Network in a way that plays to your strengths, recommended Shana Montesol Johnson, a career and leadership coach who works with development professionals, in a video interview with Devex’s Kate Warren at the Manila Career Forum.
See more career tips:
• Ask Devex: Newest marketable skills, how to overcome overqualification and more
• Manila Career Forum: 6 tips not to miss
• Thinking about a career coach? Here's what to expect
People often have high expectations during formal networking events, but these situations can also be overwhelming, and that’s normal. It can be more valuable to think of networking as anything you can do to help build and maintain relationships with people who you can help — and who can perhaps help you, whether now or down the road.
“It’s not limited just to swapping business cards,” she said, adding that networking can be at book club or a PTA meeting.
Watch the video to hear more about Montesol-Johnson’s ‘two who’s and one what’ elevator pitch formula and what to remember once you use it.
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers is a global development reporter for Devex. Based in Bangkok, she covers disaster and crisis response, innovation, women’s rights, and development trends throughout Asia. Prior to her current post, she covered leadership, careers, and the USAID implementer community from Washington, D.C. Previously, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has since reported from more than 20 countries.
