Craving Connection

Morning meetup at a locally-owned coffee shop scheduled...check
RSVP'd to an evening post-conference dinner...check

Now, I’m ready for this weekend’s Society for Women in Engineering Conference (where I’ll be sharing my perspective as a “Jill-of-All Trades” on a panel).

I don't go to many conferences now that I'm a coach/freelancer. But when I do, I try to make the most out of the opportunities to socialize beyond the boundaries of the conference. And I align those meetings with my values, which include supporting small businesses.

I recognize these meetings are one of the privileges that come from in-person conferences. They benefit those who have the time, money and support structures (such as childcare) to attend. During COVID-19, when all conferences went virtual, the opportunity to participate was extended to many who had been previously shut out. And for those who HAD attended in the past, many realized the critical value of these "bonus" features.

And if you’re a job seeker or just wanting to check out what other options are out there, I highly encourage you to check out conferences or gatherings you could attend (as I discussed previously, in my series on Gardening as a Metaphor for Networking, Networking 101 and Making Your Garden Thrive). I know of multiple associations and societies that are offering significant discounts for people impacted by layoffs and funding cuts from the federal government. If that’s you and you know of a conference you want to attend, it’s worth checking out the organizer’s website.

Making the Most of Gatherings

If you can attend something in-person, here's my suggestions for success.

• Find ways to meet with others in smaller settings. Know your bandwidth and organize appropriately. If you're not a morning person (or traveling to an earlier time zone), skip the 7am coffee. If you're an introvert, limit the number of gatherings, schedule when you're NOT mentally drained and keep the group size small.

• Pick a spot that isn't a coffee shop in a conference hotel. The lines there will be long, seating will probably be limited, and it will most likely be noisy. If you have the ability, talk (or roll) outside to go to a nearby establishment or coordinate shared transportation. This supports the local economy too.

• Explore options beyond eating and drinking for your meetups. Some of my favorite memories of frequent travel from the Midwest to Seattle include getting up for sunrise hikes on the hillside where our hotel was located (see picture below from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill). Explore the city you’re staying in, meet in the hotel gym, see a local theater production, visit a nearby museum...there's so much to do!
  

  

  Enjoying the sunrise after a morning workout. Traveling westward is one of the only times I use “enjoying” and “sunrise” in the same sentence.

• Talk about work AND life during these meetings. Genuinely connecting is the goal, not getting a job, recruiting a new client or finding a collaborator for a project. Those things can organically come out of meetings, but they don't need to be the goal going into it. Let serendipity arise.

• Continue the conversation afterwards. Find a social media platform you're both on where you can connect (regular readers know I’m a big fan of LinkedIn but other platforms work too). Note something another person mentions and follow up with them via their favorite connection method to see how things are going a week later.  This means you need to find out their preferred method if you don’t already know it. Are they a texter? Emailer? Phone caller? Slacker?…wait, that doesn’t sound right… Even if it’s not YOUR preferred way to connect, honor their preference. If you see something related to what you discussed afterwards, shoot them a message and share the resource.

We're all craving genuine connections right now. Seek them out!

Resource Roundup

I’ve decided to mix things up in this section of my newsletter. Here I’ll be sharing a variety of resources that support job seekers and efforts to find community.

• Looking for folks to follow on LinkedIn who regularly post job opportunities? Check out the list at the bottom of my newsletters from November 29, 2024 to January 16, 2025.

• Sarah Schaffer has restarted posting a list of PR, communications and marketing opportunities on LinkedIn on Mondays.

• Higher education folks can attend a free webinar from the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Donald Trump and Higher Ed: We answer your questions”. NOTE this is TODAY (March 6) at 1pm ET.

• For the meteorologists in the group, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) has opened its Career Resources page for free to anyone in the meteorology community.

• For anyone involved in earth and space sciences, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) is hosting a free webinar, “Community empowerment: Thriving together despite the unknowns Part II” on March 19 at 2pm ET.

• For those involved with diversity in STEM efforts, the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is hosting a free webinar, “The Future of Support for Girls and Women in STEM” on March 24 at 3pm ET.

• Struggling after being laid off? Listen to the podcast, Proxy with Yowei Shaw. Yowei is the former host of the NPR podcast Invisibilia but was laid off in 2023. She started Proxy as a way of trying to understand why she felt so terrible. She began this new podcast with “The Layoff Trilogy”. This series does an amazing job of combining research and storytelling as it address a devastating situation with compassion and generous helpings of humor. This is a must-listen resource if you’ve been laid off or if someone you care about has been.

Hi! I’m Sara Kobilka, owner of Renaissance Woman Consulting.

I am a Renaissance Woman (what’s THAT? Good question! Here’s my answer). My wide-ranging background includes time as a TV meteorologist/reporter, non-profit leader, higher education program coordinator, curriculum designer, and now, business owner. During each leg of this journey, I gained new skills that I was able take with me in my next step. Now, I work remotely with clients to help them confidently tell their story and navigate the transition to the next leg of their career journey.

Take the Next Step

• Follow me on LinkedIn where I actively cross-pollinate impactful ideas across industries and disciplines (and regularly share job opportunities I come across)

• Check out my one-on-one career coaching program or join a cohort of job seekers for small group coaching

• Sign up to be the first to know when I offer my workshops: Using LinkedIn to be a Powerhouse Networker.

• Participate in one of my LinkedIn Sprints (March is for freelance creatives and I’ll be announcing the date for my spring sprint for job seekers in the next newsletter!)

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