Networking for Project Managers

A lot of the value of attending or speaking at a conference doesn’t come from being there. It comes from what you do afterwards. How many times have you come back from a conference or event and thought, “I should’ve done more to maximize that experience”? Not just attending the sessions or showing up at the networking receptions, but turning it into something meaningful for your visibility, your relationships and your business development efforts. Me too 🙋🏼♀️ It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives, especially after returning from a conference and then move on to the next thing without following up. What you proactively do after the event is what can turn conversations into relationships and visibility into opportunity. Here are some ways to make the most of attending your next conference: ✔️ Prioritize the people you met and follow up with context on LinkedIn or by email, referencing your conversation and suggesting a clear next step ✔️ Follow up with organizers to share feedback and express interest in speaking or getting involved in future programming ✔️ Turn your conference notes into key takeaways and share them as content (LinkedIn post, blog post or short video) connected to your work, your clients or what you’re seeing in the market ✔️ Host your own webinar to recap key themes and extend the conversation ✔️ Interview speakers or attendees whose perspectives stood out and use that content in a webinar, blog post or on social media ✔️ Host an internal recap to share key insights and connect them to your team’s work ✔️ Turn questions or conversations from the event into content or targeted outreach ✔️ Share insights from the event in an email newsletter ✔️ Add relevant new contacts to your email list so you can stay visible with them ✔️ Create a simple system to stay in touch with the people who matter most ✔️ Review the attendee list and reach out to people you didn’t meet ✔️ Follow up with speakers you admired, even if you didn’t connect in person ✔️ Identify one trend or theme you kept hearing across conversations and proactively share that perspective with clients or colleagues You already put in the time and energy to be there. This is how you carry that momentum forward. Which of these ideas resonated most with you? #LegalMarketing #ClientDevelopment #LinkedInTips #BusinessDevelopment #PersonalBrandingTips

In a world where every executive has a firm handshake and a stack of business cards, how do you become the person everyone remembers after a conference? After attending dozens in the past decade, I've developed a strategy that transforms conferences from transactional meetups into relationship goldmines. ♟️Pre-Conference LinkedIn Strategy The real networking begins weeks before the event. Review the speaker and attendee lists, then connect with key individuals on LinkedIn with a personalized message: "I noticed we’re both attending the Stand & Deliver event. I'd love to connect. See you soon." This pre-conference connection creates a warm introduction and significantly increases your chances of meaningful engagement. 👗👔The Memorable Wardrobe Element In my early career, I blended in at conferences. Now? I'm known for wearing a little more color (often D&S Executive Career Management teal) or patterns that are professional yet distinctive. When someone says, "Oh, you're the one with the great dress," you've already won half the networking battle. 🤝Contribute Before You Collect** Instead of collecting business cards, focus on providing immediate value in conversations. Can you connect someone to a resource? Share relevant research? Offer a solution to a challenge they mentioned? The executives who stand out aren't those who take the most cards—they're the ones who solve problems on the spot. What networking approach has worked for you at recent conferences? Share in the comments below! #ExecutiveLeadership #NetworkingStrategy #ConferenceSuccess #ProfessionalDevelopment

