Join Brandon, Jerry, and McKinley as they explain what the big deal is about networking. They’ll teach you why networking is important and arm you with helpful advice so you can start building your network and personal branding. If you’re an introvert, don’t worry; there’s something special here for you too. Get your favorite cafe pastry, and listen until the end for a Career Center dad joke!
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McKinley Hatch
Welcome to Career Cafe. Today's podcast episode, we're going to talk about building bridges, the power of networking. Joining us today, we have Brandon Street, Jerry Ross and moderator McKinley Hatch, myself, experts in career professional development topics. So why don't we dive into networking? Talk a little bit about that. Why don't you guys tell me what networking is? And of course, our followers too.
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McKinley Hatch
I just really want to know what networking is. You know.
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Brandon Street
It's a great question. Networking is scary, right? Is that don't we all get a little nervous when we hear that word? I don't thinking what, Jerry?
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Jerry Ross
No.
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McKinley Hatch
Jerry does not get nervous. Networking is the best networking, man.
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Brandon Street
I you know what? I actually believe that because I've never seen Jerry and nervous talking to someone. But for the rest of all of humans, networking can be a scary word. I know. You know, as I talk with students and I talk about networking, that's one of the things that kind of makes them sweat just a little bit.
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Brandon Street
Because what do we think about when we think about networking? It's about, I've got to go out and I've got to be professionally dressed and I've got to have my resume or I've got to have a 32nd speech, you know what I mean? Like, I've got to do all these things in a formalized area, you know what I mean?
00;01;22;10 - 00;01;43;24
Brandon Street
Or formalized party or something like that. But it's not that, right? Networking happens every single day and it can be a very natural thing that we do. Do we need to be a bit intentional? Yes, in some regard we do. But but networking can happen online in person over social media, in our classroom, at conferences. Right. It can take place anywhere.
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Brandon Street
We are right.
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Jerry Ross
And inside of that role, like I say that I'm comfortable networking and I say that I've comfortable networking because I've practiced it. And the first time you do it. Yes. Or nervous and yes, your hands are pole me and yes, your face is turning red. And all of those things. But just like everything else we do, the more we do it, the more natural it becomes.
00;02;04;09 - 00;02;32;05
Jerry Ross
But you also have to evolve from your infancy stages of networking and I like to kind of think about how do I use network strategically to build relationships and expand my opportunities. And I try and say everything isn't just a conversation, it's a it's a place where you can store data to use it next time. Case in point, yesterday I'm having a conversation with someone around campus and they're looking to print towels for our football games.
00;02;32;07 - 00;02;54;10
Jerry Ross
my own next door neighbor he used to own or still owns a printing company where they do these kind of things. Do you have his number? Yes, I have his number. Contact a neighbor, get the email address. There's all kinds of ways that we can use our little social circles to expand things. If we think of it in that context, how can we align these people that we've established connect connections with over the years?
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Jerry Ross
And especially as a student, now is our time to practice so that when you need this time, when you're ready to enter the career field, you're more natural interacting with people.
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Brandon Street
Yeah, I think you make a good point. You're networking shouldn't be just about what we can get from it. And I think that's a key to networking. It's it's how can we help each other? And if we go into a conversation understanding like, I think we can help each other some way, or at least going and trying to, to meet somebody and then understanding how we could have a collaborative relationship, if you will.
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Brandon Street
I that's that's what that's natural networking. Right. And I love the the example you gave there. Right. So but how do we do that as a question, Right? Like, how do we naturally network? Well, if you don't mind, McKinley, I want to talk a little bit about what I call the circle influence. Is that all right, So kind of transitioning into this, how do we do it?
00;03;45;05 - 00;04;03;29
Brandon Street
To me, you know, I describe this circle of influence starting with those that we know the most. Right? And so the inner part of our circle influences is typically our our family, right, or our immediate family and those that we know they're they can be a great resource for networking that I think sometimes we overlook. They they know people as well.
