The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Executive Edition: Learn to Network. Get a Job.

Updated 2025.
Over Ten years in print! The original book in the award-winning 20-Minute Networking Meeting series, the Executive Edition is a carefully constructed job-search model designed to break into the Invisible/Hidden Job Market where over 70% of all jobs are obtained. *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lauded by Fortune 500 and international business leaders around the world, the Executive Edition takes the best elements of networkers from a wide array of businesses and industries, is combined with 40 years of the authors' professional networking experience from a hiring perspective, and culminates in a concise, efficient, and highly productive networking model.

In this book, learn what networking (really) is, and how to:

• Master the 5 most important parts of a networking meeting
• Create a networking agenda
• Construct key questions to lead a discussion
• Write networking emails to people you don't know
• Expand your professional network with more names
• Break into the "Invisible/Hidden Job Market" (where over 70% of all jobs are obtained)
• Make a networking meeting more effective, efficient, and mutually beneficial
• Execute the above (and much more)-- inside of 20 minutes
• Maintain your new network throughout your career!

Chock full of real-world scenarios, short stories, meeting examples, and dozens of tips and observations from hiring authorities and recruiting experts, The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Executive Edition shares the wisdom of senior executives who have been in transition (looking for work), and the perspectives of those who are most asked to network. Constructed to clarify and simplify networking for job-search, the Executive Edition also contains fully written networking stories that demonstrate the entire 20MNM model in action, ending with a complete set of "readiness worksheets" that guide the reader through actual networking preparation.

An end-to-end lesson on job search networking, The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Executive Edition is founded on the premises of gratitude, positivity, and reciprocity, and has found great success in the hands of executives, career coaches, outplacement firms, college graduates, and sales professionals around the globe.

Also from Career Innovations Press:
The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Graduate Edition
The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Professional Edition
The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Veterans Edition

Marcia Ballinger, PhD is co-founder and Principal at Ballinger|Leafblad, a St. Paul-based executive search firm focused on serving the civic sector. She conducts executive search projects for top executives in non-profit organizations, higher education, foundations and professional associations. 
Marcia has a BS in Business Administration and an MA in Speech-Communication, and a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University where she served on the Board of Directors. She is active in a variety of non-profit organizations and was named an Industry Leader by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2008; Real Power 50 by Minnesota Business Monthly; and 50 Over 50 by AARP in 2016.

Nathan A. Perez is an award-winning author, national speaker and executive career and job-search coach at Career Innovation. 
Prior to his Career Innovation consultancy, Nathan worked in the executive search industry in the Research function. Responsible for the first step in the executive recruitment process, Nathan researched the candidates to be recruited by recruiters. Networking is a day-to-day function of his job. He has been cited by The Huffington Post as one of the most connected people on LinkedIn, world-wide. 
Author of the multi-award-winning job-search networking book The 20-Minute Networking Meeting, Nathan speaks on its principles to students, veterans, career coaches, executives and corporate teams everywhere. Nathan draws on 20 years of stage, film and television experience in New York City and Hollywood, and is a member of the Actors Equity Association union (AEA); a voting union member of The Screen-Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA); the Author's Guild; and served as Vice Chair at The Loft Literary Center, the nation's largest literary and writing organization. He was recently inducted as an Honorary Commander with the 934th Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve, home of the Global Vikings.