Latest / Work It Like A Mum / Master LinkedIn for Career Success in 2025

Transcript

Master LinkedIn for Career Success in 2025 · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willits and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I'm a working mum with over 17 years of recruitment experience and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women job board and community.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: In this show, I'm honoured to be chatting with remarkable women redefining our working world across all areas of business.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They'll share their secrets on how they've achieved extraordinary success after children, set boundaries and balance, the challenges they've faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Shy away from the real talk?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: No way.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Money struggles, growth, loss, boundaries and balance we cover it all.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Think of this as coffee with your mates, mixed with an inspiring TED Talk sprinkled with the career advice you wish you'd really had at school.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, make sure you're cosy and get ready to get inspired and chase your boldest dreams, or just survive Mondays.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: This is the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the uk's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: They're proud to partner with uk's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Ready to find your perfect job?
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Search their website at investinginwomencouk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Now back to the show.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Hello, welcome to this week's episode of the Work it Like a Mom podcast.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: This month, we're doing something slightly differently because I am recording a number of solo episodes to celebrate the launch of my book Flex, and during this mini-series, I'm giving you loads of tips about how to thrive in your career so you finally achieve the career dreams you've maybe been harbouring for years and make 2025 your year, the year that you finally get to your dream job, the year you finally get that promotion and the year you finally get clarity on what you want to do.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: So if you missed any of the previous episodes, please have a listen.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: In the first episode we did within this mini-series, we spoke a lot about how to get clarity in what you want in your career and how to make a career switch.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Last episode, we talked about CVs and cover letters, and in this episode, we're going to be talking about one of my favourite topics, linkedin, and, if you've got time, we'll also be touching on offline networking as well and how you can use linkedin to accelerate your job search.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: So, um, if you don't know what linkedin is, um, it's a large um social media platform.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: It is, you know, the biggest one in the world for job seekers and recruiters.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: So it's a bit really of a crossover between a social media platform and, basically, probably the largest job board in the world.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: It has a billion users and, like I said, it is the social media network of choice for recruiters and employers.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: So, if you're looking for a new role or you want to advance in your career, you need to be on linkedin.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: Um, it's just a goldmine of opportunities.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: It's a goldmine of people.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: People are there.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: They're wanting to do business, whatever type of business that might be and they want to meet people.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: People are on there because they want to advance their career and the amount of people you know I said recruiters are on there all day, every day.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: They're using it as a job board.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: So, once you've got your profile optimized, there's no reason why your dream job might not fall into your inbox because recruiters are on there all day, every day searching for candidates.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: I want to talk a little bit about posts, because, although there's a billion people on the platform many of them are decision makers and leaders only one percent of people actually post content.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: So, unlike the highly saturated Instagram and TikTok, there's a really good opportunity for you as well to be noticed on LinkedIn.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: So it's great if you want to be seen as a thought leader within your industry or perhaps even run your own business.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to rewind slightly and talking about your LinkedIn profile.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: So what is a LinkedIn profile?
