Time to dust off the old Rolodex (aka dig through your LinkedIn contacts).

I worked with *Mary* 5 years ago in an industry that I left 5 years ago to pursue my career in fashion and beauty. A little bit of LinkedIn stalking later, and I discover *Mary* is now working at the fashion conglomerate of my dreams LVMH. I dig through their careers page and find a few interesting opportunities that I reach out to *Mary* with, hoping for her help in connecting me internally to the right business partner.

There are two camps of LinkedIn members – those that post exciting industry news, that congratulate others on professional accomplishments, that cultivate their contacts while drinking their morning coffee…and those that don’t.

*Mary* happened to be part of the former, and within a few days, responded to my message. It was just an initial connect, sure, but the more I approached my network, the more I realized the value of my connections – to give me a referral that put my application at the top of the pile, to connect me to an internal Recruiter, or simply to guide me on the types of roles to apply for based on my experience.

And if there is one thing I will do for the rest of my career, I will be that person that cultivates my contacts while drinking my morning coffee. I will pay it forward, and am so appreciative for everyone who responded to my LinkedIn messages about opportunities I applied for. It hasn’t yet manifested into an offer, but it’s gotten me pretty damn close, and for that, I am thankful.