113. How to Network for a Job Search with Dominic Imwalle

Hello, I'm Portia Parker Griffin and I want to welcome you to the Career 101 podcast. A Place for ambitious professionals and seasoned executives who want an edge in their career. We're talking about all of the things you were never taught or told when it comes to career growth, development and change. Now let's get into it foreign. We are talking about how to network for a job search with Dominic Mwali. Dominic Mwali believes that you should be able to obtain your career dreams. And that's what he helps professionals do. He's a career coach, guiding frustrated mid career professionals to their target roles by teaching them to have the right conversations with the right people. Dominic was an underdog. He never had the perfect GPA experience or stories to tell and still broke into the number one professional service firm in the world. Before that, he spent time in public accounting startups and Fortune 500 companies. Dominic saw how treacherous the job searching process can be. Automated rejections, ghosting 14 rounds of interviews and 250 applications a week. He doesn't want you to have to live in the process that every candidate believes to be normal. Hi, Dominic, how are you today?

Good. Doing well, Portia, super excited to be here.

We are thrilled to have you with us to discuss how to network for a job search. But first, we want to know a little more about you. So tell me about seven year old Dominic.

Ooh, seven year old Dominic definitely loved hanging around other people, whether it was friends at school, hey mom, can you organize a play date? Or hey, can I go over there? And just to be honest, I'd spend hours running around with friends, whether it was the neighborhood kids or whether it was trying to get connected with someone new. This question's making me draw a lot of parallels back to how I approach life now. But I guess I was open to a new kid would come to school, I'd be like, oh, hey, how do I. Can I hang out with them? Or can I get to know that person's bubbly? Just bubbly, creative, a bit fearless, I would say as I ran around the neighborhood or met other people or introduced myself to parents and whatnot. Like I. All those things came a bit natural to me, but it's refreshing to think about seven year old Dominic. That's a good one.

So what did seven year old Dominic want to be when he grew up?

I wanted to. I don't know if you've ever seen ncis. We haven't talked about this. I wanted to be Abby from ncis. Like I wanted to be a. I Wanted to be a forensic scientist. And as I got closer to college, that's what I was looking at all the time. And I think I even entered the school that I graduated from. I entered as a criminal justice major and quickly, just after freshman year. But that's. I thought that was so cool. That's what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Yeah. Very cool. Very cool. So, Dominic, tell us about some highlights or pivotal moments in your career before you started your business.

I would say breaking into Deloitte, that was definitely the highlight. I had, I had all these internships. I had sat back of the house recruiting, helping an HR team. I had gone and done public accounting. I had worked at Right4Fortune 500 in industry. So I had all this different experience and I really wanted to break into the number one firm. I came come from a smaller school. Deloitte wasn't at my college. I had to work super hard. And that's before I started my own business. And that was just the number one thing. How do I break into the number one professional services firm? What does that look like? And then once you get there, it's just a completely different moment because you get there and you realize, hey, maybe this goal was a little short. Hey, maybe I could have gone a little bit further here. Hey, what does this look like in 10, 20 years if I'm to hang around here? But this, that was one of the big goals early on. And then I would say before I built my business. And I think a lot of business owners, or just people who are creative in their own worlds outside of their nine to five, can respect the podcast and the voices you try to get around as you're going about that. So I was just listening to all these people who were entrepreneurs or who had started a business or focused on professional development, like, that's where I fell in love with. And that might be something different for other people, but it's what came natural to me. That's what I spent time doing, and that's what people would reach out to me for. And so I just loved consuming information around that. So that was definitely an underrated time of my. Of this journey so far. Yeah.

To your point about breaking into Deloitte, and I'm sure you see this too, we have a lot of clients that kind of have that dream company. Whether it's Google or Meta or Amazon or whatever company it is, they have a dream of breaking into it. I know that there's a lot to how you broke into Deloitte, but if you could Just drill it down to maybe a couple of things. What do you think really helped you to get in?

