JT16 | Letitia Ng On Maximizing Value From Networking Groups

Before Covid, you often go somewhere you meet soon-to-be mentors, business partners, colleagues, investors or new friends, networking event. Nowadays, you don’t go anywhere but meet those people virtually at home. Whether in person or not, we all know networking is very useful to make connections, improve your career, and extend your network and opportunities.

In this episode, Letitia will be sharing what you should look plan and what benefits you could get from joining a network and how to maximize the values out of that.

Discussion Topics: Letitia Ng On Maximizing Value From Networking Groups

• A little research goes a long way
• Be an active listener and play a role
• Invest time to get involved
• Evaluate and change your network

Transcript: Letitia Ng On Maximizing Value From Networking Groups

Welcome to another episode of JobTok. There was a time, pre-Covid, when people met in real life, gathering in groups of strangers where they went through a quaint exercise of exchanging little paper rectangles with their name on them before standing around awkwardly surveying the room for a familiar face. Ahh… good times. Well, lucky now we have virtual meetup services that allow us to stare directly and hungrily into the face of a total stranger over video while we wonder why we sacrificed our lunch break to have another Zoom call!

But jokes aside, for those of us looking to broaden our network, such meetups can be really useful if we approach it the right way. We could make friends and valuable connections who might be able to help us in future. And as anyone who’d tried and failed to get recruiters to call back will tell you, such professional networks are pure gold in terms of building a high-growth career.

Today we’re chatting with Letitia Ng, a rising woman in tech who spent years actively involved with a networking group in Singapore, helping others while also gaining a lot of personal benefit from the program. She’s going to break down for us how to best leverage such networking forums in order to get more out of them than just dinner.

But before we begin, a couple of quick reminders: if you haven’t already, please do Follow or Subscribe to our show. We have a ton of great content coming up and you really won’t want to miss a thing. Second, the entire transcript is available at CrazyTok Media so don’t worry about taking notes – you can catch up on the whole conversation after.

So with that, thanks a lot for joining us Letitia. It’s great to have you here. Would you like to begin by introducing yourself?

I’m Letitia, currently a Program Manager at an US based tech company focusing on talent solutions. Prior to this, I was briefly in the VC world and before that I was a Regional Operations Manager at two of the biggest ride-hailing companies in SEA. This was after my switch from finance at the top Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies fresh out of school.

At the same time,  I was the 5th EXCO vice-chairperson of Young Women’s Leadership Connection, a non-profit network for young professionals in Singapore. In total, I was quite actively involved in the network for about 4 years.

Wow, 4 years is a really long time. How did you get into it and what made you decide to get so actively involved? At least speaking for myself, whenever I went for such meetups, I’d just show up, chat with people I know, grab a quick drink and disappear!

So I stumbled upon this group about 2 years out of school and in my first job, back when I was feeling a little lost about “what next?” For context, my entire life in the Singaporean education system had prepared me for how to get my first job, and now that I had a pretty good job, I was feeling a little lost about how to navigate life after school.

It was by chance I met a girlfriend who had recently joined this networking group then and said “Letitia, this would be right up your alley. You should check out the mentorship program which could match you up with a really successful woman leader in the industry you’re interested in.”

Quick one – when they said ‘this would be right up your alley’. What did they mean? Is there a special type of person who should join such groups?

I think she meant people like myself who were young, energetic and curious about what the world had to offer to early career professionals like myself back then.

Wow, talk about fantastic self-praise.  Essentially, for people who are energetic and curious, this kind of network would work for them. What happened after that?

That’s when I decided to join this group and yes I did enrol in the mentorship program but there was so much more value I realised the group could offer to someone fresh into the working world like me. For instance, I also got to try my hand at marketing and communications (something very different from the finance field I was then in) and eventually became the 4th EXCO Marcom Director before taking on a broader portfolio as the 5th EXCO Vice Chairperson a year later.

I would say throughout the entire 4 years I was actively involved in the EXCO, I got to learn so much more about the community I lived in and issues faced by professional women, hear from and shape conversations with Singaporean women leaders who had “been there done that” (such as CEOs, politicians etc), and met so many equally driven peers from different industries that my horizons were so much more broadened.

Professionally, I had benefited a lot as well from this experience. The network and level of discussions also helped empower me to make an informed decision to switch industries from the FMCG world into the technology world and eventually land in my current job which I love.

