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You’ve Attended the 17th Annual CCWC Career Strategies Conference – Now What?

by | Sep 27, 2021 | Diversity, Life, lawstudent, Uncategorized, Features, Career, finances, fitness, Productivity

The 17th Annual CCWC Career Strategies Conference is officially in the history books. At this dynamic event, we learned new career strategies, connected with colleagues and enjoyed fun events in the Los Angeles area.

Now that the conference is over, you may be wondering how to apply the strategies that you’ve learned to your career. After all, you have received tons of valuable tips from speakers at top organizations such as Uber, the National Football League and Apple.

Want to know how you can keep the momentum going after you have returned to your daily routine? Here are 5 action tips to kick your career into high gear after this year’s conference.

Action Tip #1: Sort through all the business cards that you have collected.

Throughout your conference experience, you may have exchanged dozens of business cards with other attendees. But what good is collecting business cards if you don’t follow up with your new contacts?

When it comes to networking, always remember that the fortune is in the follow-up. Use these tips to help you build and implement a successful follow-up strategy.

  • Review each business card. Decide which people you intend to contact. Keep those cards and discard the ones that you don’t need.
  • Add the contacts to your database. Include information about the date and location that you met each person. Be sure to include distinguishing information about each contact.
  • Choose up to 5 people from your database to contact. Send follow-up emails to them immediately. For a more personal touch, send a promotional item or card to each person in the mail.
  • Connect with each person on LinkedIn and other social media sites. Be sure to send direct messages reminding them who you are and how you met them.
  • Request a 20-minute virtual meeting via Zoom or another video conferencing app. Keep your request brief and specific. Prepare talking points for each meeting.
  • Invite your new contacts to a meeting with colleagues, a networking event or a sporting event.
  • Think of ways that you can be of service to your new contacts. Send business referrals. Provide relevant information about new business trends, upcoming events and industry news.

Action Tip #2: Apply the tips and strategies that resonate with you.

Review your notes from the conference. Think about the next steps that you want to take in your career. Make a list of the tips and strategies you can implement that will help you reach your career goals.

Consider the following questions as you review your notes.

  • What are the top 5 tips that you learned at the conference that you can apply within the next 90 days?
  • Are there any skill gaps that you need to address?
  • Do you have a detailed career development plan? If not, would it benefit you to develop one?
  • Who do you need to contact to learn more about specific strategies that were mentioned at the conference?
  • Should you enroll in an executive business program or an MBA program to further your career?

Action Tip #3: Share the highlights about what you have learned from the conference with other colleagues or people in your industry.

There are many people in your sphere of influence who can benefit from what you learned by attending the CCWC conference. Why not share career tips and strategies with them? Here are a few simple ways to share your knowledge.

  • Give a brief presentation at your next team meeting in your organization.
  • Write an article about your conference experience to share on LinkedIn.
  • Invite colleagues to lunch or a virtual meeting to discuss key takeaways.

Action Tip #4: Re-watch the conference on the CCWC online portal.

It can be challenging to remember everything from the CCWC conference experience. The good news is this year’s conference will be available on the online portal for a limited time only.

Instead of tuning into Netflix or another streaming service after work, you can watch presentations from the conference. That way, you can refresh your memory and view any content that you missed.

Action Tip #5: Connect with speakers whose information was helpful to you.

Typically, conference speakers have busy schedules. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t open to meeting attendees or other people who admire their work. However, you must connect with speakers in a way that isn’t pushy or just plain weird. These tips can help.

  • Follow your favorite speakers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. Be sure to like or share any of their content that interests you.
  • Approach each speaker in a professional manner regardless of how much you know about them. Be respectful of the speaker’s time and intentional with your conversation.
  • Find out if you and your favorite speaker have a mutual acquaintance. If so, ask for an introduction.

About Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC)

Are you a woman of color who is looking for strategies to take your career to the next level? Corporate Counsel Women of Color is a not-for-profit organization that promotes global diversity and the careers of more than 4,500 women of color attorneys. Learn more about becoming a member of CCWC.

Already a member? Upgrade your membership to Premier status. Benefits include discounts on executive education programs, CCWC conference discounts, free CLE and more. Explore the CCWC Premier Membership today.

The following books are excellent resources for career tips and strategies.

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