Here’s yet another networking story. This time about an experience in trying to get a job at a new company vs. a different job at the same company.

The first time I learned about the field of management consulting was during my MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management. In fact, it was during the admitted student weekend at Kellogg, but that’s a story for another day.

Luckily, I was at a target school in Chicago, so networking with that office was easy — I simply spoke to people at the career table at lunchtime, signed up for a “coffee chat,” and attended the recruiting events, especially the women’s-specific ones where I could stand out.

When it came time to interview, I got good vibes from Chicago, but there was one problem. I wanted to work in New York City.

Networking with the Chicago office paid off, and I was successfully passed on to second round interviews with the NY office. While I still had to nail the interview, my connections with the Chicago team made all the difference in giving them the confidence to pass me along to the more competitive NY office.

I’m fairly confident that my chances of being passed on to the NY team were slim-to-none, given I am a Midwest gal who, at the time, had very little connection to the east coast. Another case of networking (or shall we just call it relationship building?) paying dividends.