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: It's a little bit like, I guess, like a Facebook profile, if you're used to being on Facebook.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: According to LinkedIn, your LinkedIn profile is a professional landing page for you to manage your own personal brand.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: It's a great way of telling people who you are and what you do by displaying a general history of your professional experiences and achievements.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: So I really like LinkedIn because I think you can.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: It's a bit like a CV, because you do have, like that career history section at the bottom of your profile which you can fill in in reverse chronological order.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: But there's a lovely about section as well, where you can add a bit more about you.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Your personality makes you tick what you do, maybe outside of work.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: You can also um.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: You also have an opportunity to put a headline as well within your linkedin profile, which can be really you can make quite eye-catching as well.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: So I think it's a really great way to show a bit of personality in a way that your cv um CV can't.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: So, starting off with your LinkedIn profile, so we obviously want to make sure it stands out, but it's also found by recruiters for the roles you want to be hired for.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: So, first things first, you need a profile picture.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be taken by a professional photographer get my words out, but it's not Instagram.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: So you want something where you're looking fairly smart and professional, smiling directly into the camera.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: So don't use a photo of you from a night out with a drink in your hand.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Should be a photo of just you, not you and your mates.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Um, if you don't have a good picture, ask a friend to take one.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Um.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: But photos are definitely a good thing because they humanize your profile.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: You can.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: You know some people don't have a photo or they made their photo private.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: But you know, as a recruiter, when you're searching through lists or as a hiring manager, it's so much more engaging.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: You're so much more likely to click.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: If you've got you know, you can see someone's lovely smiling face and smiling back at you, rather than what can look like just a paperback if you don't have a photo there.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: You can also add a banner image at the top of your profile with more details about who you are, what you do, and you can just download some free customisable templates from Canva.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: You can change suit who you are and what you want to do.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: You can also change the custom URL.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: So when you create your LinkedIn profile can also change the custom url.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: So when you create your linkedin profile, the url sometimes look a bit odd because you get your linkedin dot com name and then some funny looking code at the end.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: But you can change that as well, um.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: So if you follow the settings, there's a pencil um on your profile, little pencil.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: You click on that and then you can change um, change that url, so then it's linkedincom.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Forward slash in forward slash.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Just your name looks a bit more professional, shows you have an eye for detail, um.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Once you've done that, make sure that you haven't accidentally set your profile to private, because you don't want to spend time and effort creating a lovely LinkedIn profile and then no one will see it.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: So just make sure that everything is set to public and also that you've switched on public visibility outside of LinkedIn.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: So, for example, if you Google your name and if you've got a LinkedIn profile, then your, your linkedin profile, should come up pretty high on those um, those seo pages.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: So you want to make sure that you've not set it to private so you can be easily found on and off linkedin.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: And make sure as well that profile edits are switched on so your network is notified of your job changes, any certificates you obtain, um, and that just means you you've not spent ages doing a profile and you're never found for jobs.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Next thing is this headline, your headline.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: So if you think about your headline as a professional bio, just under your name.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: So most people just write their job title, which is fine and it's fine as, particularly if you are a candidate wanting to be found for jobs because, like I said, recruiters all day, every day, if I'm recruiting a marketing manager, I'm just going to probably be typing in a generic marketing manager into the search function within LinkedIn and that's going to be pulling back those people that have that, but you can expand on that.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: You've got quite a few.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: I think about 160 characters off the top of my head.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Um, so you want you know your headline to maybe say your job title, but also what you can bring something about.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: You know particular skills, some, um, you know what.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: You a marketing manager that brings roles and brings companies to life, to accelerate sales, things like that.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Um, it's a golden opportunity to attract your dream employer.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: You've got 160 characters, so try and use them.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: You know, don't let them go to waste.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Include some valuable skills and strengths in your headline.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Highlight why you're a valuable employer, employee.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Um, you know, an interesting headline is much more likely to get somebody to click on your profile and find out more and then, scrolling down the, pay your profile.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: But a headline is what encourages, like I said, people to click in the first place.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Speak directly to your dream employer, be specific, concise, creative and don't forget, like I said, to use those keywords to optimise your chances of being found as well.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: So, moving on to keywords, so recruiters and employers use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates using keywords.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: Therefore, you want the right people to find your profile.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: So, for example, bringing it back to marketing.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: So if I was recruiting a marketing manager that needed to know how to use WordPress, for example, I would be trying to tailor my search to narrow it down to those people that have WordPress, for example, or maybe they've used Salesforce or they've used HubSpot.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: So think about some of the systems you've used and what people are looking for as well, and make sure that you've put those in your profile somewhere as well.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: Just thinking about how SEO works, you want to make sure you've got some of that in there.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: So look at some of the job adverts, the roles you're interested in, to decide which keywords are important and what to use.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Use those exact words and phrases in your profile, avoiding using jargon or internal language.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: Now we've reached the about section, and that's actually my favourite section, and this is a great chance for you to further summarise your skills and experience.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: So who are you?
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: What makes you tick?
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: What have been some key achievements to date?
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: You can use those those write about those in bullet points, a bit like um, using the star technique that I spoke about in the previous episode when writing your cv.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: But if you need a refresher, if you didn't listen to that episode, the star technique basically requires you to write about a challenging situation, elaborate on the task undertook to overcome the challenge, what you achieved and, most importantly, the result.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: So bringing back to marketing, rather than saying I generated, uh, lots of organic traffic, for example using seo.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: How much traffic?
