"Networking” is not a dirty word, and other secrets to finding your next role
This post is inspired by the wonderful people I’ve met lately through the joys of online conferences, webinars and random LinkedIn outreaches (aka, networking). As a UX Researcher, it’s not surprising that I find people endlessly fascinating. I crave meeting new people and enjoy learning what drives them, what they don’t enjoy and how they go through life. With that background, it’s probably not surprising that I enjoy networking. But, if you say the word networking to most people, they will shirk, make a face of disdain and then turn to their phone and ignore you. “Networking” gets a bad reputation largely because people are afraid of walking into a room full of people they don’t know and they are afraid of looking like they don’t know things. Networking has a sense of vulnerability attached to it. Many people also perceive it as an “ask” or a one-way interaction rather than an exchange and a two way interaction. Networking doesn’t have to mean walking into a room of people, askin
