Making the Art of Networking a Science: Q&A with The 2-Hour Job Search Author Steve Dalton
Virtual Chapter Meeting
ATD Nashville Chapter is pleased to present this event in partnership with the International Coaching Federation (ICF)!
Networking is often described as an art—but what if it could be taught as a science?
Join Steve Dalton, author of The 2-Hour Job Search and The Job Closer, for a candid, interactive Q&A exploring how structured, research-backed networking strategies can empower both employees and job seekers alike.
In this facilitated discussion, Dalton will share how his “proactive networking” model—now taught at over 100 universities—can help employees build advocacy across silos, gain internal visibility, and accelerate professional growth. He’ll also address how coaches, L&D leaders, and HR professionals can apply these same tools to support organizational goals around retention, advancement, and diversity—or even use them in their own career journeys.
Whether you're coaching clients, designing internal programs, or planning your next professional move, you’ll walk away with practical insights on how to make networking more efficient, inclusive, and impactful.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
-
Define the concept of proactive networking and how it differs from traditional relationship-building.
-
Apply a step-by-step approach to building new professional relationships—even with complete strangers.
-
Identify ways to use structured networking to support talent development goals such as employee retention, mobility, and inclusion.
-
Translate these strategies into coaching tools or personal career search tactics.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Members: FREE
Non-Members: FREE
About the Facilitator:
Steve Dalton is a leading expert in career strategy and internal talent development, best known as the author of The 2-Hour Job Search and The Job Closer, two Amazon #1 bestsellers published by Penguin Random House. His first book alone has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide and is taught at more than 100 universities, where it’s prized for transforming job seeking from a vague art into an exact science.
As founder and CEO of Contact2Colleague, Steve helps organizations improve retention, advancement, and diversity by teaching employees how to practice proactive networking—a deliberate, teachable skill for building new professional relationships outside one’s immediate team. His workshops equip talent development leaders, ERGs, and onboarding cohorts with the tools to build internal advocacy and visibility, strengthening pipelines for promotion and leadership.
Steve’s work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company, and his frameworks resonate deeply with HR professionals—both as tools for employee development and as practical resources for managing their own career trajectories.
A former strategy consultant and marketer, Steve holds a chemical engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA from Duke University.