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: You know what happened to that traffic.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: How many leads did that generate?
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Did that convert into any sales?
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: The more um you can add to these like so what, so what?
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: The more you'll be able to emphasize that value.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Remember as well, we want to hear what you did, not the team where it's unclear what your actual involvement was.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: To try avoiding use the, using the.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: We did this, we did that.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Definitely try and use I, I, I, if you can.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: And then also remember this is like a social media platform as well.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: It's not just a job board, it's, you know, a hybrid.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: So what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: People want to work with people, and including some interest is a great way to establish some common ground with others.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: What are your career aspirations?
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: I would say, write this section as a first person.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: You know, know, remember.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: You're a person who wants to connect with another human being, and using third person just sounds so corporate and so stuffy and a little bit poncy on what's becoming, you know, a more friendly and community-based social media platform.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: If you're open to work, you can end this section with a call to action such as send me a dm if you want to learn more about my experience and how I can help your business thrive, or something like that.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: There's also an opportunity for you to have a featured section where you can highlight any articles you've written, webinars or professional videos you've created popular posts, etc.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: It's a great way for you to stand out in a crowded job market and then, under this, under your about now, you'll be adding your experience, as you would see.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: They so include your employer's name, job title, dates worked and, underneath role each role highlight your key skills and strengths.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: The aim here is to highlight your accomplishments and responsibilities, demonstrating what you did, how well you did it and what effect it would have.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Don't forget, like those said, those keywords, so particularly any systems, etc.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: You can also add your education details and any additional training or certificates you may have done as well.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: And then, to give your profile the wow factor, you can ask some current and ex-colleagues and clients for recommendations as well, so there's like a little testimonial recommendation section at the bottom, and this is a great way, you know.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: It shows potential employers that other people are willing to vouch for you in a public forum.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: They basically get a reference before they've even met you and this makes a massive difference to the success success of your job search.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: You can also ask others to endorse you for skills and industry knowledge and if you are openly looking for work there's you can add an open to work green banner that wraps around your profile picture and this tells potential employers that you are actively looking for work and increases your chances of being approached for new jobs.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: So now that you've got a profile that speaks to your ideal employer, you need to start connecting with them to build that all-important network.
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: Um, so if you listen back to the first episode of this mini series we spoke about, you know how to know what do you want and you may should have made a list of dream employers.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: Now you can start connecting with them.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: So LinkedIn wants us to make connections.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: So type the job titles of prospective hiring managers for your field and the company names in the search bar and send a connection request to them.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: You can send a short note alongside the connection request, something like looking to build my network in your area or at your company.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: If connecting with the recruiter and I'd love to connect and that's it, you don't have to do anything to it.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: It does the job.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: It builds your network.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: So you'll be connecting with potential hiring managers and also the recruiters and talent acquisition managers at your ideal company as well, and they'll obviously know about the roles.
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: Don't forget to hire with recruitment agencies in your sector.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: It's also worth connecting with potential teammates at companies you want to work for as well, because once connected, you can find out a little bit more about their organization team so you know if it's the right place for you, and you can also ask them about the types of candidates they like to hire so you can brush up your cv and linkedin profile so it highlights the relevant skills and experience.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Another thing is that many large companies offer referral schemes where they pay a staff a bonus for referring somebody to their role, because it's a lot cheaper for them to do that than pay an agency fee.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Therefore, these individuals are going to be quite bought in to you getting a role within their organisation because they may align for a juicy referral fee, not fee, if they do so, definitely worth hiring and connecting with potential colleagues.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: I'd say don't connect.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: Send more than 10 requests a day.
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: When you first start sending them, up to about 20, maximum of 25.
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: Linkedin doesn't like.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: Linkedin wants us to connect, but it doesn't want us to connect with too many people.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: So now you've started building up a valuable network, you want them to notice you, and the easiest and least daunting way to be noticed and appreciated by and least daunting way to be noticed and appreciated by new connections is simply to comment on their posts and content.
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: So commenting on other people's posts and content is one of the fastest way you can build authentic relationships and an online world.
