S/O Networking for siloed workers

[Anonymous]

From another thread I was told I need to network to get inside job offers and insight into pay potential at various companies.

I have no idea how to build a network in that way. I work at my agency and we have no official interaction with outside companies. No one ever leaves so I don’t have any Johnny Appleseed contacts out there I can leverage with people who left and can report back.

Do people go to a ton of conferences (our agency won’t pay for ours) or industry trade group meeting or something? How to translate exchanging emails with some rep at a booth into a real relationship?

Cold call informational interviews? Neighbors in your fields (I’m surrounded by lawyers — I have zero connection to law).

I am a friendly person, and make small talk easily, I just never encounter people in any meaningful way to network?

What am I missing? Are you hitting up college acquaintances on LinkedIn?

[Anonymous]

I go to professional events in my field, and I also volunteer to give talks at those events. This might be a conference, but there are also local/free/online events.
I write things and post them to LinkedIn that could be useful to people, and I wind up talking to people that way.
I ask friends if they know people I should be talking to
None of this is explicitly about finding my next job, it's more about being useful and talking to people who share my professional interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go to professional events in my field, and I also volunteer to give talks at those events. This might be a conference, but there are also local/free/online events.
I write things and post them to LinkedIn that could be useful to people, and I wind up talking to people that way.
I ask friends if they know people I should be talking to
None of this is explicitly about finding my next job, it's more about being useful and talking to people who share my professional interests.

I’m in an extremely niche field — very few people would find me “useful” (think like squirrel mating patterns in Delaware).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go to professional events in my field, and I also volunteer to give talks at those events. This might be a conference, but there are also local/free/online events.
I write things and post them to LinkedIn that could be useful to people, and I wind up talking to people that way.
I ask friends if they know people I should be talking to
None of this is explicitly about finding my next job, it's more about being useful and talking to people who share my professional interests.

I’m in an extremely niche field — very few people would find me “useful” (think like squirrel mating patterns in Delaware).

Can you do side projects with the skills you've learned in your field? None of the speaking and writing I do is directly out of projects for my current job. I don't know specifically what's going to make you more visible in your broader field, but there's got to be something. Like, in your example, it seems like you might have something to offer/learn from with the squirrel mating people in other states, but also maybe other animal researchers. Also, I bet a lot of people would actually be fascinated by this because it's so different.

[Anonymous]

I’m the OP from that other thread and I don’t formally network at all. My contacts are just people I know from before I joined the govt in prior jobs, people who have left my office for other jobs, and, in some cases people I’ve gotten to know through the course of my work where I do sometimes have to deal with people outside the govt or in other agencies, and maybe a few people I happen to know socially who work in related areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP from that other thread and I don’t formally network at all. My contacts are just people I know from before I joined the govt in prior jobs, people who have left my office for other jobs, and, in some cases people I’ve gotten to know through the course of my work where I do sometimes have to deal with people outside the govt or in other agencies, and maybe a few people I happen to know socially who work in related areas.

Yeah, I have a few folks like that but none at orgs I want to transition to. I need to play at another level — like start a side hustle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP from that other thread and I don’t formally network at all. My contacts are just people I know from before I joined the govt in prior jobs, people who have left my office for other jobs, and, in some cases people I’ve gotten to know through the course of my work where I do sometimes have to deal with people outside the govt or in other agencies, and maybe a few people I happen to know socially who work in related areas.

Yeah, I have a few folks like that but none at orgs I want to transition to. I need to play at another level — like start a side hustle

This is too narrow thinking. You don't just want access to THEM you want access to THEIR network and presumably, unlike you, they know people who work everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP from that other thread and I don’t formally network at all. My contacts are just people I know from before I joined the govt in prior jobs, people who have left my office for other jobs, and, in some cases people I’ve gotten to know through the course of my work where I do sometimes have to deal with people outside the govt or in other agencies, and maybe a few people I happen to know socially who work in related areas.

Yeah, I have a few folks like that but none at orgs I want to transition to. I need to play at another level — like start a side hustle

This is too narrow thinking. You don't just want access to THEM you want access to THEIR network and presumably, unlike you, they know people who work everywhere.

Its not like we hang out regularly, I'm lucky to meet a former colleague for lunch every 5 months -- everyone seems so busy. How to do you connect with people they know -- ask if they know someone at a particular company?

[Anonymous]

The only way to have a good Fed exit is to advance to a leadership role, and then transition to director/partner etc at new firm. When you are in leadership, you will have lots of contacts externally etc