Why Professional Group Chats Boost Your Career

A few years ago, my friends from an old media job started a text thread to stay in touch. We named it after an inside joke (shoutout SOUCES!) and used it as a place to reminisce about our 2017 office antics. Over the years it’s evolved into something else: a valuable corner of my professional network.

If one of us is hiring for an important role, we go to the group chat for a referral. If we’re stumped by a tricky industry trend, we ask how the others are handling it. If we need eyes on our updated résumé, we send it to the group for feedback. It’s not my only outlet for conversations like these — in 2024, my friend Rachel and I were both trying our hands at consulting. She set up a WhatsApp group and monthly Zooms where women in similar positions could review one another’s pitch decks, compare notes on closing new business, and advise on setting up an LLC. Some days we’re the ones seeking wisdom from the group, and some days we’re the ones providing it.

There’s real value in having an inner circle of people who understand your work well enough to give you informed answers. It provides fresh context and cuts the isolation that can come with career transitions, office politics, or a hard week. Peer guidance can be especially helpful — sometimes the person one step ahead of you, or right beside you, is the best person to talk to about a work challenge.

If you’re looking for the same kind of professional community, you can start or join a Lean In Circle. Members gather to build leadership skills, take action toward their professional goals, and cheer one another on — fueled by Lean In’s research-backed curriculum, a community platform, and a network of support. This type of guidance and camaraderie has been invaluable to me, and I think you’ll feel the same way.

Visit Lean In Connect to learn more. I hope to see you there!

— Julie Alvin, Head of Content, LeanIn.Org