Best Networking Strategies for Mentorship

Here's my "Never ask for a mentor" framework that led to: - Mentorship from an NYC food entrepreneur - Writing for Ryan Holiday - My first 6-figure job - $2k to speak with zero experience - Getting on top business podcasts (before I had a business) - Moving from teaching to tech - Quitting my job and going solo I know this is going to help people: 1. Never use the "M" word - Never ever ever ever (ever) ask someone to be your "mentor" - This creates instant pressure - Start with a specific, thoughtful question about their work - Show you've done your homework on their background - Ask one simple question that will help you (that they can answer is less than 60 seconds) - Be SPECIFIC (Not "whats your best tip for somebody starting out..") - Keep initial outreach brief and respectful of their time 2. Take their advice and ACTUALLY DO IT - This is where 99% of people fail - When someone gives you advice, implement it immediately - Don't wait for perfect conditions - just execute - Document your process and results 3. Circle back with results - Return with "I tried what you suggested and here's what happened..." - Be honest about both successes and failures - Express genuine gratitude for their guidance - Nobody does this - they'll be genuinely surprised 4. Use that momentum to ask the next question - This creates natural permission to continue the conversation - Each exchange builds more trust and access - Focus on quality questions that show you're serious - Create a cycle of value exchange rather than a one-sided relationship 5. Repeat consistently - Continue this loop with multiple people in your industry - Be patient - relationships build over time - Gradually deepen connections through consistent follow-through That's basically it. People love seeing their advice put into action. While everyone else is asking for mentorship and doing nothing with it, you'll stand out by simply following through. Do this enough times and you'll build a network that creates true freedom - freedom where you will always have work if/when you want it and a support network that lasts a lifetime. Any questions? Was this helpful?

The secret to accelerating your career isn't spamming mentors with cold DMs or wasting time with small talk at networking events. Instead, ask these 7 key questions to learn from the people ahead of you: 1. What is something most people think is important that I can skip entirely? As a beginner, everything looks important. But as you progress, you realize most things aren't. So instead of wasting your effort in dozens of directions, ask this to figure out what to avoid. 2. What part of your daily routine do you wish you had started sooner? People ahead of you got to where they are with simple daily actions compounded over time: • Figure out what they are • Build them into your days • And stick to them for years 3. What channels led to the building of your highest-quality relationships? It's cliché, but you are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. But finding the right people isn't easy—unless you know where to look. So use this question to get some directions. 4. What is something you did differently than your peers 5 years ago that led to pushback, but served you in the long run? If you do what everyone else does, you can expect to achieve what everyone else achieves (mediocrity). Use this question to identify behaviors to shed. 5. What can I expect to struggle with along the way? Growth is having problems today you would have begged to have had years ago. So if you know which struggles are coming, you can prepare for them and continue to grow (which means unlocking new problems). 6. What is something you believed 5 years ago you had to "unlearn" to take the next step? Progress comes from the constant cycle of: • Identifying a bottleneck • Removing it • Repeat Most of the time, that bottleneck is a behavior or belief you have to "unlearn." 7. What's something you didn't pay enough attention to early on, then had to learn the hard way? Early on, you're flying blind. You don't even know what you don't know. So the faster you can uncover these blind spots, the faster you can improve.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗠 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿. 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸. That it was only for extroverts, salespeople, or those who knew the “right” people. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The truth? LinkedIn changed my career more than any job board ever could. From landing internships to publishing research and breaking into power & energy, the biggest opportunities in my career didn’t come from job boards—they came from building the right connections. Yet, so many professionals hesitate to network strategically because they: * Feel awkward reaching out to strangers * Don’t know what to say in a cold DM * Fear getting ignored or rejected I get it—I used to be the same way. But once I started using LinkedIn the right way, I landed mentors, internships, and research opportunities that shaped my entire career. Here’s How You Can Do It Today: ✅ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 * Look for professionals in your target field (engineers, hiring managers, senior leaders). * Use LinkedIn’s “People Also Viewed” section to find similar profiles. * Join industry groups to see who’s actively sharing insights. ✅ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 Forget “Hi, can I pick your brain?” That doesn’t work. Instead, try this: 💡 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗠 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲: “Hi [Name], I came across your profile while learning about [topic]. I admire your work on [specific project]. I’d love to hear your thoughts on [question]. Would you be open to a quick chat?” ✅ 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗠 * Like and comment on their posts genuinely * Share their work and add your insights * Make your name familiar before sending a message ✅ 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 People respond better when you bring something to the table: * Share an article or resource relevant to their work * Offer a fresh perspective on one of their posts * Ask a specific, thoughtful question instead of just “Can you help me?” The Outcome: I’ve used this exact strategy to build meaningful relationships that led to: ✔ Internship opportunities before I even applied ✔ Research collaborations that boosted my career ✔ Insights from industry leaders that I couldn’t find anywhere else If you’re not leveraging LinkedIn for strategic networking, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. 💡 Try this today: Pick ONE person you admire, craft a thoughtful DM, and hit send