Yeah, good. Great question. Super scrappy. I would just say that's how I think about it. Overall, just super scrappy. I didn't care who said no to me. I didn't care if they showed up to the call or if they didn't show up to the call. I had tried to schedule with them and were maybe standoffish or didn't want to see me go further. And I just focus on the people who did. I was in touch with a lot of other big four companies that were willing to bring me on, were willing to push my resume across the table, but it was like, hey, how do I get to number one? What does this look like? You guys don't come around to where I hang out. You're not looking at my pool. I'm at a small liberal arts school in Austin, Texas, with 4,000 kids. They just weren't visiting there. And so how do I break in? And so I leverage people I had known back in the Cleveland office. And I randomly got a recruiter's email. And so I went through just the cold outreach and I went through that way. And then it's okay. And then set up a lunch, then set up coffee. Okay, now you're knocking out these steps. How do you go. How do you go get more information from people that you already know to show up better in those interviews and those conversations? Because if you think about it, four years before that, I wanted to be Abby from ncis. So now how am I breaking into the number? Like, it's just such a backward cycle at time. And I. People don't. I didn't put an emphasis. I did. And I don't think people realize the emphasis that you need to put on just gathering information. Like, hey, what is the exposure is the point here? Right. What does the room feel like? What are they saying in the room? Who is invited in the room? How did they get invited? And so just by studying all that was the key to, okay, look, you can do this. And that's another part you're going to realize on the back end once you get there is this isn't rocket science most of the time. So those are a few of the things that really pushed me along the journey or just gave me fire behind my wheels. Momentum.

Yeah. Something I can hear about you, Dominic, is that you're strategic, but at the same time, you're able to focus on the practical execution of doing things to kind of work through that process to get into Deloitte, hats off to you. So what motivated you to become a coach?

What motivated me to become a coach? I love seeing people win. I think it's a great question. What motivates you to become a coach? Because you can be a coach in so many different things. And I love the distinction between coaching and mentoring. Hey, coaches, ask the right question to unlock whatever that is that you're holding back. Mentors are people who have been through it. Have you been through it? I wasn't going and seeking advice from people who hadn't been at Deloitte. I wasn't. That's just not what I did. And so by the time I right, I can go down or rabbit hole there, but for coaching, I just love spending time with people. I love the raw one on one sessions. I love similar to the conversation we're having right now, it's just a bit more raw when you can get into the one on one piece and people and their professional aspirations. It's a touchy subject. It means a lot to them. They have goals, they have aspirations. Did they reach them yet? Did they not? What's the big blocker? I love finding that out with people and then understanding, hey, we can make it through this. I think that's half the battle is, hey, is there an accountability piece behind coaching? And then can you relate to that person and can you serve them well? Can you be the right person that unlocks them, that asks the big question, that stands out and stands up when, hey, maybe they need a shoulder to lean on or they need your support a bit more? And so that's just what's maybe attracted to me, to coaching and just kept me in the game there. I love it so much. I love being able to just pause and ask the right question. I think it's pivotal.

Wow. So I definitely admire what you said. The very first episode of this podcast is a solo episode with just me launching the podcast. And one of the things that I say in that episode, and I say all the time, is my coaching philosophy, which is similar to yours. I want you to win. I want our clients to win. Heck, I want everyone in my life, friends, family members, I want everyone to win. And so that, I think, is a similar motivator when it comes to, I think, between the both of us. So you have an interesting background. Why did you decide to focus on career coaching specifically as one of your areas of expertise?

