3 Networking Tips That Actually Work (None of Them Involve Spamming People on LinkedIn)
Rachel Nazhand landed a VP of Operations role in 4 months by staying focused on building relationships and expanding her surface area
Welcome to Reframed by Ashley Rudolph. One idea, every week, that changes how you see your career.
Last week’s newsletter was about how to identify which things to let go of, so that you can free up your time and stretch your team effectively. Summer is here and I’m so excited about the weather in NYC. I spent lots of time outside this weekend (allergies be damned). I’m feeling optimistic about summer and today’s newsletter.
When you stop networking like you need something, you’ll start building the kind of relationships that lead you to opportunities you want.
When I feel like I should be networking more, I channel the unabashed confidence of my early 20s. Back then I developed relationships because I was bold enough to say hello, send a DM, or bullshit my way into a situation I had no business being in (like NYFW in the early aughts).
Central to all those relationships and opportunities was the belief that I could (and would) do great things. I was genuinely interested in people who were strivers (like me) and who were doing the things I wanted to be doing.
Networking landed me my first clients as a coach. Networking is why I have never had to “find” clients. I even wrote about some of the non-traditional ways I’ve built relationships on LinkedIn last week.
I will always invest my time in building relationships.
I’m lucky enough to have witnessed my clients do the same.
A few months ago, one of my clients wanted to pursue something new.
She landed a new VP level role in 4 months.
When Rachel Nazhand connected with me for a coaching consult we couldn’t remember exactly how our paths crossed, but we instantly clicked and decided to work together.
What unfolded over the next few months was nothing short of amazing.
She found a new job in 4 coaching sessions by networking like the expert operator she is — with precision and by being laser focus on her end goal. We spent our first few sessions ironing out her professional brand, her positioning, and what she wanted next. And every time we spoke, Rachel updated me on exciting conversations she was having, the exclusive events she was invited to, or the introductions she got to super connectors.
Once she landed her offer, I knew I wanted her to share her secrets.
Rachel is now VP of Operations at Arta, a fast scaling tech company in the art, luxury, and collectibles market. Before joining the team at Arta, she’d scaled more than a handful of high-growth startups in growth, bizops, and revops roles.
Enjoy Rachel’s formula for networking her way into a new role in <4 months.
You’re going to want to bookmark this one.
Stop Networking Like You Need Something
A guest letter by Rachel Nazhand
This may sound dramatic, but I owe my career to networking. I grew up in a small town, graduated with a liberal arts degree, and had no blueprint to follow for a big career. I just knew I had outsized ambition to build an interesting life.
That drive landed me my first VP role in tech before I turned 30.
While I earned the growth by working my tail off, the access to many of those opportunities came through my network.
When I talk about networking, I’m not referring to those cringey happy hours in beige ballrooms where you trade questions like “what do YOU do?” [shudders in Ann Taylor Loft]. I strongly believe networking can become one of your best assets for building a more interesting, fulfilling life.
Not transactional networking. I’m talking about a reframe of networking as a life investment that pays off in dividends.
Here are the 3 strategies that have helped me unlock opportunities in my career.
1. Network before you need it
In the same way you start saving years before retirement, start building your network long before you want to switch jobs or pursue a new opportunity. Connect with interesting people early and often and don’t limit your outreach to contacts who can open a door for you right now. Meaningful networking isn’t transactional, it compounds.
Below is a non-comprehensive list of people who, despite having no immediate “purpose,” I intentionally kept warm in my network. That relatively small time investment over the years proved to have immeasurable value down the road.
An account exec who sold me enterprise SaaS in 2018 became someone I occasionally swapped LinkedIn messages with. Three years later, she referred me to speak on a panel, which led to even more speaking opportunities.
A former colleague from 2015 was someone whose career moves I kept an eye on. In 2024, I recommended them for a niche role in my organization. Six months later, I was their first call for a major internal initiative that opened up a new role for me too.
A candidate who interviewed at my former company in 2021 stayed loosely in my orbit. Years later, he connected me to an incredible unposted exec role.
Making or maintaining connections can be as simple as commenting on a LinkedIn post, sending a quick “congrats!” when you see they have news, or (if relevant) forwarding the occasional “this post looked like something that you might find interesting” message.
Bonus Tip: Don’t underestimate the fact that your network can evolve over time. That intern you trained five years ago could become your ideal hire for your new team (or they could even hire YOU).
2. Reach out to people you admire without an agenda
There’s a school of thought that you need to have a perfectly polished action item to justify sending someone a message. This makes me crazy as someone who both sends and, especially in recent years, receives a ton of outreach.