00;04;04;02 - 00;04;22;25
Brandon Street
They can connect us to people and things and resources if we ask in the right way. Right. And so the circle influence starts there. And then, you know, as it expands out, it's it's close friends and maybe people that we attend, you know, social events with things like that. And then you get a little bit further out from there.
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Brandon Street
And it may be people in your neighborhood or people that you go to school with or things like that. Right. So as we talk about the circle of influence, when we start the networking process, if you're not if it's not naturally do start, start right at the center of that right. Start with family and friends and and expand from there.
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Jerry Ross
And I like to say everywhere I go is an opportunity to network. You know, we think about some of the traditional ways like industry events, professional associations, online communities, but I also kind of like to use it everywhere I go. Am I establishing a contact that we can use to better the business? And I use it through a basic strategy of trying to contribute more than I consume right?
00;05;06;21 - 00;05;27;09
Jerry Ross
Like you said before, I'm always willing to give things because later I might be wanting to come for something and they know that I'm the person that's trying to contribute to what they're doing. So when the time comes for me to ask for something, it's a mutual relationship for both of us. But I think those things are great opportunities to make connections, especially to the college experience.
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Jerry Ross
Whether you're going on ground or online, you're interacting with people that you might be able to use that connection later to help you grow professionally.
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McKinley Hatch
I think it's important to touch on professors and classmates. I know we mentioned this in our last podcast episode. You could be sitting in the same room as your future boss, so making sure you are having good conversations with them and collaborating with them well, especially on group projects and different things in class. But networking can be talking to a classmate and that is something that took me like a long time to understand was learning.
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McKinley Hatch
That's networking because networking seems like what Jerry was saying to me, you know, attending these conferences and talking to people are going to all of these big events and talking to people. There. And it doesn't have to look like that for everybody. And it won't look like that for everybody.
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Brandon Street
That's right. And the more natural we can make networking these, it will be for us. And and again, this is just something if we learn to do as humans, we could be effective in a lot of different things we do. Right. But but also when we do need help, like Jerry saying, you know, obviously you want this to be a mutual relationship in any regard.
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Brandon Street
So when you do need to ask for something, they don't feel like that's all you do, right? But but it is kind of this natural, natural events.
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Jerry Ross
So and some techniques that I've used have been effective listening. And I try and kind of make sure when I'm interacting with people, I will awkwardly give it a second in between when they're done talking, just to make sure I'm not interrupting them. I want to make sure that I'm wholly listening to everything that they have to say.
00;07;04;09 - 00;07;23;09
Jerry Ross
I make an attempt to maintain eye contact. I also like open ended questions. Sometimes I'll interact with people and I may think I know what do they need or how can I help? But my thought might be different one than how they're actually feeling. So I try and get their opinion and ask open ended questions in an attempt to show genuine interest.
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Jerry Ross
I do have genuine interest, but I want them to feel like I'm genuinely interested in that.
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McKinley Hatch
Yeah, I love that. You mentioned genuine interest. I just had a conversation with a colleague, just the other day about how networking is scary because it doesn't feel authentic. It doesn't. It's like a forced interaction, right? And so how to make it less forced and make it really authentic because that's some barrier that a lot of people are going through, I think, And a lot of people feel like it is a forced contact.
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McKinley Hatch
And so how I mean, next, I wanted to dive into an elevator pitch and your personal branding when networking, right? That elevator pitch is how you start out that conversation interaction a lot of the times. How do you go about these things feeling authentic and genuine, you know, and in the way you are networking while utilizing your elevator pitch and and starting those conversations naturally?
00;08;14;12 - 00;08;30;27
Brandon Street
Yeah, because you don't want that to feel like robotic, right? I was like, Hey, how are you? So who are you? Tell me about yourself. And also and you're like, you know, day to day I graduated from and, and it feels robotic. But again, I think it just comes back to understanding what would I say if somebody just asked me that doesn't know me?
