Jacob K. Lehman

Over the course of my work as a career advisor I’ve heard a lot of truly awful networking conversations. Candidates who have worked really hard to try and do things “the way they’re supposed to” wind up frustrated and feeling like networking is a scam by which recruiters pick whomever they like personally, rather than the most qualified candidate. Some of this attitude, I believe, stems from bad networking advice. In trying to learn “the script” or play it safe, interesting people strip all of the color and context out of their lives, and instead sound like the Workerbot 3000, without heart or personality. After a dozen such conversations, they all blur together for the tired (and/or skeptical) listener, and they may wind up picking the one person who is a fan of the same team or played the same instrument they did in high school.

If you’ve been struggling to turn networking conversations into actionable leads/opportunities, feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to advise on your pitch/outreach strategy.