Over the next 3 months, I’m hosting 4 major events in France, UK, USA and KSA. Beforehand, I want to share my top tips on how to get the best out of networking. 1. Set Clear Targets Action: Make a hit list of the top 10 companies or people you need to meet. Research what they care about—know their wins, pain points, & what they’re hunting for before you walk through the door. Outcome: These conversations won’t just happen by chance. By doing your homework, you’ll turn a five-minute chat into a deal-building moment. Schedule meetings in advance, & after the event, send a tailored follow-up email that shows you were listening. 2. Take the Stage (Literally) Action: Get on the agenda. Whether it’s a keynote, panel, or fireside chat, nothing says “I’m the one to watch” like holding the mic. Use this time to address the industry’s biggest challenges & position yourself—& your company—as the answer. Outcome: Speaking builds instant credibility. It’s not just exposure; it’s authority. Post-event, share the highlights on LinkedIn & invite attendees to continue the conversation, turning an audience into a lead pipeline. 3. Own the Floor Action: Don’t just lurk—work the room. Engage with key exhibitors, ask questions, & position yourself as a resource, not just another pitch. Be direct but curious: “What’s your biggest challenge this year?” and “How can I help?” are powerful openers. Outcome: You’ll stand out as someone who listens. Take notes during conversations, & follow up within 48 hours with a personalised message. Not a generic “great meeting you”—send actionable insights or specific ideas that move the ball forward. 4. Host the Inner Circle Action: People bond better in a more relaxed setting than over Wi-Fi. Organise an exclusive dinner, roundtable, or cocktail event for a curated group of heavy hitters. Keep it intimate—this is about building relationships, not just showing off. Go easy on the heavy sell. Outcome: People remember who brought them value & connections, not who handed out free pens. Post-event, share any key takeaways & book one-on-one follow-ups to solidify what you started over drinks. 5. Hack the Tech Action: Use every tool at your disposal—event apps, LinkedIn, QR codes. Pre-event, reach out to attendees & book meetings. At the event, swap contacts digitally to keep things seamless, & use a CRM to track every interaction. Outcome: You’ll leave the event with an organised roadmap of leads, not just a stack of business cards destined for a desk drawer. Follow up strategically with segmented, value-driven emails & keep the momentum alive. The Bottom Line: Trade fairs & exhibitions aren’t just networking. Preparation, presence, & follow-up separate those who close deals from those who just collect swag bags. Be human. Don’t think of this as just a branding exercise but an opportunity for long term partnerships. Be genuine - your new contacts will become close contacts, if not friends. Make it count! #revenuegrowth

3 Contacts With The Best Chance To Get You Hired (& 2 Easy Ways To Find Them): Networking for your job search? Some contacts are going to be more valuable than others. Here are the ones we've seen the most success with when it comes to our clients: 1. Start By Understanding The Org Chart Most corporate structures operate with a similar org chart:  - Chief [Department] Officer  - VP, [Department]  - Director, [Department]  - Manager, [Department]  - Individual Contributors These can vary by industry and the titles can change though, so use LinkedIn to look up employees and get a feel for the org chart (you can compare each employee’s experience to their title). 2. The Hiring Manager Is Your Top Priority The hiring manager for the role is going to be the person with the most influence over your ability to get hired. You usually won’t know who that is with certainty though. So go ahead and find 2-3 people whose job title aligns with the level above the role you’re applying for. (E.g. applying for a Manager position? Look for a Director in the same dept.) 3. Peers Are The Next Best Option Peers are people who work at the company and hold the same title as the job you’re targeting (preferably in the same org). For example, if you’re targeting a Senior Director of Marketing role? You want to look for other Directors and Senior Directors. These people will likely be part of the interview process and have the hiring manager’s ear. 4. Colleagues On Supporting Teams The next tier of influence are colleagues who work on supporting or adjacent teams. For example, if the role is a Enterprise Sales Executive role, you could look at:  - Sales Executives on other teams  - Colleagues in roles who support sales  - Etc. These people likely have relationships with the people on the hiring team. 5. How Many People Should You Find Per Company? If you’re doing this right, you should be tracking your job search efforts and using that data to tell you how many contacts you need. But if you’re not, our default recommendation is around 10-15 contacts per company. That means that, even with a 10% success rate around referrals, you’ll still land one. 6. How Do You Find These Contacts? The first method uses LinkedIn’s people search: 1. Head to LinkedIn 2. Run a search for the job title of the tier of contact you’re targeting 3. Use the “Company” filters to filter for your target company Boom! There’s a list of all the people in that role. 7. How Do You Find These Contacts? The second method is uses LinkedIn’s post search: 1. Run a search for the job title on LinkedIn 2. Filter for “Posts” 3. Under “More Filters” use the “Author’s Company” filter and add your target company 4. Now you’ll see any posts about hiring for the job title you want - their authors are probably good people to connect with