Okay. So, of course you met with peers and you got to sharing of ideas, meeting of minds, that kind of thing but many of these forums are also about learning from people who have you know, more senior people or leaders, executives, that kind of thing. So did you also get opportunities to learn from such folks?

Yeah, I definitely think so because through the mentorship program, I was able to connect one-on-one with women who are very senior, such as CEOs or like someone who might be walking in a leadership role in an international firm as well. So I would say the kinds of perspectives that I got were very valuable then especially to inform me of future career choices.

OK, so in fact you did get a lot of exposure that broaden your horizons, which was especially important because you mentioned earlier that the educational system got you to your first job, but didn’t prepare you for a career. I guess that’s the same pretty much everywhere, not just in Singapore. So is it that really what members of YWLC were looking for? Was it all career guidance?

When young women professionals first join YWLC, I find that most of the time they’re young professionals who, like me then, are looking for some direction or advice to help them navigate this new world after graduation.

And naturally, the mentorship program would be really attractive as the idea of being connected to the most successful women leaders for advice sounds great! However, in reality, a fruitful mentoring relationship is born out of a few things such as

1. Clarity of goals (like “what do you expect to learn from your mentor?”)
2. Chemistry.

Sometimes, people walk into such experiences with a less than ideal understanding of their goals and their mentors, or sometimes it simply doesn’t work out. And that’s OK.

Another thing I learnt during the course of being so actively involved as a committee member was that people may sometimes “outgrow” a group. Just because you’ve joined one at the age of 25 doesn’t mean it’s still the right group for you at age 35, and that’s OK as well.

That’s a really valuable point. Essentially you should join a group that fits your needs at the time and move on once it’s no longer the right place for you. So it’s all about expectations isn’t it? How did YWLC cater to those expectations?

Knowing that most new members’ first touchpoint with YWLC would be the mentorship program, my committee then implemented training programs on how to be a good mentee and essentially share best practices with these folks. Even then, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes things still don’t work out the way we want it in every mentor-mentee relationship, despite best efforts because a “blind” matching process isn’t perfect. But at the very least, members do walk away with an understanding for how they might want to set up their next mentoring relationship.

To the second point on outgrowing a group, YWLC specifically as a committee is now rolling out new ways of engaging alumni, more as speakers and advisors.

OK, so you happened to stumble onto YWLC and it worked out really well for you. But that’s a bit lucky. How could our listeners be more intentional and select the right networking group for themselves?

Back in the day I think the internet was a bit less advanced so we had to rely more on word of mouth, but these days I would say keep an ear and an eye out for interesting organizations or search on LinkedIn for interesting people and their affiliations!

Once you find a few interesting organizations, definitely attend recruitment events and speak with members of the group before you decide to join and commit time. I personally found that speaking to members that have been actively involved, gives me a good idea of what it means to be part of the group and what I may potentially benefit from.

A few things I would recommend to look out for would be:

1. What is the organization’s mandate and will they help you achieve your goals? (ie. networking with peers, contributing to the community etc)
2. How does this organization achieve their goals and what is the time commitment needed at various levels for yourself?
3. Who is the organization affiliated to? (because this will give you a sense how the organization will be run)
4. Lastly, it’s all about the people when you decide to join a community. Who are notable alumni or current members? If possible, try and learn how the organization has helped them in their path.

I just wanted to ask a bit about that organization affiliation. So, what did you mean by that?

I think in terms of organization affiliation. It’s sometimes good to figure out if this organization is a part of a bigger organization. So for example, is it affiliated to the government or is it affiliated to other nonprofit? And I think that gives you a sense of maybe the broader goals of the organization beyond what is stated on the website and potentially who you might be able to connect with, even if it’s outside that immediate network.

Got it. Essentially. Who runs this organization is an important point because it means that you might get some leverage outside just this particular group. Clearly a bit of research goes a long way, almost like when you hunt for jobs. You’re investing time and effort into all of this. So you might as well find one place, which makes more sense for you. And having joined a group that seems promising, how do you recommend people maximise the value they get from these groups?

I strongly believe that what you get out of it is equal to what you put in. In a networking group, there are usually various levels of commitment: Member (who attends events from time to time), sub-committee member (who helps organizes events/ workstreams), EXCO member (who leads a portfolio for example like Leadership Development) and then also the chair/vice-chair who has broad responsibilities across all. Time commitment varies a lot depending on the role you choose.

