1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hello, and welcome to EduKatedSTEM. 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am Kate, the founder of EduKatedSTEM, 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and today we're going to be talking 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 about networking, So sometimes you 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 might be qualified for the role. You might 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 apply for the role, but you don't even 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 get interviewed. And maybe if you had 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 utilized your network or had built a network, 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you would have a completely different 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 outcome. So, this is one of the reasons 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 why I'm going to encourage you to develop, 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 build a network, and then nurture it so 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that when you are ready to move on, 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can work with your network. Let 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them know that you are looking for 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 another opportunity, And maybe you 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can utilize them to get informational 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 interviews or other things. But the first 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thing is, you need to network. Now, when 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I mentioned that word did a chill, go 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 down your spine? I've had a lot of 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 conversations with individuals who 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 think networking has kind of a horrible 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 connotation. It's slimy. It is kind of 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 using people you know to get your 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 own way or for your own benefit. 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But it goes both ways, right? So, 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they're in your network. You could 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 potentially help them. They might 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be looking for that as well. And 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're going to be building a network 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 of friends and colleagues. So, these 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are going to be people that you want 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to be connected with. You're not 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 going to be, hopefully meeting someone 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you don't want to be talking 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to in the future, because that is going 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to be uncomfortable for you. So, let's 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 talk about maybe networking at a 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 conference because, as a scientist, 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 this is what you're going to be doing. 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hopefully you're going to go to a 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 conference you're going to listen 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to presentations. You're going to 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 learn new information. You might 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 present a poster, you might present 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 an oral presentation. And then 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 hopefully you're going to talk with 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 your peers, maybe meeting new 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 people. Maybe figuring out who 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you might want to be working for 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or with in the future. So, networking 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 isn't a bad thing, But I'm going to 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 encourage you to go in with plan. 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I've seen a number of networking 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 talks. At ABRCMS I saw a talk 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 specifically for networking for introverts, 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which was very, very good, but I 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thought a lot of the information 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 was also quite pertinent to people 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who were not introverts. So I'm an 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 introvert. I find the concept of going 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to conferences and going to networking 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 events. It's challenging. It really is. 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I force myself to do it because 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, the more you do it, the 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 easier it becomes. And I take advice 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 from my friend Mary Mitchell and 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 she always said, when you go, just 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have a goal in mind. So, if your goal 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is to meet a certain person, then 72 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that is what you try and do. If it's 73 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to meet a certain number of people, 74 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then you know three to five individuals 75 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in and to have a good conversation 76 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with them, then that is what you do. 77 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Once you have met your your goal, 78 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 your requirement, it's then up to you 79 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if you then choose to leave the 80 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 networking event. But hopefully 81 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 by that point, you will feel comfortable. 82 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You've made some friends. You 83 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 might actually want to stay. When 84 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're going to a conference, 85 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially nowadays, a lot of the 86 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 time you will get information on a 87 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 conference app. so ABRCMS 88 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 definitely does that. The National 89 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Postdoc Association does that. 90 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And they actually use the same app. 91 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I might completely kill the pronunciation 92 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Whova, I'm not sure but it's a good 93 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 little app. It has a list of all of the 94 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 attendees. It has the presentations, 95 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where they are, what the talks are. 96 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You can go on and you can highlight. 97 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yes, I want to go to these presentations, 98 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then you have an itinerary, 99 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then the app can say, you know, 100 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you've got to talk in 10 minutes in this 101 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 place, so it's very, very helpful. But 102 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can utilize the app to kind of 103 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 come up with a plan for what you 104 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 want to do for networking. So, maybe 105 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there is someone in your field that 106 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you are absolutely dying to meet. 107 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Are they on the list of attendees? 108 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If they are, are they speaking? If 109 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they're speaking you absolutely 110 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 know where they're going to be 111 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 at one point of time. So you could 112 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 try and go and speak to them after 113 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they have finished. Or maybe you 114 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just know that they're going to be 115 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there so, maybe you try and have 116 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a conversation in a more relaxed 117 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 setting. So, maybe over a coffee, 118 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or you see them at a lunch table, 119 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you ask if you can join them. 120 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Whatever it is, if there are certain 121 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 people that you want to meet, 122 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then let's try and make that happen. 