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Brandon Street
Who are you? Right. Tell me, tell me about yourself. And I think it's it's understanding the what you know, the the event that you're at and the atmosphere of what you're doing is there's probably different elevator pitches, too, right? I mean, I'm going to tell everybody about where I graduated from, what my experiences and things. If I'm at like a dinner party or something, Right.
00;08;52;06 - 00;09;12;26
Brandon Street
That's not what they're asking me. They don't want to know that. But if I am at a, you know, a work event, I probably do need to tell them where I work, where what I graduated and things like that. So the understanding, first of all, where you are is important. And then having kind of that summary of of an introduction, it should be very natural, but it's just understanding where you are, who you're with and what they really want to know.
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Brandon Street
Right.
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Jerry Ross
And when you were talking earlier about your circle of influence, I traditionally talk to people about your elevator pitch should not include mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, cat. But if your circle of influence, if you're interacting with family members, it can include mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, cat, right. Like you're trying to establish that connection and how are you moving forward.
00;09;33;08 - 00;09;53;02
Jerry Ross
But when you're talking about coworkers or organizations, it doesn't need to include does not need to include mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, cat. It's about how can you contribute, how can you work together? Maybe you can solve a problem that they may have, whether that's a manpower problem or just some insight into something that they needed a little bit of help with.
00;09;53;05 - 00;10;07;12
Jerry Ross
I really like to offer help, and I think help is the easiest way to connect with someone when you're in those networking things is to share your experiences, ask them to share theirs, and then see if there's some collaboration that the two of you can have on something.
00;10;07;14 - 00;10;25;29
Brandon Street
So let's give an example just real quick, because yesterday I was at a a meeting, a work meeting where we were being introduced to some new leaders on campus. And, you know, I look over and Jerry is over there talking with all the the new basketball coaches that are on campus. Right. He's making his way over through all of these coaches.
00;10;26;02 - 00;10;38;16
Brandon Street
What did that interaction look like? Jerry? I'd love to know. When we talk about an example of networking, what did that what was that like for you? You didn't know these gentlemen before, did you? Nope. Okay. So tell me about this real quick. Give us a good example of what networking was like.
00;10;38;22 - 00;10;59;03
Jerry Ross
So I just kind of walked over and previously I had met with a basketball student this week, so I just said, Hey, how's it going, guys? And then I said, Hey, do you know this person's name? I'm not going to throw their name out there for everyone today, right now. And they're like, yeah, yeah. They came up and they were looking for some on campus things and we pointed in a direction and it was like, they were really struggling with things.
00;10;59;03 - 00;11;19;23
Jerry Ross
And then it just opened the floodgates, right? Like there was some sort of secondary connection that the two of us had. And then 90 seconds in weren't long lost old friends. And talking about the recruiting stomping grounds of where I played basketball compared to where they did, sometimes it's just that little spark of how's your day going, how’s summer going, man, there's a ton of students around you guys busy with those?
00;11;19;23 - 00;11;39;10
Jerry Ross
No, they're not mine. Whatever we can do to just break that ice usually gets the information flowing. I wish I had a better story to tell than that one, but it's just I'm great at cold introducing myself and just saying, Hey, I'm Jerry, this is what's going on. How can we work together? What do we guys do? What can we do to help?
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Brandon Street
Yeah, I love it.
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McKinley Hatch
I have a question Jerry mentioned not in a professional setting, not the mom, dad, brother, sister, cat, dog. In that scenario.
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Brandon Street
Good job. He did that. He did? Yeah.
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McKinley Hatch
That's like I do. How do I remember all these in order to get it in order?
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Brandon Street
You almost just. I think you just did so.
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McKinley Hatch
Doing pretty good pat on the back. So we talked about that, right? Maybe don't bring those up in a professional setting, but that's where I'm struggling to understand. And maybe our fellow listeners, I don't know, where does that line, where is that drawn? Because we're talking about trying to be authentic, We're bringing up basketball, we're bringing, you know, casual conversations.
