST luck for us all in this crazy world.

Big hugs,

Stella ??