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Episode Description:

Being laid off, or leaving a job that wasn't right for you, can feel like wandering around a new city with no phone, no map, and no sense of direction. Before you know it, imposter syndrome can creep in and you may find yourself feeling extraordinarily lost.

In this episode, Beth reveals 5 ways to succeed in networking when you're unsure of what your next move is!

Links mentioned in the episode:

Podcast:

The Type A Plus Podcast Instagram

Host:

Beth Lawrence LinkedIn

Beth Lawrence & Company Instagram

Beth will be back each week, delivering bite-sized tips (15-minute episodes or less) on how to optimize your life and work.

Episode Transcript can be found below:

Welcome to the Type A+ Podcast with me Beth Lawrence. I'm a certified meeting professional, award-winning event planner, entrepreneur, and the classic over-prepared overachiever. I'm the owner of Beth Lawrence and company an event planning firm that specializes in helping visionaries organize and execute impactful experiences. In each episode, I'll be delivering bite-sized tips on organizing your business and life even during your most hectic times. So let's get started.

Hello, everyone, welcome back to the Type A+ Podcast. I hope that you enjoyed last week's episode about creating a winning LinkedIn profile and that you had some time to make those updates. Today we're going to be talking about networking while unemployed. We have an episode in Season One about networking, Type A+ networking to be exact. So definitely go back and listen to that episode in addition to this, but there will be new tips on this episode.

If you have been laid off in the last few months, I hear you, even if you haven't been laid off in the last few months, and maybe you're between careers, maybe you have a side hustle, maybe you're starting something new, it can feel really daunting and impostor syndrome can creep in, my husband always advises me if I'm nervous about a situation.

They keep telling him I'm really nervous. I don't know, I don't know what to do, I don't know what's gonna happen. He says, Just tell yourself that you're excited. Tell yourself those butterflies in your stomach are the excitement of starting a new chapter and go into it knowing it's a clean slate, you can be strategic about your next moves.

And in some cases, especially if you are unemployed, there are a number of different options to move forward, and maybe a different career path altogether. So the first is to be strategic. Go back again to the networking episode. But figure out which types of networking groups you want to join industry-specific. Is it a geographic location that you want to start networking in?

Do you want to start getting new contacts in a new area really be strategic and selective? And then when you go into those networking situations, make sure you have your LinkedIn updated and ready. And that's why we did the LinkedIn episode last week. So if you haven't listened to that, make sure that you listen to it. Because having your LinkedIn updated and ready is really key to getting in contact and making sure that you can keep those contacts moving forward, and that they know who you are unattached from any sort of role or specific company.

So the next point is to go in not only having an ask but having an offer. Even if you don't know what you're going to do next, or you don't know what types of introductions you need, have something that you can offer someone else. Whether it's introductions, or maybe even a conversation, a consultation, having something that you can offer to that other individual will make sure that you have a mutually beneficial relationship from the start.

And also make sure that you haven't asked yourself whether you need introductions to new mentors if you need connections to people in a new industry if you'd like to just have coffee with that person and run a new pitch by them. Have an ask and an offer for each situation that you go into. And finally, make sure that you follow up. A lot of the times when we're at networking events, we get so caught up in the conversation, possibly having a few drinks, maybe looking at the location, and assessing the room that we forget to really hone in on why we were there in the first place. Make sure that you follow up with the contacts that you meet.

And that goes for everyone whether they can do something for you at this point in your career, or not whether you can actually serve them in some way right now or not. Really just follow up with people and let them know that you had a good time meeting them and speaking with them and that you look forward to staying in touch especially if you're on LinkedIn.

That's enough to form a connection strong enough hopefully to stay connected, follow one another, and see how you can support one another in the future. To review. Networking, while unemployed can be really difficult. impostor syndrome really creeps in but you have to know that you have something of value as yourself, regardless of who you are attached to company-wise. So be excited.

This is the start of a new chapter for you. And then be strategic at the type of networking events that you go to how you spend your money, and how you spend your time. When you go to those networking events, make sure you have an updated and ready LinkedIn. Make sure you have An ask and an offer. And make sure to follow up with all of your connections.

Go out there, network, make those connections and make those dreams come true. I will see you next week much for listening to this episode of The Type A+ Podcast by me Beth Lawrence. New episodes will be released each week. Don't forget to find us on Instagram at the Type A+ Podcast and slide into our DMS with questions and episode ideas and introduce yourself. If you liked this podcast, please share give us a five-star rating, and subscribe. I'll see you next time.