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McKinley Hatch
Isn't that what networking is too?
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Brandon Street
What a great question. I think that's a really good question. I think that's just not where it starts. right. And so, again, knowing where you are, if I'm at a conference for work. Right, let's just use as an example. I'm at a conference for work and someone says, Hey, tell me about yourself. I'm not going to start with that list right?
00;12;40;18 - 00;13;00;11
Brandon Street
of my family and my pets, I'm probably going to start with I work at Southern Utah University. Here's what I do right and talk about those things because that's our connection. Now, does it lead into those? It might. It might just do that right as we talk and all of a sudden, as like the little things may come up like Jerry talk about, hey, we played basketball in the same area or Hey, I'm from this.
00;13;00;12 - 00;13;13;27
Brandon Street
I didn't know you were from the same state I was born in. Right. And things like that may start occurring or we get to that point and that's that's where it's genuine. But but people are caught off guard. I think if they're just like, tell me about yourself. yeah, I've got five awesome cats. I love them.
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Brandon Street
You know what I mean? Or whatever it might be. They're like, That's not what I want. I didn't want.
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McKinley Hatch
To be part of like reading the room a little bit, maybe to.
00;13;20;20 - 00;13;23;29
Jerry Ross
I read their shirt. It said basketball. Right? So my.
00;13;24;01 - 00;13;25;25
McKinley Hatch
Read their shirt, read the room.
00;13;25;28 - 00;13;43;25
Jerry Ross
And read a little bit of the person. Right. And can you find something that you can connect with on a professional level? Their shirt really did say basketball, so it kind of right there. I knew which conversation am I going to have, Right? I kind of have a way of differentiating a conversation I'm having with a wrestling coach as I am a basketball coach.
00;13;43;27 - 00;13;49;18
Jerry Ross
Right. And I think part of reading the room can also be a little bit of reading the person to see, Are we there?
00;13;49;21 - 00;14;10;13
McKinley Hatch
Yeah, No, I love that. Thanks for answering all my questions, guys. So like a lot of the listeners, maybe we'll have some similar ones Maybe not. Maybe it's just me. I wanted to dive into social media. This is such a big part of networking and we kind of talked about this last episode. So listeners, if you weren't tuned in last week, you need to go listen to that.
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McKinley Hatch
It was a great, great episode about job search and how social media can help in that. So let's dive into that further. Tell me how social media can help or hinder you in networking.
00;14;22;23 - 00;14;47;02
Brandon Street
Yeah, that social media, first of all, is social media is a networking tool. They may be different in the way that you do it on platforms, but it is networking, right? I mean, you're typically you're putting yourself out there for others. You're responding to other people. It is a way to network. And so, again, understanding that if at any time you're going to be looking for a job or things like that, whatever you put out, make sure it represents you well.
00;14;47;02 - 00;15;07;19
Brandon Street
Right talk. I would speak on social media as I would if I was speaking with with people in a room. I don't think there should be much of a difference of what I'm putting there. What I would say to people that that those type of people in a room. Right. And so just be careful with what you put out because it goes with you for a long time, what you put out on social media.
00;15;07;19 - 00;15;30;20
Brandon Street
So but it is a great tool for you to be able to. A lot of people don't think about things like Twitter. For my generation, Facebook, right as as ways to network with people and perhaps even for closer friends on their ask for opportunity. I mean, there's no harm in saying, hey, guys, you know, I'm looking for a job right now and could use some help.
00;15;30;20 - 00;15;48;26
Brandon Street
But I will say this if you do that, make sure that you are very specific and what your need is. A lot of times people will say, hey, I'm looking for a job. You don't I me Then people give me a job and they say, Well, I'm not looking for that job. Right? So be specific. What what your need is if you are networking, you know, through a tool like social media in that.
00;15;48;26 - 00;16;16;07
McKinley Hatch
So I also think I want to make note of this, whether or not you are a public profile, if you're private or public, it still impacts you the same because your inner circle does share news and they will tell your secrets that you're sharing in a private setting on social media as well. And whether or not it is public or private, it will it'll get out there some way or another.
