Build Authentic Professional Relationships (without it feeling gross)

Most people think professional networking means collecting more LinkedIn connections or showing up at awkward events, but that approach often feels fake and exhausting.

In this episode of The Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah Doody, a UX Researcher, Product Designer, and Career Strategist, shares how to replace traditional networking with something more sustainable: building authentic professional relationships through a quarterly engagement plan.

You’ll learn how to identify which professional relationships to focus on, how to create a lightweight tracking system to stay organized, and how to build genuine professional connections without burning out.

Sarah also walks through practical ways to use LinkedIn, email, and even Twitter lists more strategically — so you stay visible, helpful, and top-of-mind with people who matter to your career.

Whether you’re job searching, freelancing, or just want to expand your professional networking with intention and authenticity, this episode will help you take the stress and guesswork out of “networking” and make it something you actually enjoy and not something gross.

Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & why “networking” feels gross
01:00 – The mindset shift from networking to relationship-building
02:15 – How to decide who to focus on each quarter
03:35 – Creating a list to track and prioritize people
04:40 – How to use LinkedIn strategically without relying on the algorithm
05:45 – The one-email-per-quarter rule (and what to say)
06:40 – How to personalize your outreach based on what people post
07:30 – Using private Twitter lists for focused engagement
08:20 – Turning online interactions into real conversations
09:10 – Why quarterly goals make relationship-building manageable
10:00 – Final thoughts: building real relationships that actually last

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CONNECT WITH SARAH
💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahdoody
📬 Newsletter: https://careerstrategylab.com/newsletter
🎤 Podcast: https://www.careerstrategypodcast.com
🌐 Website: https://www.sarahdoody.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahdoody

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CAREER STRATEGY LAB
Career Strategy Lab is a job search accelerator and career incubator for UX, Product, and Tech professionals. Our clients have been hired at: American Express, Blue Origin, Home Depot, Microsoft, Salesforce, Wells Fargo, and many more companies!

💻 Apply to join: https://careerstrategylab.com/apply
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Видео Build Authentic Professional Relationships (without it feeling gross) канала Sarah Doody