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: And you know, once you start commenting on other people's content, people could, you know, you'll start maybe getting people liking your comments.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: It'll make you feel more comfortable and confident, um being on the platform um as well, and then you know you might start seeing what, um, what resonates with others.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: Remember, you have to be consistent if you want to see long-term results, um.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: But if you want to start getting even more visible, then obviously posting is a great idea and the more you post, the more visible you'll become to your network.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: Now, now you've built your network of dream employers and valuable collections and the more you'll be able to build that know, like trust factor, helping you become much more memorable.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Um, I remember only one percent of people post as well, so you are in with a definite chance of being noticed if you do post and you know, once you start doing that, you'll really start seeing doors fling open to opportunities you know, beyond your wildest dreams.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: I mean, this is how I started my business was just posting on LinkedIn and you know, really, I've got this book deal I'm speaking about my book flex out in a couple of weeks.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: And that really started from me being brave and posting on LinkedIn, making connections, and then one connection invited me onto their podcast, which was heard by an editor at Wiley.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: So you know, you never know where things can lead.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: But post can be a mixture of personal work and news and you know, while it's not Facebook, it's become much more personal over the past five years.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: People want to work with people, so you post about you what you did at the weekend, your holiday, year in review, favorite book, best business book, why you start doing what you're doing, thoughts on latest industry 10 trends, networking events you've attended what you wish you'd known when you started out job tips, tricks, etc.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: So you know, remember everyone's interesting.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: You'll always be at least one step ahead of somebody else and therefore a role model to at least one other person.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: I've got a LinkedIn PDF that's available on our website, in the Investing Women website under our resources section, which has a month's worth of posting ideas.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: We can put the link in the show notes.
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: But you know, the more you post, the more comfortable you'll be.
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: You can also, you know, as you're starting out, if you're a bit nervous, just start posting some relevant news articles as well.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: You don't need to always show your face, although that obviously helps building that know like and trust factor.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: But you know you don't have to do always something so personal a news article with your views, etc.
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: I'm begging you don't post and ghost.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: If people do start to engage and comment on your post, make sure you reply and engage back.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: This will extend the reach of your post.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: And another trick for improving post engagement is commenting on other people's posts just before and after you post your own content and you can, you know, experiment with different posts, ideas, so memes, images, photos, audio, once you start getting brave video.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: Video linkedin's really really pushing video at the moment and it's the quickest way for you to build that no like trust factor with your network and stand out on the platform.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: And I know it's not for everybody.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: That's why I've, you know, speaking to it about it towards the end of this episode.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: Um, because I want you to enjoy being on linkedin.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: I think linkedin's so brilliant for that connecting with others piece and I think that is the most important thing.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: And once you start helping other people by, you know, commenting on their posts, they're much more likely to reciprocate as well.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: If you do want to be brave, then videos are brilliant.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: Not many people do them and it's the quickest way to stand out and be seen as a thought leader in your industry.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: So, to summarise why LinkedIn LinkedIn has over a billion users.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: It's a crucial social media platform, professional networking and job opportunities.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: Unlike other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, only 1% of LinkedIn users post content.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: It offers you a unique chance to stand out by actively engaging, posting and sharing your thoughts.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: Don't forget to with your to optimize your profiles, to start with a professional photo and a custom url, to make sure your profile is more accessible and appealing to potential connections, hiring managers and recruiters.
