AI-generated image featuring a representation of Danny Kambel,
created with ChatGPT under his creative direction.
Networking isn't about how many people know your name. It's about what happens after the introduction.
I have spent more than 25 years working in college athletics, and if there is one piece of career advice that gets repeated almost as much as "work hard," it is this:
You need to network.
I agree.
But I think we're teaching networking wrong.
We tell students and young professionals to attend conventions. Connect with people on LinkedIn. Introduce themselves. Get business cards. Send emails. Meet people working at schools where they might someday want to work.
Those things can help.
But getting connected isn't the hard part anymore.
You can pull out your phone, find someone on LinkedIn and send a connection request before you've finished reading this sentence.
The bigger question is:
What are you going to do if they accept?
A Connection Isn't a Relationship
I've received plenty of LinkedIn connection requests over the years.
Some come with personal messages. Some don't.
Sometimes I'll accept a request and never hear from that person again.
That's where I think we're missing an opportunity.
Having someone's name in your LinkedIn network doesn't mean you have a professional relationship with that person.
The connection simply opened the door.
Now you have to decide whether you're going to walk through it.
And that starts with a conversation.
Don't Start With "Can You Help Me Get a Job?"
One of the mistakes I see young professionals make is treating networking like a transaction.
I connect with you.
You work somewhere I'd like to work.
Therefore, maybe you can help me get hired.
That's a lot to ask from someone who barely knows you.
Try something different.
Get curious.
Instead of asking:
"Do you know of any jobs?"
Ask:
"What skills are you seeing become more important in our profession?"
Instead of:
"Can you look at my resume?"
Start with:
"If you were entering this profession today, what would you make sure you learned?"
Instead of immediately telling someone everything you have done, ask about what they have learned.
You're no longer asking someone to solve your career problem.
You're asking them to share perspective.
That's a much easier conversation to begin.
Come Prepared
If someone gives you 15 or 20 minutes of their time, respect it.
Research them.
Know where they've worked.
Understand what they do.
Have questions prepared.
And perhaps most importantly, be ready to answer three questions yourself:
Who are you?
Where are you trying to go?
What are you doing right now to get there?
That last question matters.
Because if you're asking someone else to invest time in your career, you should be able to demonstrate that you're investing in it too.
Don't Ask Someone to Think for You
This is where I might challenge some job seekers.
There's a difference between asking for guidance and asking someone else to develop your career strategy.
"I want to work in sports. What should I do?"
That's an enormous question.
Compare it with:
"I'm interested in athletic communications. I've been working on writing, photography and social media, but I know I need more experience with statistics. If you were in my position, where would you concentrate your effort?"
Now we have something to talk about.
You have demonstrated that you've thought about your career.
You've identified a possible weakness.
You're asking for perspective rather than asking someone else to create the plan.
That's a better conversation.
The Most Important Part Might Come After the Call
Here's another mistake.
You have a great conversation.
You thank the person.
Then six months pass.
Nothing.
Networking isn't one conversation.
And following up doesn't mean sending someone a message every two weeks asking if they've heard about any openings.
Tell them what happened.
If they recommended learning a skill, let them know when you've started learning it.
If they suggested meeting someone, tell them how the conversation went.
If they recommended an article, book, conference or resource, follow up after you've used it.
A simple message can go a long way:
"You suggested I work on my photography portfolio when we talked last month. I've been doing that and recently added five new pieces. Thanks again for pushing me in that direction."
Now something important has happened.
Their advice didn't disappear into a notebook.
You acted on it.
Strengthen Your Strengths. Work on Your Weaknesses.
I use this phrase often when talking with people about career development.
Strengthen your strengths and work on your weaknesses.
You don't need to become great at everything.
But you should understand what you do well, recognize where you're vulnerable and continue getting better.
That's another reason professional conversations matter.
Sometimes we can't see our own gaps.
Someone with a different background, different experience or simply a different set of eyes may recognize something we've missed.
But we have to be willing to listen.
And then we have to be willing to do something with what we've heard.
Networking Isn't Collecting People
I don't know that we need to teach young professionals how to make more connections.
Technology has made that part easier than ever.
I think we need to teach them how to have better conversations.
How to introduce themselves.
How to ask better questions.
How to listen.
How to follow up.
How to turn advice into action.
How to build professional relationships before they need something from those relationships.
Because the goal shouldn't be to have 5,000 connections.
The goal should be to have people throughout your career who know who you are, understand what you're trying to accomplish and have seen enough from you to know that you're willing to do the work.
I'm Working on Something
Over the last several months, I've had more conversations with students, recent graduates and young professionals about careers in sports communications.
Resume questions.
Networking questions.
Interview questions.
Questions about portfolios, skills, confidence and getting that first opportunity.
Those conversations have me thinking.
Maybe we don't need more career advice thrown at young professionals.
Maybe we need a better process for helping them put that advice into action.
Something practical.
Something built around relationships rather than transactions.
Something that helps people learn how to connect, communicate and collaborate while taking greater ownership of their careers.
I'm working on what that could look like.
I'll share more soon.
Until then, here's my challenge:
Don't send five more random connection requests this week.
Pick one person already in your network.
Learn something about them.
Ask a thoughtful question.
Start a real conversation.
Then see where it goes.
Stay Connected.
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