00;16;16;07 - 00;16;36;03
McKinley Hatch
So talking about social media and and the way you're involved on that, be careful in what you choose to post, even though it might be private. Maybe your posting about your political beliefs, maybe your posting about other things that are near and dear to you, but it might impact you later on. So just be careful with that.
00;16;36;05 - 00;16;58;28
Jerry Ross
I have someone that I'm personally coaching and on their profile. Three times this month they have posted worst day ever talked and then he posts looking for a job. Does anyone know anyone that's hiring? And I called him and I said, Hey, like be aware that they are hiring the worst day ever three times this month. So think about that.
00;16;58;28 - 00;17;16;05
Jerry Ross
If you had your circle of influence and friends and family that are on your social media profiles, if you're constantly posting those types of things, they think you're going to come to work with that worst day ever. Just be aware that what you post is what's going to be a representation of you digitally, right?
00;17;16;07 - 00;17;41;05
McKinley Hatch
Yeah. I wanted to dive into introverts. What does networking look like for introverts? I feel like I'm an introvert when it comes to networking, even though I am very much an extrovert. But networking scares me. Just like you were saying at the beginning of this episode, it's scary. Yeah. So what? What does that look like for introverts?
00;17;41;07 - 00;17;59;08
Brandon Street
First of all, I being I feel like the only introvert at the table here today. Let me just say this. First of all, introverts are not hermits, okay? Just so everybody knows that they are not hermits. They do not want to be in their home constantly. Okay. Some do, but not generally do people. There's levels. There's levels. It's like onions, right?
00;17;59;08 - 00;18;00;10
Brandon Street
As you said, it's got layers
00;18;00;16 - 00;18;03;06
McKinley Hatch
They’ve got layers. Ooh, we’re bringing in Shrek here, I like it!
00;18;03;06 - 00;18;23;14
Brandon Street
So but, but I just want to point out, you know, like it those introverts can naturally be a little more comfortable with that. They can be just as effective networkers as anybody. Right. But there's a few things that that we might suggest for for first of all, start where your comfort zone is, right? If you're not comfortable in a large, busy room, then don't start there.
00;18;23;14 - 00;18;45;01
Brandon Street
You're networking, right? Start some somewhere that's a little more cozy, if you will. Right. And then a smaller amount of people. Also, if take somebody with you the first time, you know, I wouldn't suggest you do that all the time, especially if you're looking for a job. Right. But but two some of these vents take someone who could you can lean on a little bit the first few times that you're going right.
00;18;45;03 - 00;19;06;05
Brandon Street
And don't necessarily use networking as as especially as an introvert, as many people as you can get. Right. Sometimes it's about quality of conversations that you have. So even if you know, you only talk with 1 to 3 people, the quality of those conversations can be great and you can really get an in-depth conversation with someone who you can help and they can help you, right?
00;19;06;05 - 00;19;12;00
Brandon Street
And so those are a few things I suggest. Don't know if anybody else has any suggestions, but that's what I'd suggest.
00;19;12;00 - 00;19;38;06
McKinley Hatch
My last thing I want to add to that is when I go to networking events because it is scary. I like to lean on a friend that I go with, or if I don't have a friend to go with to find one person in that room that I feel like I could talk to just one that I that I can see and spot that I think I might be able to engage with and have an engaging conversation.
00;19;38;09 - 00;19;42;06
McKinley Hatch
And so my goal is often one, and that's okay.
00;19;42;08 - 00;19;43;27
Brandon Street
That is okay. Yeah.
00;19;44;02 - 00;19;46;11
Jerry Ross
Find a networking wing person.
00;19;46;13 - 00;19;50;16
McKinley Hatch
Yeah. Through your wing wing woman or wing person. Yeah.