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: Your headline and about sections should succinctly highlight your skills and experience, what makes you unique.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: Don't forget to use those keywords that are relevant to your industry and the jobs you want to target to improve your chances of being found in recruiter searches.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: Highlight your achievements, so utilize the featured section to showcase your professional achievements, articles and projects.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: It enhances your profile and provides tangible examples of your expertise and interest.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: Build and engage with your network, so connect with industry leaders, potential employers and colleagues and interact with their content.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: It increases your visibility and demonstrates your active involvement in your professional community.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: It helps to establish you as a thought leader in your industry, build your personal brand and honestly attract some amazing opportunities directly to your inbox.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: Like you know, crazy opportunities, um.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: Like I said, an example of an opportunity that start you know happened for me was my book flex.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: It was a book deal that was offered off the back of my personal brand, a network one I'd spent, you know, quite a few years building.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: It came about after an editor at Wiley and my publishers heard me speaking um being interviewed by one of my LinkedIn connections on their podcast, so you just don't know where LinkedIn could take you, but it all starts with one post and taking the time to make those valuable connections.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Um.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: So, like I said, forget TikTok.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: If you're looking for a new role, linkedin is where it's at.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: So see you there.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: Don't forget to connect with me there if you're on there.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: It's Elizabeth Willits.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: So LinkedIn is brilliant for online networking, but offline networking, that is a different beast.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: And you know I'm somebody that gets as nervous as the next person walking into a room full of strangers.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: So I can sympathize with those who find network daunting.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: But we all have to network, whether large or small.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: And you know, networking doesn't have to be something formal or frightening.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: You know, if you think about it, your immediate network is your family and friends.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: Ask yourself do they know what you do?
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: Do you actually tell them?
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: We sometimes forget to tell those closest to us what we do and when we're looking for new opportunities.
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: But remember, friends and family can be your biggest cheerleaders and advocates, so tell them about your plans, of what you do.
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: Like I said, networking opportunities don't have to be formal affairs.
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: It can be your local running club where you just you know, chatting to your running partner about your career aspirations, a friend on the school run your auntie that you've launched a new business, you're looking for clients or you're looking for a secondment?
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: You know, just telling a colleague during, you know, maybe an informal meet up, um, but networking always has something in common.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: It requires you to be brave, to put yourself out there, be authentic and friendly give and receive and, most importantly, tell people what you do, the skills you have and what you want.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: So in this section of the podcast I'm just going to talk you through.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: Some people have said to me about how to network and be brilliant at networking.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: So one of my dear friends, rebecca Newnwnham, founded her outsourcing business, getahead, 14 years ago and she did not like the thought of cold calling but she knew she had to get out there to make those all-important sales.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: So she turned to local networking meetings to meet local business owners who might be interested in what GetAhead had to offer.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: So although she was obviously nervous attending her first few networking events, she's become such a pro that she now hosts her own LinkedIn local networking event in her hometown in Guildford.
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: So Rebecca says there's obviously different types of networking meetings, but it's finding one that writes for you.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: So you know some of these are a little bit more informal networking events.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: Some are more formal, where people go around and do a little pitch, but it's all about you showing up authentically and being um comfortable as well.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: Um, and she said, if you feel a bit daunted about attending these big events, you can carve out your own little comfort blanket within a large group.
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: So, before going to an event, clarify what you want to achieve.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: It could be just something that you just want to have three really good conversations with people, or you just want to relax and see where you go.
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: It's permitting yourself to set your own agenda before you um even go to an event.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: She also says that it's helpful to get a hold of an attendee list before you attend so you can do a little bit about research about who's going to be there, so you can link in with them on linkedin ahead of time.
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: So it's a friendly face when you walk um into the room.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: And don't forget, she said, if you're in a group and see someone coming up, open or out, and allow those people into the conversation, because ultimately that's what everybody's there for to meet and connect with others.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: Her final bit of advice is be the person you would like to meet and be that person.
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: Be the person that's engaged, who's asking questions, is interested in the person you're talking to and listening to their answers.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: It's all about being a little bit brave, putting on your big girl pants and thinking well, I'm here, I must make the most of it.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: Um.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: Leanne Cooper she's a career advancement coach for women and she helps corporate female leaders accelerate their careers by transforming self-doubt into self-confidence, so they can stop getting overlooked and start getting noticed.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: And she also spoke to me about networking and what to do.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: So she said spend some time preparing to support yourself in the run-up to the events.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: What can you do before a networking event to really serve you?
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: So focus on that relationship with yourself.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: So and check how you're speaking to yourself.
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: So if you find yourself thinking you're not good enough, you're going to make a fool of yourself.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: You're not going to um, you're no good at this type of thing.
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: That's not going to help you.
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: So if you wouldn't say it to a friend, don't say it to yourself.
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: Get yourself in that positive mindset to start and preparing for the event.
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: Um, there are a couple of pointers.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: So do some research.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: And the first one is.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: Is there a theme?
