How Much Networking Is Too Much Networking?

Aug 12

How Much Networking Is Too Much Networking?

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN

Networking is good for your career. I'm the first who will tell you to make those LinkedIn connections, create a catch-up schedule, and to get out there and meet more dietitians!

But is there a point when all those LinkedIn messages, coffee chats, webinars, conferences, follow-ups, and “just checking in” conversations start eating into the time you need to actually do your work - when you actually need to make money?

Yes.

Speaking for myself, of course! I love networking (I do get nervous at mixers, but that's another article). In fact, I've written numerous articles and social media posts on the value of networking when job hunting, career pivoting, or trying to attract collaborations with other dietitians or businesses.

Networking can create opportunities, but more networking is not automatically better networking. The goal is to build genuine professional relationships, efficiently, without turning relationship-building into another full-time job.

Why Network in the First Place?

As dietitians, we can get very focused on doing good work - seeing patients, giving talks, pitching food brands, meeting deadlines, developing programs, writing, charting, managing businesses, and keeping up with approximately 47 other things.

But people need to know what you do.

Networking helps other people understand your expertise, interests, goals, and the kinds of opportunities that might be a good fit for you.

And it works in both directions. Networking isn't just about finding your next job. It can help you:

Learn what's happening in other areas of dietetics
Discover jobs or projects you may never see posted online
Meet potential collaborators, referral partners, or mentors
Hear how other dietitians built interesting careers
Learn about emerging specialties and new types of work
Become more visible for speaking, writing, consulting, media, or leadership opportunities
Stay connected to the profession when you're happily employed and not looking for anything

That last one may seem like it doesn't matter, but actually, it does.

So...What Actually Counts as Networking?

A lot more than walking into a giant ballroom wearing a name badge at FNCE.

Thankfully.

Here are some of my favorite ways for dietitians to network:

Send a LinkedIn message

See someone doing interesting work? Tell them.

Comment on their post first. Ask a thoughtful question. Send a short message about something you have in common.

You don't have to immediately ask for a Zoom call.

Go to our professional conferences

Local dietetic association meetings, state conferences, specialty conferences, and of course FNCE can put you in the same room with dietitians you might otherwise only know from LinkedIn.

You don't need to meet 50 people.

Meet five relevant ones.

Schedule career catch-up calls

This has become one of my favorite forms of networking because it doesn't feel particularly "network-y."

Reach out to someone you already know and simply catch up. Ask what they're working on. Share what you're doing. Talk about what's changing in dietetics.

I wrote more about exactly how to do that here:

How to Network as a Dietitian Through Career Catch-Up Calls

Follow up after a webinar, podcast, panel, or live event

If someone says something that genuinely interests you, send them a note.

Something as simple as:

“I really appreciated what you said about ____. It gave me a new way to think about ____.”

That's networking. I do it all the time. Really. If a podcast guest says "connect with me on LinkedIn", I will. I will include a nice note saying how much I enjoyed their interview or their content shared. I literally just did this (to a famous person) before I wrote this article.

Give talks yourself

Speaking for your local dietetic association, DPG, university, professional organization, LinkedIn Live Event (that you create), employer, or conference is networking on a completely different scale.

Instead of introducing yourself to 30 people individually, 30 people just learned who you are. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn.

Volunteer professionally

Committee work, professional associations, community organizations, advisory boards, and conference planning can create meaningful relationships because you're actually doing something together. You already know this.

Make introductions

This is one of my favorites.

Know two people who should know each other? Introduce them. In-person or via email.

Being a connector strengthens your network without making every interaction about what someone can do for you. And it's a low lift, efficient, task.

Ask one good question

Networking doesn't always require a meeting.

You might ask a fellow dietitian:

“What are you seeing in corporate wellness right now?”

“Are employers asking you about AI skills yet?”

“What surprised you most about starting your private practice?”

One thoughtful question can start a very interesting professional relationship.

But How Much Networking Is Too Much?

Here's my point.

Networking is productive until it starts replacing productivity.

If you've had six coffee chats this week but haven't finished the invoice that's actually going to pay you, we may have a problem.

The same thing can happen on LinkedIn.

You log in because you're “networking.”

Then you comment on three posts.

Then you read someone's newsletter.

Then you look at who viewed your profile.

Then you review your post analytics.

Then you discover a dietitian doing something fascinating in Canada.

Then somehow two hours have passed.

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, but it is still a social media platform. It has absolutely no objection to keeping you there all day.

Networking may be taking up too much space if you're:

Constantly scheduling calls with no particular purpose
Spending more time talking about projects than completing them
Saying yes to every professional event
Checking LinkedIn throughout the day
Feeling pressure to respond immediately to every message
Collecting connections without building actual relationships
Falling behind on paid work, applications, business development, or personal priorities

The goal isn't maximum networking.

It's efficient networking.

Put Networking in a Container

I think networking works best when you give it some boundaries.

Instead of networking whenever you happen to remember, decide how much time you're willing to give it.

For example:

15 minutes on LinkedIn, three times a week.

Comment thoughtfully. Reply to messages. Send one message to someone you genuinely want to know better.

Then leave.

You do not need to know what every dietitian on LinkedIn has accomplished since breakfast.

Schedule one or two catch-up calls a month

That may be plenty.

Over a year, that's 12-24 real conversations with people in your professional world.

That's a meaningful amount of networking.

Batch your follow-ups

After a conference or webinar, block 20 or 30 minutes to send your follow-up messages.

Don't let “I should follow up with that person” float around in your brain for the next six weeks.

Choose events intentionally

Before registering, ask:

Why do I want to attend this?

Maybe you want to learn.

Maybe there are three people you hope to meet.

Maybe you want to reconnect with colleagues.

Maybe you're exploring a new practice area.

All good reasons.

“Everyone else seems to be going” is less compelling.

Protect your actual work time

Networking should help create opportunities.

But once those opportunities arrive, you need enough space to do something with them.

Write the article.

Submit the proposal.

Apply for the job.

Build the program.

Prepare the presentation.

Serve the client.

Finish the project.

Make money. Collect money. Deposit money.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your professional life is close LinkedIn and get back to work.

A Better Networking Goal

Instead of asking:

“Am I networking enough?”

Try asking:

“Am I staying meaningfully connected to people in my professional world, efficiently?”

You don't need to spend hours on networking.

You need enough interaction to keep learning, stay visible, nurture relationships, and make it easy for people to think of you when something relevant comes along.

Then you need time to go do the work they thought of you for.

That feels like about the right amount of networking.

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About the Author

Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN, is the Founder Owner of NutritionJobs and DietitianSalaries.com and is an established dietetic career expert. She helps steer dietetic and nutrition professionals to a successful job search process with the top-ranked dietetic job board platform, NutritionJobs.com. Stacey is the author of The Dietetic Resume Guide and numerous dietetic career action-ables. She gives the tools to create a modern standout dietetic resume to land that job interview, help with job interview prep, and with creating Compelling LinkedIn profiles. Stacey has interviewed and hired many dietitians. Since running NutritionJobs in 2000, she has reviewed thousands of dietetic resumes. She works closely with dietetic hiring managers and recruiters to know the standout elements on a resume that land a job interview. Stacey speaks on successful compensation negotiation at professional conferences and frequently consults with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at FNCE and co-created the webinar series, Dietetic Career Hack: The Complete Networking and Resume Guide and Dietetic Career Hack Part II: Interviewing Tips and Tricks. Her previous dietitian jobs have been in clinical, nutrition support, and research.

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