Got it. I had the experience that similar back to that mentoring piece. It was like, okay, people are coming to me for this advice. Just naturally. And of course, I talked about the information you're around. The podcast that I was listening to at the time, it was like, hey, what are you just naturally gifted at or good at? Obviously, I can have a conversation with people. Like, we're having one right now. I'm. I've worked to become a better coach. That takes a ton of work. But in terms of just the. Hey, can you navigate a. A job search? Can you. Do you understand what goes on behind the scenes? Do you know how to attract the attention from the HR team? Those are all things I've seen and done, and I've then navigated it at a global scale at Deloitte. And so that's what continuously attracts me to. But it. But if we go back to the piece of, like, why are we coaching it? And it's. I love to see people win professionally because then it unlocks so many other parts of their life and changes their trajectory. And not only their trajectory. Right. Their kids. Their kids, kids. And so I just. I've loved that. I've been enamored by it since the start, and that's what's kept me in this space, because I have had friends that do the fitness coaching. They work, mental health, whatever it may be. It is interesting to see how they go down this route. But that's just what was naturally. I saw naturally occurring in my life time and time over again, and I'd always wanted to start my own business, so I was like, hey, we got to give this. We got to give this a shot.

Great. So it sounds like, Dominic, even as you were navigating into Deloitte, you were doing a lot of networking. What is your definition of networking?

Ah, good question. What's your def. Definition of networking? If I had to keep it super simple, I would say, hey, you're showing up to a conversation that you want to have and is with someone new. Can it. Can it look. Can it be a friend's family, everything like that? Yes. And can that be called networking? Yes, but most of the time, and you'll see it on my profile, I just refer to those as conversations. And that's why I get a little bogged down on the networking word. And that's why I changed up the definition here, because so many people are holding networking calls simply just to have them, just to say, hey, Dominic, I went networked. And it was like, what? That wasn't the goal. The goal was for you to talk with someone that you enjoyed. And I get it. I've definitely Held networking calls just to have them. And it's not the best place to be at times because you're. You're pulling questions from your teeth, you're trying to act interested, and it's just not a pretty or authentic place. And so I want more people to show up to write a call with you, a call with you, a call with someone else, a call that, you know, hey, this person is doing work that I actually admire or think is cool. And questions are just starting to flow. And so that's my definition of that moment. And let's just say it's. Let's say it's more of a moment than a thing that you need to do, right? You'll know when, even if it's out to dinner, you're out to drinks with your friends, and you run into someone. Like, you'll know when you're quote, unquote, networking because you just, you maybe have a smile on your face as you're answering a question or asking one, and it's a special place to be. And I wish we. I wish it wasn't always bogged down by this networking word at times because I think it stresses a lot of people out when they hear that advice or just, hey, go do this.

I agree. I think the whole concept of networking can be overwhelming. And it also, I think, goes back to personality. I'm an introvert, and I have a lot of clients that are introverts as well. And I find that networking can be scary for introverts. So when you are working with clients and maybe they feel pressure around networking, how do you help them through that?

I pull it back to how I started, the definition of networking, finding people you enjoy. And sure, Dominic, that's easier said than done. What does this look like? And then this is when I run into the, hey, I've exhausted my network already and I would challenge you on that. That's one thing I'm always challenging in those coaching sessions is, hey, I've exhausted my network. Because who do you hang out with? Like, I'm sure you have friends, or whether it's alumni or people you surround yourself with, or if it's people at work. Okay, cool. Do you enjoy what they do? Do they do anything outside of their 9 to 5 that you think is really cool? Then, hey, just start there. Start wherever it is. I've had a couple job seekers come back to me recently and they're like, hey, Dominic, I just was at a pilates class and I ended up talking to this and like, we hit it off and then, and then I have homework on the back end. Hey, go find 15, 20 people on LinkedIn, whatever it may be. And it's the homework can wait. Like that can wait. I'd rather you be in person with that. You enjoy spending time trying to figure out, oh, how like it's easy for you to operate in that space and sure, it may take you a little bit more time to, to pull that connection all the way back to your career, but you just never know what some of these people, what people around you have and who they're connected with and who they know. And so that's the biggest place I try to start with people who are really struggling. And then tactically, if you didn't want to go, if you think that was a woo woo answer, write out better questions. People are genuinely bad at asking questions at time. And so just by asking interesting questions that maybe they haven't heard from their family in 10, 15 years ever about their career, you're going to grab their attention, you're going to attract them towards you. They're going to want to show back up to another conversation and help you. I love when someone tries to schedule a networking call with me, but then they just come prepared. They're not, you might waffle a little bit, but they're just, they're going off the rip because they want to know more about what I do or what, what I'm doing out there. And so those are the conversations I appreciate and I'm willing to go back and help that person out. So that's where I try to start. If people are a little bit stressed out and they hear this word networking, I try to remove it and that's why you'll see me use conversations a lot.

