The Side of Networking No One Talks About Not About Being Seen, But About Being Felt



There’s a kind of loneliness no one warns you about when you’re trying to grow. You show up at events. You rehearse the pitch. You connect on LinkedIn. Still, no callbacks. No leads. Just silence.

It’s not that you’re doing it wrong. But it can start to feel like you’re on the outside of something you can’t quite name.

We’re told that networking is about being visible. But what if the most powerful connections aren’t about being seen at all…

— but about being felt?

Networking Isn’t About Talking. It’s About Contributing.

We’ve been taught to treat networking like performance art: shake hands, smile wide, memorize your elevator pitch. But the most meaningful professional connections often come quietly and unexpectedly from moments of generosity.

It’s not always the people you chat with at a seminar who change your career. It’s the one you helped solve a problem. The colleague you mentored when no one else had the time. The acquaintance you introduced to a job lead without being asked – these are moments that stick.

And when someone remembers how you showed up for them, especially when there was nothing in it for you, they come back. Sometimes not immediately. Sometimes not even consciously. But that seed of goodwill? It grows.

Real networking isn’t transactional. It’s relational. Not built on charisma but contribution.

Why Most People Get Networking Wrong

Most people treat networking like a vending machine: insert message, expect instant return.

But human connection isn’t transactional. It’s compounding.

If you’ve ever thought:

“I’m too introverted to network.”

“I don’t know the right people.”

“I’ve tried reaching out, and no one responded.”

That’s not failure. That’s normal. You’re not here to perform or charm your way to success. You’re here to build trust through generosity because generosity fosters lasting memories.

And memory builds opportunity.

Read More: https://peonymagazine.com/career-money/networking-is-about-being-felt/

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