Even in the age of AI, networking remains the most powerful way to build confidence, stay relevant, and advance your career.
Artificial intelligence is changing nearly every aspect of our work lives, from how we write emails to how we apply for jobs on networking sites like LinkedIn. But even as technology transforms the world around us, one truth remains constant: our greatest career asset is still our network.
That’s the message from LinkedIn Career Expert Catherine Fisher, who joined Jean Chatzky this week on the HerMoney Podcast to talk about why networking is more powerful than ever, especially for women navigating rapid change in the workplace.
Why Networking Matters More Than Ever
Jean Chatzky: The latest data from LinkedIn shows that 43% of professionals say their network is still their number one source of advice at work. How do we make these relationships with other people feel less transactional?
Catherine Fisher: The example I always give is that you wouldn’t call up someone you know, that you haven’t talked to in five years, and ask them to help you move. You would call a friend who you just had coffee with last week and know all about their kids, and are really good friends with them.
So it’s the same thing in that professional network; you want to keep up the relationship. It doesn’t mean you have to take someone out to dinner every week. It just means that you’re interested in what they’re doing in their career. You’re engaging in their content, you’re reaching out. I think your network is one of the most important things in your career. We’re all going to go through really good times. We’re going to go through hard times in our careers, and that’s really when your network will surround you and help you in those moments. But they’re not gonna be able to help you if they feel like we actually don’t really have a connection, and I don’t know what you’ve been doing.
Be Strategic: Don’t Just “Apply Everywhere”
Jean Chatzky: Where are we right now in the job market? What are you seeing in terms of people taking a longer period of time to get a job, and people holding onto their jobs because they’re afraid to leave? How bad is it?
Catherine Fisher: It’s really competitive, and it is taking people a lot longer to secure a new position. What’s happening is people aren’t necessarily being strategic in their job search. They are just applying everywhere, so they’re not hearing back because they’re not really qualified or don’t have the right skill set for the jobs they’re applying for. What you’re doing by not being super strategic is that you’re putting all your energy into roles that you probably won’t hear back from.
My advice is to be really thoughtful about the skills these companies are looking for. It’s as easy as looking at the job description, taking inventory of the skills they’ve listed as required, and then seeing if you have them. And if this is something you’re really interested in, learn those skills, and so on.
Simple Steps To Strengthen Your LinkedIn Presence
Jean Chatzky: What are the three changes that you think most people need to make to their LinkedIn profiles to just make them a little bit better?
Catherine Fisher:
- Add skills to your experience section.
- Make sure that your about section has that storytelling. Show the impact you’ve had on a company and demonstrate your growth mindset in interesting ways.
- Have a photo. You’re going to come up more in searches.
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