I do a lot of networking with folks looking for advice and trying to figure out their careers. Here are the top things I wish folks would do when engaging with me: 1. Do your homework in advance. If your ask could've been done without talking to me, it should've been done beforehand. A LOT of people ask me for help with finding a job at NVIDIA yet they have not identified any specific role at NVIDIA relevant to them. You can browse NVIDIA's open roles before talking to me. If you haven't at least taken this step, I don't see value in giving you my time. 2. Make it easy for me. If I give you my time to meet, send me a calendar invite ASAP (surprisingly a lot of people don't do this). Be flexible with your schedule when scheduling with me. If there are wide swaths of time during which you can't meet with me, meeting with me is probably not that important to you. If it's not important to you, then why should it be important to me? 3. Do the work. Be specific. Go deep. If you have an ask, make sure you've put some thought and work into it. There is a decent amount of content about me and my company online. Understanding this and looking into it beforehand helps you and I get the most leverage out of our interactions. 4. What's in it for me? Good interactions are 2 way exchanges. People who very one-sidedly ask me for anything clearly do not understand this. A lot of the great mentors I had understood that I had a perspective into a world they weren't plugged into. They would ask and I would volunteer whatever insights were relevant to them. This made it worth their time. 5. Build relationships, not LinkedIn connections. Adding somebody on LinkedIn is easy. Therefore, it isn't differentiated and is thus low value. Sending somebody a LinkedIn connection request with a message is still easy, but it's actually much harder than without a message. And because of that, it's actually differentiated. But building a legitimate and genuine relationship with someone is truly different and challenging. And because of that, it's more likely to get a desirable outcome. The bulk of great relationship building does not happen on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a tool, not a destination. Understand this and know how to use it. 6. Know when to reach out. The absolute worst time to engage with me is after I have a LinkedIn post that gets a lot of traction. That's when everyone is reaching out to me. And given the volume, I am least likely to engage with someone whom I don't already know. The patient person realizes this. And remembers to engage me once things have settled down. This takes more effort, which is why it's so rare. These are just a few of my observations and advice for folks trying to network in general and on LinkedIn. It's doable, but it takes effort to do something different and unique. The more thoughtful you are and the more effort you put in, the more likely you are to become an Ace networker!

The best mentors won't find you, You have to find them. My core values for career development: • Ownership - Taking responsibility for your growth • Courage - Moving through discomfort for what matters • Reciprocity - Creating value, not just taking it What I can't stand is seeing people wait for career opportunities while mistaking passivity for patience. Here's how to ask potential mentors (without feeling awkward): 1/ Be direct about your goals Don't beat around the bush. Tell them exactly what you need. "I was promoted to senior engineer and want to level up my systems architecture skills. Would you be willing to mentor me?" 2/ Tell them why you chose them People appreciate knowing what drew you to them specifically, showing you’ve done your homework. "I'm reaching out because of your experience leading engineering teams at high-growth startups." 3/ Start with a small ask Don't request a long-term commitment right away. "Would you be open to a 30-minute video call to connect?" 4/ Be gracious if rejected Sometimes people don't have bandwidth. That's okay. "I understand you have significant demands on your time." 5/ Ask for alternatives If they decline, their network might be your next opportunity. "Is there anyone you'd recommend I connect with instead?" 6/ Approach with the right mindset Confidence in your goals. Respect for their time. Gratitude for their expertise. I've seen too many careers stall because of fear of rejection. But I promise: The temporary discomfort of reaching out is nothing compared to the permanent pain of career stagnation. Stop waiting for the perfect mentor to appear. Make the first move today. What strategies have worked for you when finding mentors? Image Credit: GraciousQuotes --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.