So in my years as a coach, I've seen many different networking strategies. What do you think are the essential components of a networking strategy for a job search?

I would say we've been starting with targeting a lot recently. Like I, I mentioned some in the last answer questions, people, you enjoy all of that. But in terms of targeting, you're going to run towards where you're getting traction. That's bottom line, regardless of what I say, what any other person on LinkedIn says, and I love a lot of the LinkedIn coaches and new strategies that I see, whatever it may be, but simply running towards, you know, whether it's the role, hey, am I going to the role? And I'm snuffing people out around the company and that seems to be really working for me, right? Just trying to talk with people that have a role close to the role I'm going after, or a role that, hey, I'm already in. And I want to know more about what they do and approaching them from an angle of information. Totally different. When you approach them and say, hey, I'm just like, I'm looking for a referral. I applied to this job. It's more, hey, what are you guys building towards in this role? What is this? You know what? Have been some chat as quick as you can, try to ask some of those questions and grab their attention and get connected with them. That's awesome. So in terms of being strategic, that just helps you understand the structure of the role. Hey, what is this? Hiring team, company? What are they after? What do they do? How do they organize? And then the other piece is back to our last question here. Okay. Where in other parts of your life are you having success? Just measure that. Just look at that. Like successful conversations. I'll caveat it there. Where are you just flowing naturally? Hey, it comes off the bat. I have more questions to ask this person than I can end the call with. Hey, is there anyone else that, you know, you think I should be connected with? I'm sure that happens in your personal life. And I don't believe we get enough credit. We try to run immediately towards LinkedIn. And so this is all under. Just having a. When people say strategic or targeted approach, like I said, that's targeted at the start. This is what I mean. Right. Understanding, hey, where am I getting results? And what comes easy to me is pivotal to ask. We can go into asking great questions, showing up on time, having, clearing up if it's video or audio, making it easy on the person, keeping it light. Like we can go down a laundry list of things that would make networking good or just that call good and pivotal. But I just think being strategic from the start and saying, hey, am I going to the Pilates class? And it's providing fruitful results already. Okay, cool. Go double down there versus running to LinkedIn and cold outreach.

You said a lot of great things.

Yeah.

One that I want to really echo is when you said approach people from an angle of information. I have a lot of clients that are managers or leaders within companies, and they're. One of the things I hear from them is they say all these people just reach out to me on LinkedIn and they. I don't even know them and they just want me to submit them for a job or put in a good word for them for a job. And starting out that way I don't think is really authentic nor is it the best way to do that. So I really liked what you said there. When it comes to the approach, you started talking a little bit about LinkedIn and cold outreach. So I want to know what are your thoughts on in person networking versus online networking in a job search? The Career 101 podcast is brought to you by Fly High Coaching, where we help our clients soar to their full potential. More and more professionals and executives are setting out to achieve their career goals, but without the right support, it can be difficult if not impossible. Whether you need career coaching, interview coaching, or a program with a professional resume and a LinkedIn makeover, we're here to help. Could your career use some 911? It's not uncommon for executives and professionals to feel a little overwhelmed, stuck or confused when it comes to their career or income. There are other people who want to know how to ramp up their success, consistently achieve their goals, and make a bigger impact. After hundreds of clients came to me with the same issues, I started recording the patterns for the Career911 masterclass, solving the top five challenges executives and professionals have. In the free masterclass, I share the exact strategies our clients use to tackle the top five problems. Check out the link in our show notes.

