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Vent: My boss thought 'networking' meant adding me on a cooking app | Career Advice - Free To Speak

Vent: My boss thought 'networking' meant adding me on a cooking app

During a team meeting, my manager praised my project work and said he'd help me network. Later, I got a friend request on a recipe sharing site from him. He commented on my soup photos, asking if I wanted to connect professionally. I'm not sure how lentil soup translates to career growth.

4 comments

4 Comments

wyatt1356mo ago

Lentil soup for career growth is a new one, gotta say. Maybe my boss saw @aaron_mitchell's point about small talk building a picture, but my burnt cookies would tell a very different story.

max_johnson6mo ago

I mean, when you say you're not sure how lentil soup translates to career growth, maybe it's not so direct, but idk, showing you care about your hobbies can say a lot about your character. Like, taking good soup photos might show you're creative or pay attention to details, which are useful skills at any job. Maybe your boss is just trying to connect in a more human way, and that personal link could actually lead to real professional help later. It's a bit weird for sure, but sometimes networking starts with just showing interest in someone's life outside work. Maybe it's just me, but this could be a genuine try to support you, even if it missed the mark.

aaron_mitchell6mo ago

Notice how often people try to connect dots between your personal life and work skills, even when it feels like a stretch. It's like everyone's looking for hidden meaning in what you do for fun, trying to figure out what kind of worker you are. These awkward moments of small talk about soup or gardening or whatever build up over time into a fuller picture of you, which bosses use when they decide who to trust with bigger projects. The forced networking stuff is uncomfortable, but it’s crazy how often a random chat about nothing leads to someone remembering you later when an opportunity comes up. Does that make the weird small talk feel any less weird though?

emmam895mo ago

My friend's old boss followed her dog's Instagram and then offered her a promotion based on the "discipline" shown in the training videos.