123 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Why do you want to meet them? 124 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Maybe you want to potentially work 125 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with them in the future. You just 126 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 want to have a chat about an 127 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 experiment or a paper that they've done. 128 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Whatever it is. So let's focus on 129 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 what we want to get out of that. 130 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And maybe there are other people 131 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there who would be helpful, someone 132 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who works at an institution that 133 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're interested in working at, but 134 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not necessarily that individual. 135 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You can have a conversation with 136 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them and find out is it a great place 137 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to work? Maybe you'll have a 138 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 chat to them and go. Oh, I don't 139 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 want to do that. I don't want to move 140 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on. So look at the conference 141 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 attendees and see who you might 142 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be interested in working for or talking 143 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to. And the next thing is be prepared. 144 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, as a graduate student, you might 145 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not have the opportunity to have 146 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 graduate sorry, to have business cards. 147 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But maybe your graduate school 148 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 will purchase them for you. We used 149 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to make them for our graduate students. 150 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that was a possibility. If not 151 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Vistaprint or something very similar, 152 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 will make you cards for actually quite 153 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 cheap. So, I designed my business 154 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 card on Vistaprint. I think I got a 155 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thousand of them for $25 or 156 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 something. It's really not that 157 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 expensive, and you can, you know, 158 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 put your name, an email address, 159 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't put my phone number 160 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I don't want people 161 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 phoning me at random times. 162 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if you've got a website, then 163 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 put that information on there. 164 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You could always, if you get a 165 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 obviously a smaller number of 166 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them, you could say where you 167 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 currently are, that you're a graduate 168 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 student or a postdoc, you can 169 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 always personalize it even more 170 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and say, you know, this is your field. 171 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm looking for jobs or whatever it is. 172 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You can pop it in there. So even 173 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if your institution won't give you 174 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a business card, then maybe you 175 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can kind of get some made. You 176 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 might want to take a few copies 177 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 of your CV or resume with you. 178 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know if you have a particular 179 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 person that you want to meet 180 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you want to share your work 181 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with them, you could always print 182 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a copy of a paper or an abstract 183 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or something and attempt to give 184 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it to them. I will say that people 185 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have tried to give me CV's, resumes, 186 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 papers in the past, and I'm gonna 187 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be honest. You get home, and 188 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you don't really do much with 189 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them. Business cards, yes, 190 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 know, I have a big stack of them. 191 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Then it's really funny because 192 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 somebody will email and be like, 193 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Kate I met you at this conference. 194 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We spoke, and if I can't remember 195 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them, then I'll go through my 196 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 stack of business cards. I'm like, 197 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 did I meet you? Because if I know 198 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that I've met you, then you know 199 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 my response is probably gonna 200 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be more helpful. Or like, if you see 201 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 me speak and you say, Kate, I saw 202 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 your seminar on this, rather than 203 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Kate, I want this from you. Then 204 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 obviously, I'm going to be more 205 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 helpful to the person who you 206 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 know opens up with I saw you 207 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 at this thing and I would like your 208 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 advice. So I don't know about 209 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 giving things other than a business 210 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 card. But you want their business 211 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 card. If they can give you a business 212 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 card that's really helpful, because 213 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then you can find them on LinkedIn. 214 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You can send them an email. And 215 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if it's just you know it was 216 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 wonderful to meet you at this 217 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 meeting, I would love to stay in 218 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 touch. Or if there's a question or 219 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 something that you can kind of 220 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 talk about following your conversation. 221 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Kind of move it along then that's 222 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 always really helpful to kind of get 223 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them into your network. Obviously, 224 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if they're at a conference and you 225 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 email them that night or something, 226 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then it might take a few days for 227 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them to respond because they're 228 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 at a conference too. They might 229 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be socializing and hanging out. 230 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Or you might want to wait until 231 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the conference has ended and 232 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then send them an email because 233 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they'll have got home, and they 234 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 will have more of an ability to respond. 235 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm a huge fan of just randomly 236 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 talking to people around you. I've 237 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 met some really cool people whilst 238 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 waiting for tea, not coffee. Or in a 239 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 line for lunch. You know, you just 240 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 randomly start talking to someone, 241 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you find out that they're a really 242 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 cool individual who does something. 