You stood in front of the mirror and planned your 30-second elevator pitch and you now find yourself a bit nervous opening the networking event’s doors. You feel your heart begin to beat a tad faster and the allure you worked so hard to build up suddenly dissipates. You step back for a moment and attempt to lock eyes with a potential talking mate in what seems like Grand Central Station. To your dismay, wherever your eyes dart, people are already deep in conversation. Networking events are not meant to make you feel uneasy or like you are starting your first day of school; and, remember, most of the people you meet have a similar initial sensation.
The Queens Jewish Link, together with the Bukharian Jewish Link, Chazaq, and Step Ahead Networking, invite their friends from far and wide to join for a spectacular networking event on Wednesday, February 19, at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, where hundreds of like-minded professionals will share similar thought and exchange ideas to further their respective businesses. For eight years, the QJL, under the helm of co-publishers Yaakov Serle and Naftali Szrolovits, has been a vital asset to the Queens community, covering news and highlights most often exclusive to its readers. The BJL has provided the Bukharian and Sephardic neighborhoods of Queens with content geared toward its communities for two successful years. Both publications present the networking evening as a time to reflect on its respective growth and share its successes with the communities that make them flourish. Their partnership with the Chazaq organization and its esteemed CEO Rabbi Yaniv Meirov is one of rarity and makes it a privilege to combine forces on this endeavor. Step Ahead Networking, under the direction of Mark Krieger and Mary Redler, operate a business meeting platform to help those they encounter cultivate new successful relationships.
The event is set to begin promptly at 7 p.m. with mingling along with sushi and refreshments. Attendees will then gather in the main shul for a talk with Ronald Fatoullah, Esq., a top elder-law attorney since 1977. Sought after on the speaking circuit, Fatoullah will discuss the legal and financial challenges of aging and the relevant elder-law estate planning.
Rabbi Lazer Brody is a decorated Israeli Defense Forces special-forces veteran who became a baal t’shuvah, returning to his religious center, and later received ordination in 1992. The rabbi is well versed in personal and spiritual counseling and spends his days enlightening others. Under the topic “Potential Plus Expanding Your Abilities,” Rabbi Brody will inform attendees of manners to get the most out of their business ventures and reach for the stars. The lecture is sponsored by the Hecht family in memory of Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven Hecht, z”l, who recently passed. According to his son, Rabbi Elliot Hecht, “Stuart was a humble man who was always filled with yashrus.” Shmuel Yosef was an individual who loved to learn and daven, often attending the hashkamah minyan at his local Woodmere shul. It is most befitting to have this conversation on hope and possibility be in his sacred memory.
A delicious buffet will then be opened in the networking area, where all will find well-established companies geared to growing your rolodex of contacts and help you thrive in your respective industry. Networking is essential in the business world, as insight comes from all corners. Some will share ideas, while others will impart gems of thought to further develop your plans and aspirations.
Keep in mind that people find comfort in nibbling on a refreshment. Do not be shy to approach someone near the beverage or food station. It is always important to be yourself and not transform into who you assume people expect. By giving off a genuine persona, you will make lasting contacts and build a trusted rapport. Make sure you treat these new networking relationships as you would a friend, ensuring you do not interrupt or be intrusive. Like your elevator pitch, decide on a reasonable number of real connections; a respectable option might be locking in three or five new faces to memory. This means it is unnecessary to work the room and pass your business card to everyone present, as such a tactic will backfire and be entirely unproductive. Remember that the Queens Jewish Link networking events are a regular occurrence, and it is best to associate with those in your neighborhood, as familiar faces will praise you to newcomers. Never be shy to jot down a resourceful note on a business card about someone you encounter. This may seem burdensome, but it will be a lifesaver in the long run. Keep in mind that even if they cannot be of service, they certainly know someone in their network who can advance your goals. To that end, make sure to approach the various organizers and ask their advice, as they will be delighted to help you make introductions. Like in grade school, sharing is caring. When you are given the chance to offer a contact of your own, jump on the opportunity, as this will encourage a lasting partnership.
Yaakov Serle, co-publisher of the Queens Jewish Link, reminds you that “it is now finally time to network, network, network, and share who you are with the world in a sincere, interesting fashion; but do not forget to follow up the next day and make every impression last a lifetime.”
For more information and sponsorship opportunities, call 917-549-6145 or email [email protected].
Tickets, at a nominal charge of $15, can be purchased ahead of the event at www.bit.ly/2Xn21Mq.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
�
