Networking Episodes
Sept. 12, 2025
35: The Most Counterintuitive Networking Strategy
What if one of your most effective networking strategies could be relying on your competitors to be your advocates? Host Doug Lester explains why this actually works, based on his experience as an executive recruiter at a top firm. And he offers a few tips for doing it the right way.
Aug. 7, 2025
34: How To Remain Competitive When AI Makes Career Advancement a Steeper Climb
As business leaders become more comfortable incorporating AI into their organizations, the shape of org charts will change. It's already happening, and it's going to have an impact on career advancement. Host Doug Lester shares classic tips about how to remain competitive amid all the changes.
June 20, 2025
33: Why Summer is the Perfect Time to Network for Your Career
It's just about summer, and if you think you have to wait until fall to network for your career or a new job, you're mistaken. Summer is actually the ideal time to do a little networking. Host Doug Lester shares insight from his experience as an executive recruiter at a top firm.
Dec. 20, 2024
27: Don't Reach Out to That Executive Recruiter Before You Listen to This
You should think twice about reaching out to an executive recruiter you don't already know and have a relationship with. Host Doug Lester explains why, based on his experience as an executive recruiter at a top search firm, reaching out to recruiters directly can potentially create self-inflicted c…
Dec. 6, 2024
26: Five Ways to Get on Executive Recruiters' Radar Screens
Have you ever been concerned that executive recruiters weren't calling you enough (or at all) or were calling about roles you weren't interested in? If so, then host Doug Lester shares five strategies for getting on the radar screens of recruiters for the right opportunities. They're based on his e…
Oct. 11, 2024
23: Why You Shouldn't Drop Dates and Experience from Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume
If you're in your 40s or 50s, have you ever been advised to drop the dates from your education entries and remove a few of the earlier roles from your LinkedIn profile and resume? Trying to soft-pedal or hide your age and level of experience can actually work against you getting the aspirational se…
Aug. 30, 2024
20: A Simple Way to Increase Your Confidence in Networking Conversations
If you've ever felt less than confident in a career networking conversation, you're not alone. Host Doug Lester shares a tip he picked up as an executive recruiter that helped him feel more confident and be more effective when he was networking for a living. It can help you, too.
Aug. 16, 2024
19: Why You May Procrastinate Networking for Your Career and What You Can Do About It
Send Doug a message If you’re trying to get started on networking for a new job or your career, the fear of reaching out to people isn’t the only thing that might keep you from getting started. Host Doug Lester shares insight...
Aug. 2, 2024
18: How to Ensure Your Career Networking Is Worth The Time
Send Doug a message If you've ever felt that networking for a new job or your career is a lot of effort for very little benefit, then you may be doing it wrong. Doug Lester shares techniques he learned as an executive recruit...
July 19, 2024
17: Get More People to Say "Yes" to Your Networking Requests
Are fewer people saying "yes" to your networking requests than you'd like? You may be unintentionally causing the problem. Doug Lester shares a simple strategy he learned as an executive recruiter to get the people in his net...
July 5, 2024
16: Two Proven Strategies When You're Networking For a Job
Have you ever been networking for a job and found that your narrative's not working in a conversation with a critical decision maker? Or maybe things do click but you end up feeling like you cut the process short and short-ch...
June 21, 2024
15: How to Get Over Your Fear of Networking
Need to start networking to advance your career, but can't seem to do it? You're not alone. Doug Lester shares his personal experience with networking procrastination as a new executive recruiter and how he got over it. Read ...
Feb. 29, 2024
7: An Easier Way to Make Direct Eye Contact on Zoom – the Elgato Prompter
Making direct eye contact or what feels like direct eye contact on Zoom is hard. Beyond looking back and forth between a person's image and your camera lens, which is less than ideal, you need a teleprompter to make it work. ...
Feb. 22, 2024
6: Make Direct Eye Contact on Zoom and Improve Your Executive Presence
If conducting important meetings or being interviewed on Zoom leaves you feeling at a disadvantage, you're probably missing the direct eye contact that happens when you're meeting in-person. And your executive presence is pro...
Jan. 25, 2024
3: Explaining a Career Mistake (AKA a Blip)
Have you ever made a "career mistake?" Most people have — but they can be awkward to explain when you're networking or interviewing for a job. Host Doug Lester provides a straightforward, honest and effective framework for ex...