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The November dinner meeting was very energetic and inspiring from the time that the speaker started presenting!  Jay Arbetter is a Financial Planner and he spoke about Professional Networking.  He did this through a workshop format and he gave a lot of personal examples from both his professional and volunteer work.   Jay started off his presentation by saying that “Your attitude determines your opportunity”!  This was very eye opening and then he encouraged everyone to identify their ambassador/advocate.  This is the person that has your best interest in mind and will help you to get to where you want to go.   

You may be asking what is networking?  Jay mentioned that networking is a common interest or common passion that can bring people together and eventually help you professionally.  For example, everyone at the chapter dinner meeting most likely had some kind of common interest in Project Management, so this made it easier to get to know and network with each other.   Jay also explained that networking is about the feelings of the person that you are networking with and trying to get to know better versus your feelings.   You need to learn what you can about them (overtime) and once you feel like you have a better understanding of who they are, let them know why you like them and what a great person they are. He gave some examples of how by doing this, he was able to build trust, and he was able to get some opportunities to help him in his career that he probably would not have had.  He also stressed that if you are not able to tell someone why you like them and that they are great, then it is time to recognize that you probably don’t have anything in common and to move on.  He explained this further by saying that some people just aren’t connectors so it will be more difficult to network and connect with them. 

Now that you know what networking is, how do you go about it?  Jay recommended creating a spreadsheet and to start by writing down every person you know.  Think about what you like about them, what you admire about them, how do you reach them, and when is the best time to contact them.   If you are actively looking for a new job opportunity, this is a great opportunity to network with these people and see if they happen to know anyone who works for the top 3 or 4 companies that you are interested in.  They can then help connect you with someone who may be able to help you.  You can also follow this process if you are interested in volunteering, getting more involved with your church, getting more active in your neighborhood, etc.   Think about what types of opportunities you are interested in and then think about how you can connect with someone who might be able to help you.     

The 1 ½ hours passed very quickly and Jay summarized his time with everyone by ending with “Be on the offense.  Make something of your life”.  If you would like more information, connect with Jay Arbetter on Linked In and look for his book on Amazon….  The Power Networking Strategy: The Personal Approach to Landing Your Dream Job: Arbetter, Jay: 9781944913137: Amazon.com: Books.   

This was a great way to wrap up the 2024 chapter dinner meetings!  The next in person meeting is on January 16, 2025.  Watch for more information about the speaker and topic on www.fwpmi.org.