There is nothing wrong with being a member who attends events from time to time, but a lot of times, we get to know others a lot better when we are working together towards a common goal. And if I think about the demographics of folks who join a networking group like YWLC, young, driven, interested in broadening their professional circles, i would say get involved early on and get to know people! You never know who might admire your working style enough to refer you to your next job opportunity or make the connection for you.

Actually, it makes sense because chances are that people who are on these kinds of working committees are the ones who are any way more driven than enthusiastic and all of that, like they’re less passive people. Yeah. So, I think being in that group means that you are among the subset within this already subset, which is why WLC is a subset and you are within the most engaged people in that group. So, It definitely makes sense. Yeah. So one is, you get involved with the work. And then what else?

Secondly, get involved in the conversations. As part of a group like that, people do tend to reach out and you don’t want to engage with the group on topics that may be really relevant to what the group may be thinking about. Put your hand up to help shape those conversations, challenge the existing thinking and challenge your own thinking. All these will help you advance and grow as a person, which is exceptionally important in the formative years as a young professional. Furthermore, having all this knowledge is also an opportunity to enhance your personal brand as an advocate of the cause you choose, and can help you stand out as a young professional in your day job, compared to your peers.

And I guess it spills over into your normal work as well, right? Because it’s a bit of practice in a way of being outspoken and being able to frame your thoughts and arguments and present a case and all of that. All of which is obviously important at work as well.

In a way it’s almost like a safe space to put all of those things in the practice because you know, you’re, you’re a volunteer and, uh, people are like people around you or your peers. And generally I feel it’s, uh, it’s, it’s a bit of a safe space to do all of those things.

Yeah, you aren’t going to get fired. So, fair enough.

Lastly, the beauty of being part of a network is that people in the community are more open to share. I personally have asked for coffee chats be it with some speakers or a new person i met at an event because I was interested to learn more about what they were doing, and what I’ve seen work wonderfully is folks in this network are also usually open to doing warm intros to someone they know. As a result, these sorts of interactions have helped me on a professional front gain so much insight into an industry or topic I was interested in, and sometimes, on a personal level, gain a new friend. In fact, I was introduced to my current boss a year before my role actually opened up, through my YWLC mentor! To me, that is the power of such relationships – that it opens up doors for the right opportunities. Maybe not immediately but potentially.

Yeah. And I think Leticia, at the point about maybe not immediately, is the important one because again, I think people approach networking in general and these kinds of forums in particular as like a transaction or like a value exchange. So I’ve shown up, I’ve come to tell you something, you will do something for me, but that’s not how things work or ideally should work and that’s not how things work in general. I don’t think anybody meets up for the first time, and says, okay, let me open up my entire LinkedIn to you so that you can reach out to anybody that you like. It is cultivating that relationship both through the working relationship that you talked about earlier and then, you know, getting to know people by speaking up and being just more out there.

Yeah, absolutely. And having been on both sides of that conversation before, I found that it’s when people agree to simply meet me, that is actually a gift that they are giving me already. Just to share the experience, give me advice, help me learn something new. So, I always approach every kind of meeting or event without expectation of anything. We’re not trying to get something out of it essentially. Because that person’s time to me is something valuable that I really appreciate.

This is great, a wonderful set of learnings to end with. So Letitia, if I might summarise what you said:

• Don’t just join any old group, pick one that, based on research, seems to align with your goals and stage in life.
• Be an active learner, seek out new people and listen to their experiences; share your opinions and ideas and try to shape the direction of the group. It’s a good practice to life.
• If you can, invest time to get involved and impress potential referrers with your drive and working style; this is where you can gain disproportionate benefit from your affiliation with this group.
• And when the forum is no longer relevant for your needs or life stage, be open to moving on to somewhere more relevant or call it quits and be on your own.

Once again, thanks so much for joining us and sharing your experience. And whether meetups are in person or virtual, these lessons will certainly help our listeners get the most of them. Thanks a lot.

It was my pleasure.

And for our listeners, thank you for joining us today. Before we close, a reminder to please subscribe or follow our show. And if you liked what Letitia shared with us today, do rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify. We’ll owe you one.

Thanks for tuning in, We were Letitia and Amit on JobTok. See you next time.