Okay, awesome. I love this for Cole. Or I'll start with LinkedIn because it was just coming to my head and I didn't mention it in the last question is expect it not to work for a little bit. I swear. Just finding some way to fuel yourself with the nos or hey wow, dominic, a message 9 to 10 people and they didn't respond. You have to figure out some way past that because it's just gonna apply to other areas of your life. Like you're gonna run into no's a ton. Whether you're trying to switch projects while you're trying to get into a new company, while you're trying to network and so just get ready for it and if it's not your professional, you'll see em in your personal life. You're gonna run into them and differences. What looks different? I think when I'm on LinkedIn I' to ask one question that catches their attention. Like you said, I'm not going out after the referral. I'm not going after the hey, can I pick your brain for 15 minutes? I just want to be human. I want to tell them why I'm stellar. Hey, what do I do? If it's not in my headline, what is the I help do what so that they can. I want to answer some type of. I want to have one sentence that just catches their attention and says, wow, I want to know more about what Dominic's up to or what this person's up to. And then I'm asking them a question on the back end. Hey, what are you building towards? Or hey, I've noticed this. What are you guys doing to differentiate? Or. Or how have, how has your team approach this? Or how are you even approaching it? So that's what I look for on LinkedIn. I'd say when it comes to in person networking, I love this. I always prioritize it. I think it's awesome. For me, it's obviously looked like trying to get connected with other creators. So if it's a conversation like you and I had a couple weeks ago or it's. And that wasn't in person, but right. I'm in Austin and so I'm trying to get out there more. I'm trying to show up to coffee shops, I'm trying to get connected with other because they're doing the work that I'm interested in. And back to the whole, the whole gist of a lot of my answers here. Hey, are you interested in this person? Are you willing to have a great conversation? That's what really affects the in person networking sessions. All those little things. And maybe we don't. I shouldn't ignore the little things. Right? Showing up on time, making sure you have a list of coming prepared to that conversation. So underrated. Even if you're like, hopefully you're doing this for your interviews. But coming like I've definitely showed up to networking conversations with post it notes or hey, I need this note. I want these questions answered because they're bugging me and they're keeping me up at night. And so being genuine in that approach, I don't love the advice of being genuine. So you're most likely just embracing the behavior of curiosity. Hey, I want to carve out this pocket of people. I want to find out how they do this and what it looked like for them. So that's my biggest differences or things that I'm looking for during in person networking versus cold LinkedIn outreach to make it successful.

Yeah. And I think something that you were talking about just now and really throughout the whole conversation was that aspect of being prepared. And one other thing that I think being prepared can be helpful with, that you didn't directly say is that not only does it help you get better information. Right. That you want to know, but it also really makes that positive and memorable impression on someone else. And especially with networking first impressions, people talk about those a lot, but I think people undervalue them. And I'm sure, you know, this has probably happened to you before. It's happened to me. People who I remember meeting a long time ago, they'll remember one thing about that first impression, and if it's that you were prepared, I find you get a lot of brownie points for that.

Yeah, you just hung around, you showed up on time, you had the questions listed out. And even 30 minutes goes such a far way. Even trying to prepare for this podcast, it's like, hey, I carved out 45 minutes. I'm just sitting down, jotting down notes, trying to understand, hey, what? How do I want to approach this? It changes the game, however much time you can carve out, but simply carving it out.

Yeah. So what are some of the biggest challenges that you've seen executives and professionals have with networking during a job search?

