A few seconds of effort can make some feel appreciated and keep your network warm.
There’s an old expression, “your ears must have been ringing” which means someone was talking about you. It’s superstition that goes back nearly 2,000 years. Unfortunately, much like the power of flight or invisibility, this not-quite-super power isn’t real, but that can work to our networking advantage.
I was recently at a small zoom event where the host was touting a self-assessment tool written by a friend of mine. In the follow up email for the event he included a link to her tool.
This friend is very well known in her industry, arguably one of the top people. She undoubtedly has lots of people talk about her and reference her every day. Sadly, even such incredibly successful people don’t always get to hear it firsthand and feel appreciated. I know her ego is fine and doesn't need it to be fed, but I also know it’s nice to know that your work is making an impact on others. (Side note: have you ever gone back and thanked a former teacher or mentor who really inspired you? They really appreciate it when you do.)
I forwarded the email to her and mentioned the praise she and her tool got. It took all of thirty seconds of my time and she got a nice email.
From a networking perspective, we both got a reminder of each other and will now be closer to the top of mind for the next few days or weeks. If I had been looking for a way to reconnect with her, this would have been a great way to do it. It also means if I need to do an ask in the future the ratio of my asks to non-asks is now lower. In short, there’s only upside to sending such an email.
As a bonus it helped them reconnect. She used it as an opportunity to reach out with the host. He mentioned to me they connected which was nice since they hadn’t been in touch in a while.
If you see or hear something nice being said about someone, take a few seconds and let them know. At a minimum it’s a nice thing to do, and it could even spark a conversation that could lead to an interesting opportunity for either or both of you. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
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