How often do you find yourself waiting in line for coffee? On average, a person spends 45-62 minutes waiting in line every day! And, if there’s a line, you obviously are not alone. One of my favorite ways to “practice” meeting people is to offer a compliment to someone standing next to me in line. I can’t think of anyone...
Girl Power: Debba Haupert of Girlfriendology.com on Prioritizing Female Friends
Debba Haupert of (http://www.girlfriendology.com) is a firm believer in the power of female friendships. Busy as we may be, Debba says, we must continue to reach out to our friends. Who else will be there when you’ve had a bad day and just need a plate of French fries? Here, Debba explains how to make new friends and keep the...
Signing In Is Not Enough: How To Really Link On LinkedIn
Social media has completely changed the way employers view potential job candidates. Where employers used to just be able to find you on Facebook or MySpace, there are now entire social media venues dedicated to helping you find a job. LinkedIn is the pioneer in this category of networking websites. It can be your best friend if used correctly and...
Risk-Taker vs. Nervous Nelly? How You Choose To Live Your Life Comes Down To This One Question: While You’re Here, What Kind Of Person Do You Want To Be?
Contrary to what my folks believed, I wasn’t audacious by nature. If anything I was an aimless young woman fueled by anger. My sole driving force was to be unique, to be different from my parents. Dad never outgrew the role of mistreated farm boy. He was a bigot who ate meat and potatoes, drank Schlitz, and smoked...
Feeling Lonely? 10 Tips For Turning Strangers Into Friends
Our Resident ‘Friend Maker’ Shares 10 Tips for Turning Strangers Into Friends: Greet everyone with a SMILE If you have a question; ask someone! You never know where the conversation will lead. When meeting someone, repeat their name; it makes a great first impression. Become a good LISTENER. You will learn so much about...
Building A Network Requires Time, Patience, And Practice
Creating a strong network is still one of the most underestimated tools to help you in your career advancement. Not as glamourous as social media and without the instant gratification of social networks, “traditional” networking is often forgotten as a source of real value. Do not be deceived – building a valuable network regardless of how you do it is...
Talking To Strangers Can Be Difficult. But You Never Know Where The Conversation Will Lead.
If you have a question; ASK someone; you never know where the conversation will lead. Talking to strangers can be one of the more difficult things to do, especially if approaching others is not your strongest suit. OR, you might be incredibly confident but feel it inappropriate to ask for help. Both are common situations but the truth is…It...
So The Holidays Are Good For Networking. Now What?
A few weeks ago, fellow NEXTer Ping Niou gave us six strategies for networking online and in person. I’ll wait while you go read her awesome article. Okay, you’re back. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Ping’s strategies are especially important at this time of year! You have lots of down time and access to people who 1) care about...
Does Anybody Work Alone Anymore? Why Collaboration is Key.
In an informal setting, I was talking to a colleague old enough to be my dad. In fact, he has a daughter just a couple of years younger than I am. He’s very proud of her because she’s involved in so many extracurricular activities, events, projects, and groups in her community. But, what he said next surprised me: He...
Time, Patience, and Practice – How to Start Building Your Network Today
Having a strong network was probably one of the most underestimated tools to help people in their career advancement until the rise of social media in the last decade. Perhaps, in part, the connotation of networking seems to go against the American value that people should pull themselves up from their bootstraps. However, do not be deceived, building a network...
Don’t Rely On Luck: Finding A Mentor Takes Hard Work
Being lucky matters. That’s the over-arching theme that I’ve been hearing from world-class researchers all year. This semester, I’m in a class designed as an orientation to the world of research. Each week, we have a seminar-style conversation with professors who are among the best of the best in their fields, and each week they stress the importance of...
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