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If you’re an occupational and environmental health and safety professional, you know data. You know how to collect samples for harmful substances. You know how to control hazards. But you may not be as enthusiastic about networking—making intentional connections with other OEHS professionals and people in related fields.  

But you're not alone. According to an article in Forbes, fear of networking holds back many people’s careers. “Concerns about bothering someone, fear of rejection, and uncertainty about how to start keep many on the sidelines,” author Kara Dennison writes.

Alex Cardone, CIH, CSP, agrees that networking can be intimidating. However, he also recognizes its importance. Cardone related to SynergistNOW how he obtained his first industrial hygiene job through an acquaintance of a grad school professor. “Even a casual conversation,” he said, “you don't know the opportunities that it brings up.”  

“Networking is just relationship building,” added Felix Boachie, MS, CIH, CSP. “The reality is we're all building relationships throughout all of our lives.”

Why Is Networking Necessary?

Both Cardone and Boachie spoke to the positive results of networking. “From a professional perspective, I've been able to leverage networking and relationship building to really advance my own career,” Boachie said. “And it's been instrumental, I'd say, in me getting a lot of different experiences outside of OEHS as well.”

Cardone explained that connecting with other people “compounds the number of opportunities that we're going to face in our life” and allows an OEHS professional to build a community around themselves. In addition to job opportunities, this community offers skills and experiences beyond what one person can possess. Cardone described a colleague at his first job who “lived, ate, and breathed” radiation. (“He probably shouldn’t!” Cardone joked.) Now, if Cardone has a question about anything having to do with radiation, he can reach out to that former colleague. “That's also part of networking,” he said. “Who is in my community that I can also rely on?”

Building relationships is necessary to be effective in OEHS. “All business is the business of people,” Boachie said, paraphrasing Evie Poumpouras, who gave the closing keynote at AIHA Connect 2025. “And the best way that we can do well in that business is to have those connections, have that trust, and be able to network.”

He acknowledged that professionals in OEHS and allied disciplines, such as industrial hygiene, environmental science, and safety, must have a base level of technical acumen. “But technical acumen is not typically what gets you a promotion, what gets you the next job, what gets you to the next stage of your career,” he said. And even when networking does not lead directly to this next stage, it helps you build the personal relationships, interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence you need to succeed.  

That is, it’s not enough to simply do your job well. To succeed in your personal and professional life, you must deliberately build relationships both within and outside of your field. “You have to be able to make those connections,” Boachie added. “You have to be intentional.”

Debunking Networking Myths

In fact, Cardone and Boachie’s network of professional relationships led to AIHA staff inviting them to present at AIHA Connect 2026—fittingly enough, about networking. Their educational session, “Networking for Scientists: Making Connections That Matter,” will break down myths about networking and give attendees practical tips for doing it.  

“I think sometimes we hear about networking, and we think it's this shadowy figure in the corner of the room,” Cardone said. “There's a stigma about it, but it doesn't have to be there.”

He stressed that each person should approach networking in their own authentic way. Networking doesn’t have to look like a confident businessperson joking with other executives. Neither does it have to look like grabbing a beer with your colleagues after work. “It's knowing yourself,” Cardone explained. “Knowing how I want to go about networking, what I am comfortable with, or what I feel is beneficial.” He hopes participants of the session come away understanding the many different ways they can network.

Boachie emphasized the importance of networking with intent, as well as with the aim of providing mutual benefit. “When you're coming into networking situations, you want to gain something out of it, but you can also bring something and enhance somebody else's life,” he said. “With that mindset, it makes it a little bit easier to find a way to integrate networking into your way of being and your way of acting.”

Moreover, Cardone and Boachie will teach networking strategies that participants can incorporate into their daily practice. That is, networking doesn’t always require attending designated events. OEHS professionals can build relationships every day at work. “I would like potential attendees to know that this isn't going to be some new thing that's going to take you an hour a day,” Cardone said. “It's going to be information that you can naturally fold into your already busy working schedule.”

As an example, Cardone shared a simple networking tactic: in any situation, ask another person one more question than you have to ask. This helps you break out of the routine exchange of small talk and form deeper connections. The session will not only cover tips like this but will also address networking with AIHA local sections, on social media, and through another, often overlooked strategy: reaching out to OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star sites. “I've yet to find one that isn't excited to have a quick conversation,” Cardone added.

Boachie encouraged anyone who’s exploring or developing a career in OEHS to attend the session. “This will be a space where you can come and get at least one nugget that we believe will put you in a better position to achieve the things you want to achieve,” he said. “We just hope that people understand the power that exists in making and building those connections and how it can unlock their career.”

Alex Cardone and Felix Boachie will present “Networking for Scientists: Making Connections That Matter” on Monday, June 1st, from 2 to 3 p.m. AIHA Connect 2026 will be held June 1–3 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. To view the conference agenda or to register, visit aihaconnect.org.