Unless you have a clear, timely ask, do not make an ask.
Outreach just for the sake of it is perfectly ok (dare I say… encouraged!) as long as it (a) doesn’t create work for the receiver and (b) adds some sort of value, even if it’s just a kind sentiment.
EXAMPLE**
“Hey Ashley! I noticed your Substack notes have been on point recently, glad to have your content in my feed.”
This passes the outreach test because it’s brief, it’s genuine (this is key, people can detect BS so please don’t bother), and it humanizes the interaction. Even if she doesn’t respond right away, she’ll start to recognize my name as someone in her orbit. Everyone loves positive feedback (receiving a message like this makes my week!) and research shows that it triggers endorphins for the giver as well. Sending a message like the above is a win/win all around.
You want to position yourself as a warm contact who might be worth having a conversation with now or simply remain top of mind for a connection down the road.
**NOTE :)
This example is 100% real and though I’ve been interacting with Ashley regularly in a coaching capacity, I’m pretty sure my Substack compliment is what sparked the invitation for me to contribute what you’re reading right now. A little meta, but it’s proof that this works.
In general, you should treat every outreach as a means to add value in the world, regardless of the timing or ultimate outcome. Networking karma is real.
3. Diversify your network
So often people double down on connections in their industry or people in similar roles and forget about life outside their day to day. While it’s a great approach for commiserating on shared experiences, it limits your access to opportunities. Your environment shapes what feels possible. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is change the “room” you’re in and expand your surface area for luck.
With an abundance of networking platforms and online communities, both paid and free, there’s no excuse to skip opportunities to engage with people through various social networks. In fact, there’s strong research that points to “weak ties” as a key source of mobility and opportunity.
QUICK NOTE FROM ASHLEY
I want to plug Reframed here. I was blown away during the first Reframed Insiders call when a reader mentioned that she connected with another Insider after discovering her in my newsletter. They’re partnering on a work project. If that isn’t networking, I don’t know what is :)
Sometimes, networks are hiding in plain sight. And other times, they’re right in your inbox, every single Monday morning. If you’re looking to expand your network, talk to people other than your friends, partner, or family about upleveling at work, or just want a community of smart people to gather with once a month (instead of reading Reframed solo) - join Insiders.
In case you didn’t catch it earlier, some of my best job opportunities came through weak ties and that’s not an uncommon (or unintentional) experience.
I often joke that I love collecting people and experiences. And doing so is more accessible than ever in our digital first world. Although, I do have to admit that I strongly believe one in-person conversation is better than countless DMs.
A few ways to expand your network:
Join professional communities and actually engage in the content (that latter part is key, lurking isn’t going to do you much good)
Befriend colleagues outside your department and get curious about their work
Intentionally curate your LinkedIn and social media feeds to expose yourself to new people, ideas, and disciplines
To add another angle here, when you’re a marketer in a sea of marketers it can feel hard to stand out. When you diversify the spaces you engage in, you’re increasing the likelihood to be THE marketer in the group which inherently keeps you top of mind.
Remember, the more surface area you create in your network, the more access you have to a diverse pool of opportunities, ideas, and talent. The real magic happens when you use that access generously. Make introductions within your network for no reason other than to be useful. Become a force multiplier.
Be the super connector and the easily connected.
The best networkers are not just collecting access. They are creating it.
TL;DR
Small investments in your network have a way of paying off, often in ways you never could have predicted. Drop the idea that networking is quid pro quo or something to be suffered through.
The real magic starts when you treat it as creating connections, not transactions.
Rachel Nazhand is VP of Operations at Arta, a fast scaling tech company in the art, luxury, and collectibles market.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I think it’s so funny that Rachel ended her guest letter with the “I know a guy who knows a guy” meme. That “I know a guy” slash “I have a buddy who does x” energy is what drives me to build the ecosystem I have online and offline with Reframed. It’s never a bad thing to know (lots of) people. It’s one of the driving factors for me hosting my first (invite only) in-person event in the coming weeks.
I hope you found Rachel’s tips and energy as infectious as I have over the last few months of working with her. I like to say that I work with people who have the capacity to run the world one day and I truly believe it.
What’s one way you’ve used your network to find an opportunity you wouldn’t have found otherwise?
Thank you to Rachel for so generously sharing her insights on Reframed this week.
Good luck. See you next week!
Ashley
I’m an executive coach that supports high achieving Directors, VP, and C-level executives with career strategy. You can also hire me to facilitate workshops.
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This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing!