Nine Networking Mistakes & How to Fix Them | Marcia Ballinger, PhD

22nd April 2026, 6pm CDT (Registration 5:30 pm) | Learn to fix 9 common mistakes & land your next role with author Marcia Ballinger

About the Speaker

Marcia Ballinger, PhD, is co-founder of Ballinger|Leafblad, a leading executive search firm in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In her role, she facilitates board and staff leadership recruitment for clients in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. With over 20 years of experience in the executive recruitment field, she has helped hundreds of leaders navigate successful career transitions.

She is especially recognized for her work with the veteran community, co-authoring The 20-Minute Networking Meeting (Veterans Edition). This acclaimed guide helps service members translate military skills to the civilian business world and build the relationships needed for a successful post-military career.

What to Expect

Nine Networking Mistakes & How to Fix Them

It’s often said that 80% of jobs are found through networking. But despite its importance, networking is often the aspect of job searching that people dread—or find the most confusing. Are your networking efforts landing flat, or just not yielding the results you need?

In this highly practical session, author and executive recruiter Marcia Ballinger will break down The Nine Most Common Mistakes individuals make when networking. She will move beyond abstract theory to provide actionable “fixes” you can apply immediately to take your networking conversations from awkward to effective.

Attend this session to learn how to:

• Avoid the most common pitfalls of “20-minute” networking meetings.
• Structure conversations that yield market intelligence, not just pleasantries.
• Clearly articulate your value and make powerful requests that people can actually help with.
• Apply a simple framework (based on her book, The 20-Minute Networking Meeting) to respect time and drive results.

Whether you are transitioning out of the military or looking for your next career move, this workshop will give you the confidence and the playbook to build relationships that drive your professional growth.