The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Professional Edition: Learn to Network. Get a Job.

Wonderful book for anyone starting or enhancing their networking skills. All levels of employees need to know this information and apply it

This book is the single-most useful advice book I've read, hands down. It's short, sweet, and completely demystifies networking, which I have found daunting in the past and avoided at all costs. This book truly has helped me gain confidence in my ability to make and upkeep professional connections, and taken all the bite out of "asking for help." I wish I had this book when I was in LA and trying to navigate the entertainment industry! There were so many meetings in which I didn't know how to lead or what to say, and they felt like wasted opportunities. This book would've been the perfect guide.

I had to buy this book after three people recommended it to me in the space of one week. The book is in some ways a behind the scenes view of how people who will hire you think about the process, and in part a how-to guide for finding your next job. And that is sorely needed, because the old-school method of searching job boards and firing off resumes doesn't work - if it ever did. I was leaning towards giving five stars, but only shied away for one reason. I think it should lean in even further to the practical "how to" part of the text. While I have a good idea of how to do a 20-minute meeting, I feel like I needed more guidance on practicing the techniques. As someone who has spent 30 years managing meetings one way, it's pretty difficult to shift the technique overnight. That said, overall - this is a very very useful book, not just for job-seekers, but for anyone who needs to maximize the value of their network.

Authors Marcia Ballinger and Nathan Perez have written a straight-forward and extraordinarily practical guide on maximizing outcomes of networking meetings. Although I have years of experience in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and consider myself reasonably relationally savvy, this book provides a timely refresh on structuring questions and actively engaging people in brief yet highly fruitful networking meetings, regardless of your professional season. In fact, I even had a networking meeting with Marcia herself, and she is as engaging, professional, and generous as she presents in her book. Helpful and refreshing guide if you’re re-entering the job market after a sabbatical or simply looking to sharpen your professional networking skills. Definitely recommend!

It won't take you long to read, but it will completely change how you think about networking (it isn't something to be dreaded with this detailed guide!), and how you conduct your networking activities. Even if you thought you were good at networking, this book will transform you into a much more effective networker, and a networker that gets much more positive results. I highly recommend this book to any and all job-seekers!

Whether you're job hunting or looking to expand your network, this quick and practical guide provides a solid model for those conversations. Easy to understand and implement, it's a great addition to your business/career toolkit.

This book is very practical. It is full of actionable steps that help the reader develop his own networking skills while offering a clear and concise adaptable framework. The guidance is efficient and direct to the point, saving time for both parties involved.

Couple friends found this book excellent and recommended it. It's a quick read, filled with good humor, anecdote and extensive direct experience. I particularly appreciated the candid treatment of the entire topic of networking, dispelling my view of it being a "schmoozy" practice that often felt like it was a waste of time when people asked to network with me. I now see how those notable exceptions that I truly enjoyed had leveraged the concepts in this book. I was asked to speak earlier this week at an upper level college class for Finance students and recommended this book to them. The professor is planning to acquire it and provide for each of his students.

If networking doesn't come naturally to you, this book can help!

In December I managed to book 6 different people for Networking coffees in Jan. So over Christmas I decided to do some planning to make the most of them and part of that was reading this book. I am going to start by saying this is the most begrudging 5 start review I have ever left. The first 45% of the book is waffle that looks designed to sell you on buying the book. Thanks but I already bought it and and was hoping to learn from it. 1 Star. However the second half of the book is incredible. The method works. I have been using it and feel it has added immense value to my networking meetings. I actually saw some of the scenarios highlighted play out across the face of one of the people I was meeting as they shifted from not sure what they could do to couldn't be any more helpful. Their structure has also been flexible enough to let me bring in a few other ideas or topics of interest beyond just job hunting. All my meetings so far and ended with a positive impression and additional contacts and advice, the additional contacts especially being something I was really struggling to get previously. 10 Stars! So on average 5 Stars then... you can see maybe why I feel this is a begrudging review but I think if you are interested in getting better value from networking then you MUST read this, at least the second half.

The book gives simple and practical tips. Tried myself and it work wonders.

True to the core message of this book, the authors have given you so much more with less. A quick read for anyone looking to end their job search or transition to a new role. I picked up this book because I work for a great company and always looking to progress internally. At this stage, any moves for me will only happen through referrals. The book is practical, to the point and does not dwell on the same point over and over again. That’s why it’s a quick read that keeps you hooked till the end. I’ll be applying the 20MNM principals to create “evangelists” in the enterprise I work at, and with patience and persistence (and practice) I’m confident I’m going to be movin’ on up!!!

I just couldn't get into this book. I think I expected more based on the previous reviews and all the awards that the book got.