Got it. Thinking they're worthy to show up to the conversation or thinking, hey, I even have a shot at making this transition. I've worked with people who are on the back half later, last fourth of their career, looking to find that one last role or, hey, Dominic, I want to be a senior leader over here. I want to be known as a thought leader here. And hey, what does that look like to you? Are. How are you showing up? Are you confident in the transition that you're able to offer here? Are you able to speak to what you bring to the table? Hey, this is what I value. This is how it's going to show up in those conversations where I'm going. And I think it's important to just carve out a pocket of time, whether it's reflecting, because those challenges, they come in waves. Hey, hey, this isn't working. I tried this, I tried that. And we rarely step back and just close the laptop, brainstorm for 30, 45 minutes. Hey, how can I do this differently? Back to the start of this call, where am I already getting results? And the challenges I'm seeing one amongst believing their selves is just saying is being okay with the nose. Hey, this wasn't really working. Let me admit it. Like, it's better to admit that you're doing poorly for a season than it is to say, oh, I think this is working for, like, the next years, the years to come. And so I wish people would admit that earlier on. And then showing up, I think that's underrated. I work with people where, hey, we're Crushing it those first two weeks. And then we lose momentum after three to four weeks or, hey, I got a couple vacations. I got this going on. I have family stuff going on. And I think there needs to be a period in your life where you just say, hey, this is what I'm doing. It's going to cost me a few things. Hey, I might put on a few extra pounds during this period, but I'm going to be okay on the backside. I'll come back to this in two months and we'll get there. Because I need to prioritize this right time, right now. I wish that's something people would consider as they're. And this is advice I've told. I've had to tell myself, I think that's most importantly, like, whenever my business hasn't grown, whenever I haven't been in the place I want to be at with Deloitte, it's, Dominic, you're trying to take people on vacation. You're trying to be at the gym for three hours, right? Like, all these different things, and it's, hey, settle down, bring it back to focus. And so I guess those are some of the challenges I see, whether it's consistency, whether it's believing you can actually be a part of that transformation, and whether it's, hey, can I have a good conversation with these other people? It's just part of the challenges I'm coaching people through.

Yeah, I see a lot of those as well. When people aren't consistent. A lot of times, Dominica, I call it the job search hiatus because they say, you know what? I'm gonna get back to it when. And life happens. Right? Everyone has family members, friends, other obligations outside of it. But I do think, to your point, that consistency and then having belief while you're being consistent is really important. And that's a, I think, definitely a big challenge when it comes to the job search in general. So are there any tools or resources that you'd recommend for someone when it comes to networking in a job search?

Go experience life. Like, just go out there and fail. Whether I've heard this one before, hey, are you walking up to the Starbucks counter and just asking if you can have that for free? Imagine that feeling you're going to have when you hear that. I heard that on a podcast recently and I loved it. But just getting out there and saying, like, trying to talk to someone or not going, right. I've had so many uncomfortable moments that shape me for the great ones, like this conversation or just shape me for the people When I'm coaching them. So going to experience life as you go through as I to get to that goal, hey, what does this goal look like on the backside? How am I getting there and what does it mean to me is one thing that I'm considering a ton as I move through the job search and, and another piece is, hey, it's okay, it's okay if it's going to come easy to you. I think just trusting that, hey, if I show up here and it's just a bit natural to me, that's okay. Whether it's talking with people, whether it's, hey, I craft the best emails and like content outreach when I'm reaching out to someone and they're just immediately hooked. Cool. Other people can't even generate that first sentence. So just sit in it, enjoy that time because it's a beautiful space and I don't think people realize what spending time with other people can do for you. I my worst moments are the moments I look back on where it's dang, man, I was struggling. I, I should have one, reached out to someone earlier and two, it's hey, I can lean on these people because you've spent time. If you have spent time. Let's caveat that because most people don't. If you spent time investing in others or just checking in and spending time with them, like that's what they're there for, that's what other people are there for. So trying to use them as you go through these things.

I agree. And I want to ask a question that I get from perhaps some of the people who might have trouble with the consistency that we talked about here or with getting those no's. Dominic, how long do you think it takes for someone to really start to gain traction in their networking during a job search?