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: So some networking events that will dictate you know what the format will be and subsequent conversations that will take place.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: Um, and formats can differ considerably, so some are definitely more informal and relaxed, whereas others are more structured.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: Do you stand up and introduce yourself or can you mingle more freely?
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Um, so ask the person that's organizing the event.
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: Um, because you know feeling uncertain, unprepared, will lower your confidence and increase your self-doubt.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: Like rebecca she said, check who else is attending as well.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: Contact the other attendees on linkedin.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Let them know you're going.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: Recognizing a friendly face at the event will help carb your nerves.
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: If it's an industry specific event, research some of the latest industry trends, as these will often be a point of discussion.
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: You don't want to find yourself in a group of people being asked your opinion about something and not knowing what they're talking about.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: This will just knock your confidence.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: And obviously, think about the event logistics.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Don't arrive late, because if you arrive late, you'll feel like people are looking at you, so arriving early has the benefit as well of few people in the room, so it won't feel as overwhelming when you arrive.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: Um, but be yourself, she says.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: Approach networking with authenticity.
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: People appreciate genuine interactions.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: Authentic relationships are much more likely to be sustainable and beneficial.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: If you're authentically you, you will attract your kind of people and have a better time.
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: Try to be approachable.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: Like Rebecca said, seek out anybody who's standing on their own.
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: They might not know each other and could feel awkward.
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: Speak to them.
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: This is a great starting point and they'll be so pleased that you came over and wanted to chat.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: Put your phone away.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Obviously, that's not ideal for a networking meeting.
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: Look up up, make eye contact, smile and use friendly, open body language.
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: Be open-minded about who you approach.
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: It's good to identify individuals or groups that align with your goals, but it's also important to diversify and not to limit your network to people like you or people in your immediate fields, and focus on building just a few meaningful relationships rather than just collecting several contacts, because quality is always so much better than quantity.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: And then in she said, it's all in the follow-up.
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: So make sure you take some time to carve out, some time to recognize your efforts and achievements and contact those people.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Connect with them on linkedin, um or whatever.
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: You know you what other form, even it's email, etc.
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: But connect with those to say you know what other form, even if it's email etc.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: But connect with those to say you know, it was lovely to meet you, look at that time and you know that's the follow up is what starts building those relationships.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: She suggests ending the message to your new connections with an open question to encourage conversation.
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: An example question could be what did you think of the session?
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: She said bonus points.
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: If you can share something of value with these new connections, perhaps an introduction to someone you know could be a valuable connection to them or a helpful resource um as well.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: So there you have it a guide to networking um without the dread of walking into a room full of strangers.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: Networking is about sharing who you are and what you aspire to do with your immediate circle and beyond.
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: It's all about being genuine, stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the power of connection.
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: It's a two-way street.
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: It requires giving as much as receiving.
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: So you know it's listening to people, thinking how you can help them in what they want to do as well.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: But it's about being visible, vocal about your aspirations and open to forming new relationships.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: You know it's brilliant opportunity networking to foster career growth and business opportunities, and people like Rebecca and Leanne have proven that, with a bit of preparation, authenticity and the willingness to put yourself out there, networking could go from a daunting task to an empowering tool that opens doors to endless new opportunities.
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: Um, remember, it's not just about collecting contacts, but about building meaningful connections that lead to mutual growth and opportunities.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: Put on the big girl pants be the person you'd love to meet and dive into the networking scene with confidence, curiosity and an open mind.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me on this week's episode of the work.
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: It like a mum podcast.
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: As I mentioned, my book flex is out on the 23rd of january.
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: It's available in all good bookstores, including amazon, waterstones, bh, smith, target, if you need the usa foils, and it's your blueprint for career success, whatever stage of your career you're at.
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: There are chapters on how to identify what you want in your career, what your values are, what your definition of success should be, how to put in a flexible working request, cvs, cover letters, obviously linked in interviewing like a pro and the all famous juggle as well, and how to manage that, and there's even chapters on setting up your own business, if that is something that you are considering.
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: I'll put the links to all what we've chatted about in the show notes and I'll see you next time.
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willett and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: You can also follow my recruitment site Investing in Women on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dreams.