Last week in my client's 1:1 I shared the networking advice worth €399. Today I share it here for free. Because if I hear again: "Networking is unbearable" "I don't have time" "I don't know where to start" ... I will start blocking people who look for excuses instead of answers. Dont wanna network? Cool. Stay junior forever then. Because from ALL the hires I've ever made, the best ones came through someone who knew someone. If you're a senior designer who "doesn't have time to network"? You are not serious in making the cut in 2025. If you are, but dont know where and how to start, this post will literally change your career trajectory. 1. START WITH YOUR WARM NETWORK Follow exactly these steps: LinkedIn → My Network → Connections → Search → All Filters → Past Companies Choose the ones where you worked. Example for me: N26, Miro. Result: 10+ pages of first-degree connections. These people: → Shared projects with you → Know your work quality → Can introduce you to others → Actually answer your messages But no. You want to cold message CEOs or recruiters instead. 🙄 2. TARGET YOUR DESIRED NETWORK Pick 5 dream companies. Go to their LinkedIn pages → People → Filter by location + role. Example: Berlin + Product Designer Now you have a list of people who: ✅ Work where you want to work ✅ Do what you want to do ✅ Live where you live Revolutionary, right? 3. USE THE "GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, ASK" FRAMEWORK Stop asking for favors immediately. Instead: → Comment on their posts with actual insights → Share relevant articles → Ask SHORT, meaningful questions Make yourself visible BEFORE you need something. 4. THE 15-MINUTE RULE Someone recently sent me a 45-minute meeting link. FORTY. FIVE. MINUTES. Before they even shared what they need. Are you insane? Nobody owes you 45 minutes of their life. Start with 15. Respect people's time. Maybe they'll offer more. If not - make these 15 minutes count. ITS a lot actually if you use this time well. 5. WHAT TO ACTUALLY WRITE ✅ Get their name right (yes, this needs to be said) ✅ "How are you?" - basic politeness opens doors ✅ Skip the autobiography - talk about THEM ✅ Explain WHY them specifically ✅ Clear call to action at the end Not: "I'd love to pick your brain" But: "I'm curious about your transition from IC to management at X - would you be open to a brief chat?" HERE'S THE THING: You don't need to network with 10 people weekly. One meaningful conversation every two weeks? That's 2 new connections monthly. 24 per year. Each knows 10 relevant people. Do the math. And honestly? Those networking conversations might be the most stimulating part of your entire week. I know for me they are. So when you say "I don't have time"... You're really saying "I don't prioritize my career" And that's fine. Just don't complain when your peers get the roles you wanted.

Stop Networking Up in LinkedIn. Everyone wants to connect with the VP, the founder, the "influencer." Meanwhile, the person who started the same month you did, in a different department, at a different company? Ignored. That's backwards. Your peers become hiring managers in 3 years. They become directors in 5. They become the VPs you're trying to cold-message in 10. And they'll actually remember you because you weren't pitching them when they had nothing to offer. Horizontal networking compounds. Vertical networking expires. Framework: The Peer-Level Portfolio Identify 10 people at your level in adjacent roles (not competitors, not your company) Connect with a specific observation: "Saw your post on [topic]—dealing with the same thing" Meet quarterly (virtual coffee, 20 min) Share intel: What's working, what's not, who's hiring, what skills matter In 3 years, you'll have 10 doors you can actually walk through The VP doesn't need you. Your peers do. Invest accordingly.

Recently, a Project Manager landed an interview before he found the job ad. Neither opportunity appeared on SEEK or Linkedin jobs. He was exhausted from the "application grind" and getting nowhere. So, we stopped the generic applications and pivoted to a surgical 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. Within 48 hours, he was in a direct conversation with a hiring manager. Here is the Boolean framework he used to bypass the queue: 🟢 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 "𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳" + 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 Use this to find people talking about a need before it becomes an official ad. 🟡 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 ("Looking for a" OR "We’re hiring") AND ("Project Manager") AND ("Australia") This surfaces posts from recruiters or hiring managers directly. 🔴 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱: 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 (“𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳” 𝘖𝘙 “𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳”) 𝘈𝘕𝘋 (“𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯” 𝘖𝘙 “𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩”) 𝘈𝘕𝘋 ("𝘚𝘺𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺") Find high-impact roles in your target city, aligned with your specific expertise. The market is hidden only if you choose to remain a spectator. Stop waiting for the perfect job to be posted and start finding the conversations already in motion. #LinkedInNewsAustralia #linkedinoptimisation #linkedinsearchtips #booleansearch #hiddenjobmarket P.S. Doors open to those who choose to act. Try one search today and let me know in the comments - what did you find?