00;19;50;20 - 00;20;02;05
Brandon Street
I like it. I mean, that's great. And honestly, again, just start where you're comfortable with. And I think once you start doing it, you're comfortable, you know, moving to the next person potentially in the next. Right.
00;20;02;05 - 00;20;20;05
McKinley Hatch
So awesome thing. So asking for a friend, you know, this one, networking looks like introverts, you know, just putting that one out there. Let's lastly wrap up on what the importance of follow up looks like in networking. Jerry do you want to start us on that?
00;20;20;06 - 00;20;40;12
Jerry Ross
You know, I think follow up really starts with establishing a way to find them after you networked with them. And sometimes we'll go to these events or different things and we meet a lot of people and then you go to get in your car to go home and Mark, Chuck, Sally, all those things are great. Do you have their phone number?
00;20;40;12 - 00;20;58;24
Jerry Ross
Do you have their email address? Did you do something? So all make a habit of after I interact with someone, I will send a text message with their name. So hey, you know, like I talked about the towels at the earlier in the segment, right? Then I said, Are you comfortable sharing your cell phone number? Yeah. Type two.
00;20;58;24 - 00;21;20;16
Jerry Ross
Cell phone number into my cell phone and immediately sent my name with it. That's the connection right there. He has my name. I have his name. So you want to make sure that when you're networking, it's not fruitless, that you're not just interacting to interact, that you have some sort of a way to follow up by getting a phone number, by getting an email, by connecting on LinkedIn or one of those other ways.
00;21;20;18 - 00;21;40;20
Jerry Ross
I think the real number one key for me for follow up is finding a way to be able to connect with them later. The moment that I interact with them, because after I walk away, I'm going to find someone else and I'm going to forget a name. I'm great with faces, I'm a horrible with names, so I like to do that immediately as I'm interacting with them.
00;21;40;23 - 00;22;03;24
Jerry Ross
And then I like to send them a little 24 or 48 hours later. Hey, it was great interacting with you. Really enjoyed our conversation about blank for them. Something specific about my interaction to let them know that it was meaningful for me. And then I also like to do some personalized messages offering up value. Hey, we talked about this, but just to let you know, I help align employers of students here at Southern Utah University.
00;22;03;24 - 00;22;19;10
Jerry Ross
I would love to help out. When's a good time for us to have a quick 10 minutes, something like that, to kind of give them a little bit of value. But the long distance relationships, I feel like those are a little bit different. Brandon Do you have anything to add about establishing long distance network connections?
00;22;19;13 - 00;22;35;12
Brandon Street
Yeah, I think well, it goes along very similar to what you said. I don’t think there's much difference except for the way you're probably going to interact next with them, right? I mean, obviously phone call, email, things like that. But set up a time, like you said, don't let that be the last time. And don't don't leave by just saying we should connect again.
00;22;35;12 - 00;22;48;02
Brandon Street
Right. Like, do connect again. Find out a way to find an actual item to be able to connect with them again in some way that is purposeful so you don't lose that contact. That's really important.
00;22;48;05 - 00;23;10;23
McKinley Hatch
So thank you guys and thank you listeners for tuning in to Career Cafe. Subscribe to our channel and tune in next episode. We're going to be talking more about uncovering your hidden potential by applying for jobs you may not feel qualified for and how to go about that. So tune in next week. Once again, you're listening to Career Cafe and we're going to end it with a Dad joke from Jerry.
00;23;10;26 - 00;23;14;15
Jerry Ross
Did I tell you guys that I used to work at the Helium Factory.
00;23;14;17 - 00;23;14;22
Brandon Street
And.
00;23;14;29 - 00;23;16;03
McKinley Hatch
Why.
00;23;16;06 - 00;23;20;16
Jerry Ross
I quit? I refuse to be spoken to in that tone.
00;23;20;18 - 00;23;24;11
Brandon Street
Yeah, I love it.
00;23;24;13 - 00;23;25;27
McKinley Hatch
Thanks listeners, tune in next week.