243 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And so just have an open mind, just 244 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 see where it goes. You might meet 245 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 someone who does something that 246 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you've never considered, and you're, 247 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like, oh wow, that sounds really cool. 248 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I might be very interested in that. So, 249 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be open to meeting new people. 250 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Be open to new information. But 251 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 don't overstay your welcome. So, 252 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if someone's kind of shifting from 253 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 side to side, looking at their watch, 254 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 checking their phone, trying to 255 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 make eye contact with someone 256 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who's walking past. They want to 257 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 leave. They don't want to talk to 258 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you anymore. So, if someone is 259 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 making kind of the body language 260 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that they've had enough, let them go. 261 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Don't hang on. You know that's 262 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you say it was lovely to meet 263 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you. I would love to to stay in touch. 264 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you haven't already exchanged 265 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 business cards that's, you know, 266 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can I have your business card and 267 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'll leave you to to it? I've got to get 268 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to my next session, or I'd like another 269 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 cup of tea, or whatever. Make your 270 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 exit graciously. But what you don't 271 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 want is for them to get irritated 272 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with you, because then they're not 273 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 going to want to help you or or stay 274 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 connected to you in the future. So, 275 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 consider that. Then you follow-up. 276 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, again, you're going to find them 277 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on LinkedIn, if they're on LinkedIn, 278 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're going to send them an email. 279 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Maybe they've got a social media 280 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 profile? Whatever it is, you're going 281 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to connect, and try and connect 282 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with them a few times, so you can't 283 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just say, okay, you're now my connection 284 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and in a year or two, I'm going to be 285 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 reaching out to you and 286 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you can help me find a job 287 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they're not going to remember 288 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you. They're not gonna necessarily 289 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 think yes, it was that person. I met 290 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them at this conference. They were Fab. 291 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I absolutely want to assist them. 292 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You need to make sure that they can 293 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 give you good advice for you because 294 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they know you as an individual. If you 295 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are asking them to connect you with 296 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 someone for either an informational 297 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 interview, or because there is a job 298 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 available. They need to know that 299 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're good. They need to know that 300 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 endorsing you isn't going to embarrass 301 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 them, so you need to know them 302 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sufficiently so that they can do that 303 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for you. So, you need to continue 304 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to network. So, even if it's, I saw this 305 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 paper in your research field and I 306 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thought it was really cool. Or, I had 307 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a question on it would you mind 308 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 taking a look? Or if you, you know 309 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that they love a particular sports 310 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 team and their sports team wins 311 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're, like, hey, just, saw that your 312 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 team won at the weekend, 313 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Congratulations, I'm sure that you're 314 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on cloud nine or something. Whatever 315 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it is, you just need to kind of keep 316 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in touch with them every so often. 317 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Obviously, it doesn't need to be 318 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 every day, every week, every month. 319 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But just occasionally, you just go. 320 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Oh, remember me, I'm here. I'm 321 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in your network. And then hopefully 322 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when it comes time to reaching 323 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 out to your network, they will be 324 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in a better position to help you. 325 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, networking can be scary. I truly 326 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 appreciate that as an introvert, 327 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it does get easier. So please 328 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 don't be put off. If you're saying, no, 329 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I can't go out and do this take a 330 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 friend, take a friend with you. And, 331 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can kind of walk within groups 332 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 yourselves and talk. The only issue 333 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would have for that is if your friend 334 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 might be more of an extrovert than 335 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you, and you don't get to talk. They're 336 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 happily networking, but you're like 337 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the quiet little mouse in the corner. 338 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You do need to interact with people 339 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in order to build your network, so 340 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 going with a friend is very helpful. 341 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It can definitely break the ice, but 342 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 your friend also needs to give you 343 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the opportunity to shine. Or you 344 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 get to the meeting and you disappear, 345 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you're in the same room, but you 346 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are networking at different times. 347 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then you come back together, 348 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so that makes sure that both of 349 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you do do the work necessary in 350 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 order to network. Well, I hope that 351 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 helps. Good luck networking. If you 352 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have advice for networking and 353 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 connecting with people, I'd be 354 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 interested to know it. Pop it in the 355 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 comments below. Please like and 356 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 subscribe, and I'll see you next time. 357 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you, bye bye.