Last week, one of my candidates cracked a ₹14.5 LPA offer at EY without applying on any portal. How? She tapped into the same hidden job market, 90% of people don’t even know exists. Here are the 3 strategies she used: 1. She used “Signal-Based Networking” (SBN), not cold outreach Most people send random messages. She sent messages only after creating a warm signal that recruiters can’t ignore. > Example: She engaged with a hiring manager’s post for 3 days, added a sharp comment, and then messaged: “Hi Rohan, I’ve been following your updates on audit automation. Tried your sampling technique on a client project, sharing my output here.” 2. She inserted herself into “Pre-Hiring Conversations” Jobs don’t start on job portals, they start in internal team meetings when someone says, “We’re overwhelmed, we need help.” She joined micro-spaces where these conversations happen: – Slack channels run by industry mentors – Niche Discord servers for CA/Analytics professionals – Alumni sub-groups where managers casually float, “Anyone know someone good for this?” These roles never reach job portals. 3. She used “Reverse Proof of Work” to position herself as the obvious choice Instead of sending a resume, she sent evidence. > Example message she sent to a Deloitte senior: “I built a 3-slide audit improvement workflow inspired by your team’s recent project. Sharing it below, would love your feedback.” 💬 If this helped, repost it so others can access opportunities they’ve been missing. 👇 What topic should I cover next? Comment below. #jobsearch #hiringinsights #networkingstrategy #hiddenjobmarket #interviewcoach #career

Build connections when you don’t need them, so they’re there when you do. Networking is a long‑term investment. You never know what can happen tomorrow, whether it’s a new opportunity, an unexpected challenge, or a career pivot. By cultivating relationships early, you turn strangers into allies and potential into possibility. My pro‑tip? Develop your personal value proposition. 
- List your top 3–5 strengths and concrete examples of how you’ve helped others 
- Turn each into an “I help…” statement (for example, “I help marketing teams drive engagement through data‑driven storytelling”) 
- Use these statements to guide every outreach, ensuring you’re always offering value, not just asking for favors Then start from what you know. 1. Choose 5–10 people from your alumni network, former classmates, or close colleagues 2. Send a genuine note, share an article they might find helpful, congratulate them on a recent win, or simply ask how you can support them 3. No agenda. Just curiosity and a willingness to help Next, venture into the unknown. 1. Identify people at companies you admire or in roles you aspire to 2. Do your homework: reference a recent project, article, or speaking engagement 3. Reach out with a clear, value‑first message: “I enjoyed your piece on X; as someone looking to Y, I’d love to learn how you approached Z.” And keep the momentum going. 
- Schedule quarterly reminders to check in, share insights, celebrate milestones, or ask a thoughtful question 
- Track key dates (promotions, product launches, anniversaries) so your messages feel timely Your network matters. When you need advice, an introduction, or anything really, you’ll already have authentic connections. And at the end of the day, already built connections where you can leverage the relationships > dry unknowns ‘Hey, I need help’ messages. #StephSynergy

Stop chasing every job posting. Here are 3 ways to create opportunities instead. In today’s competitive job market, applying to endless job postings can feel like running on a treadmill—exhausting and rarely productive. Instead of chasing after every opening, why not create your own opportunities? Here’s how: 1️⃣ Build Strategic Relationships Opportunities are often hidden within conversations. Reach out to professionals at your target companies—not to ask for a job but to build genuine connections. 👉 Example Message: “Hi [Name], I noticed your recent post about [topic]. As someone looking to break into [industry/role], I’d love to hear your thoughts on [specific topic]. Would you be open to a quick chat?” 💡 People hire people they know, like, and trust. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about who knows you. 2️⃣ Solve Problems Before They’re Posted Many companies hire to solve specific problems. Research the challenges facing your target companies and offer insights or solutions in your outreach. 👉 Example Approach: If you’re applying to a tech company, identify a process they could improve or a trend they haven’t capitalized on. Share a brief, thoughtful suggestion in your message: “I noticed [challenge] in your product workflow. Here’s a quick idea that might help improve efficiency. I’d love to discuss it further if you’re open to it!” 💡 Showing initiative can make you stand out—sometimes even before a role is created. 3️⃣ Leverage Informational Interviews Informational interviews aren’t just for learning—they’re for planting seeds. 👉 Example: After a great chat with a professional in your desired field, follow up: “Thank you for sharing insights into [company/team]. If you hear of any roles opening up that align with my skills, I’d be grateful if you could keep me in mind!” 💡 Many jobs are filled before they’re ever posted online. This approach keeps you top of mind when opportunities arise. 💡 Key Takeaway: Instead of passively applying, proactively create opportunities by connecting, solving, and showcasing your value. It’s not just about finding a job—it’s about being found. What’s one way you’ve created opportunities instead of waiting for them to appear? Share your story below! #JobSearch #Networking #CareerGrowth #HiddenJobMarket