- Srinidhi Rajesh has gone viral on TikTok after suggesting that people should "corporate flirt" to get ahead.
- Rajesh, whose LinkedIn profile says she works at McKinsey, explained the networking trick in her video.
A TikToker has gone viral after popularizing a networking hack she calls "corporate flirting" to be successful in the workplace.
Srinidhi Rajesh, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company in New York, posted a TikTok video about how to make friends and allies at work and draws on examples from dating situations that can also apply to corporate settings.
"A couple years ago my best friend and I came up with a foolproof way to act and speak with charisma in almost every single situation, especially corporate ones," Rajesh says in the video which has now racked up 2.1 million views and over 260,000 likes. "We called it corporate flirting and I'm gonna show you guys how to do it."
Rajesh gave the example of wanting to get to know someone at work and having a professional relationship with them. She said you should introduce yourself to the person and ask them a basic question like where they went to college.
"They will give you a very simple XYZ response like 'Oh I went to Northwestern.' So far this conversation is really boring. Nothing has happened of significance but here's where you're going to corporate flirt," she said.
"You're going to respond with an answer that number one acknowledges that you were listening and heard what they said and shows that you have some kind of outside context to the situation, and two that kind of pokes fun at them not in a mean way, not in a way that puts them down, but more at the situation."
An example of a response was: "'Oh so you're really smart but you like freezing to death for half the year?'" Rajesh explained that this gives the other person the opportunity to joke back and build on the conversation.
Rajesh said "corporate flirting" can also be used on mentors and very senior-level employees whom you might be seeking advice from.
"Have you ever been on a date with someone and then you get home and maybe the next day they text you saying 'Hey I passed by this flower shop and it reminded me of you,'" she said.
"How does that make you feel? It makes you feel like wow they're so thoughtful, they remembered, they care about me, and they're putting an effort to engage with me. Same thing in corporate America."
Rajesh explained that after you get advice from someone more senior and you actually apply the tips, it's good to thank them over email or in person and tell them how much they helped you. This builds "camaraderie," with the person.
Users raved about the strategy in the comment section saying it's "legit advice." One user even commented: "I call this bizzrizz and I'm full of it."
Rajesh's networking hack might be second nature to more seasoned professionals and older generations, but Gen Zers are new to the workplace and have been getting flak for lacking communication skills.
Some companies including KPMG, Deloitte and PWC are even offering communication classes to some of their new hires who graduated during the pandemic because studying remotely hindered their networking and etiquette skills.
By drawing on dating situations, Rajesh offers strategies that are relatable and achievable to young Gen Zers who are still navigating unfamiliar territory.