I'd say you're gaining. So what does traction look like to you? Maybe it's something that you need to define. Hey, are you having five calls by the end of the week? No, you're probably most likely not. When I work with someone, we have our first two coaching sessions right off the bat and then I need to give you time because for me to say, hey, before we have our third session, I need you to talk to 10 people. It's just ridiculous. That's not how we work. We're working with other humans. Things come up. It takes us a while to understand what works. Hey, am I going after the right information here? And so right defining traction view. I would go easy on yourself in that first month. Hey, can I have two to three con, two to three fruitful conversations by the end of the month. They become fruitful by you doing everything we've talked about in this call so we could. That's a different thing in terms of traction, I think you see the real momentum after two to three months just being brutally honest. Like you start to look back and then you're like, there's the aha moment. Like it comes then because then you've, you finished the last five calls saying, hey, is there anyone else you recommend I connect with? And then you're onto those calls that those people recommend. Say you had three out of that and then you're like, dang, I started all the way back here, now I'm all the way up here. That's how it worked for me because I started talking with, I started talking with analysts and consultants and other people at my level. And then two months later I'm on the phone with a partner and my resume's in their hand and we're getting to do this project and I'm getting to see the world in a different light. But it takes so much time. I, I wish people realized. And I'll give it the two to three month of just dedicated showing up saying, okay, how do I prepare the best questions? Who am I targeting this, this week? What do I want to. There's just so many different routes you can go down to prepare for that call. But within the first week I believe you should have a list of people you're going after that is not that hard to come up with. It doesn't take too much time. And now it's just you iterating to figure out what's my best strategy for either getting in person with people or getting on the phone with them. So two to three months to see the real momentum behind networking, probably finally believe in it as a professional and not roll your eyes when you hear the advice. And then you should be able to by the end of the week generate a list of people you want to go target. Great, great.

So back in episode 52, we discussed networking for career success. So outside of a job search, why else do you think networking is important?

Oh wow, I'm sitting in a perfect example. I'm back in Cleveland right now getting my house that I bought three years ago on a whim to get ready to rent again. And I'm someone who always loved the idea of real estate and thought it was so cool, but I was, I remember sitting in my parents basement four or five years ago being like, wow, I just want a house, I want to rent it out, I want a multifamily, all these things. And I was just out one night talking with someone, they're like, hey, like I'm selling, come check out this house. Gave me a beautiful tour within two months. I obviously after years of saving up for it, I had the house and I'm sitting in it now. And it's just so funny to see how the world works. It's helped me spend time, do really cool things with my family. Whether it's hey, like you knew this person because you spent time with them and they're, they have access to this and you're able to do that. I could go on and on about the trajectory. It's helped me see different countries, see different people and organizations. I've gotten to coach at different places. I've gotten to present simply by just taking genuine interest and leaving a good impression. I think it's right I, I live by the quote or it just runs in the back of my head. Treat people right, you're never going to go broke. And I don't think the broke is always in sense of money. Like it's more just opportunities and the things you get to do. I'm someone who runs a jam packed calendar and travels a ton and tries to do everything and I'm sure it's going to change here soon and just try to slow down and whatnot. But for the most part it's just because of the people I'm connected with, whether I'm out in Phoenix for work, Ohio, back with old buddies, Florida, the Carolina, like all over the world to visit other people. And it's just, that's the reason I'm networking for success outside of my career. Just the people I know and the things that they're able to do. And another example would be like hey, my, my father needed some health care. We were able to get him the right health care because I knew someone that I went to school with and they were a doctor serving that exact need. And so that's when it's, that's when it comes really full circle and you blow yourself away and you're like, wow, I just, I treated that person right for so long. It was nice to them and showed up and now they're prioritizing my father and his health and you're like, wow, like this is a really cool world if you're willing to show up to it and just believing that people want to have fun, they want to do good, they want to have a conversation and you're going to run into some bad eggs and people you just don't enjoy. But don't let that get you distracted as you're, let's say, networking for your personal life or just having conversations with other people. It's a beautiful place and you don't gain anything from thinking that it's not. There's just nothing to gain outside of that.

Yeah. Yeah. Just great examples of how networking comes full circle. So tell us more about your business.

Yeah, so I within the last the business building. What a journey. So funny to be on. So funny to look back four years and think about, oh wow, I was wrong about this. Or admit you were wrong. Hey, I should have structured it like this and whatnot. But right now I'm wholeheartedly focused on building conversations over applications. I'm still working one on one with job seekers. I pull them into one on one coaching sessions. But then I built a community on the backside that is simply talking about a lot of the strategies that we do and hey, how do you carry it out? So I'm focused on building that. I love the idea of having people that, like we just said in this last question, aren't just showing up for their careers, but hey, they're traveling the world now. They're getting exposure to new groups and people that think differently. They've gotten out of the pocket that they've always known or the work that they've always known. And that's one of the transitions that I really love from the back end around coaching and this program that I've created. But I've really solidified. You'll see me talking about conversations over applications all the time and it's just a community I built to help people better show up to these conversations and use them personally, professionally to win the day.

That is great. We'll be providing a link to your website and social channels in our show notes so people can find you online. But what's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?

Dominic, I'm on LinkedIn. You can go to LinkedIn. I'll take you to my newsletter. I directly reply to every single person that subscribes to my newsletter. Sure there will be a day. I don't, but I definitely do right now and I just want to check in if you see a response from me that is actually me wanting to see what you're what's going on. It's not just some bot. So that's the best way to contact me. I'm always on LinkedIn or checking my inbox.

Great. So now I want to ask you our final question that we ask all of our guests. How do you think executives or professionals can get a positive edge in their career?

Positive edge in their career? Believing that other people want to help them. I said it in one of the last person. But you gain nothing from thinking they don't. And I've sat in those circles where I'm like, oh, this person doesn't want to see me go do this. They don't want to go see me win. But what does that get Dominic? It gets Dominic. Absolutely nothing. Like, I. I don't gain anything by thinking like that, but I gain everything by saying, oh, wow, I can schedule that conversation. Oh, wow, let me just show up, I'll do my prep. We'll see where it goes. And so that's a beautiful thing for people to understand. Not this blind hope or blind faith, but you showing up and doing the actual work. Because maybe I didn't put in enough emphasis on that as I. We went through this conversation, and I talked more through some of the big picture strategies, but I wish you knew the amount of reps it takes to get good at this thing. Oh, hey, I was working with someone through their interview. Hey, you're just phrasing these questions so good. And, like, how you're giving them context and how you're trying to answer the question in your head. What, Whether you're following a format that you found on LinkedIn or whether or not. But, hey, this took years of trying to do. And the amount of times I failed, where people are like, hey, we interviewed you and this didn't work, and then the amount of times it did, I. There's just endless reps to be put in. And so trying to find one way to put in a rep a day is super cool. Right? Like, for me, it's having this conversation, trying to get better at answering questions again. Right. Getting on podcasts and whatnot. And, hey, is my advice clear enough? That's a rep for me. What's a rep for you is something that I'm always asking myself and would ask executives and professionals as they move through their career.

Dominic, you've shared a lot of insights with us today, and I'm sure that our listeners can use it to be more confident in their careers. We appreciate you being with us.

This was awesome. Thank you so much. Genuinely appreciated our conversation today.

This episode was brought to you by the Brave Bird Career alliance, the Go to membership designed for seasoned executives and ambitious professionals with everything you need for career planning, strategy, training and support. Thank you again for listening to the Career 101 podcast. I hope you have at least one key takeaway that you can use in your own career. If you enjoyed hanging out with us, please rate, subscribe and share this podcast. Until next time, here's to your success.