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networking
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| Ania_xox |
I'm in the first year of a two year program which will lead me directly onto my career path (translation degree ---> translator/conference interpreter)
Having only been here for just over a month, I quickly realized that this sector of the employment sphere is relatively small and holds very true to the saying "it's not what you know, but who you know"
I went to my first conference last week and realized that I had no idea what I was doing. I had on my heels and blazer, I took notes (out of genuine interest) during the speeches, but when the time came to mingle over refreshments- I didn't know who to talk to or how to talk to them. I have impeccable manners, I'm a confident speaker but I feel that I lack a certain business savvy.
Not that my expectations for this conference were sky-high, but aside from a one-year membership with ATIO, two business cards and a compliment from the main speaker on my perfume, I don't feel like I got much from it.
Sooooo
How does one successfully network? What's important? Who do you talk to? How? What should one avoid? Any info or stories are appreciated :toocool: |
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| teufel-man |
I had to do this sort of thing to find accounting jobs....
with us its just going around and talking to people that work for the companies and try to make a good impression that could potentially lead to an interview, and hopefully a job
The key for me was just to go, introduce yourself to people, start talking to them about accounting a bit, and then talk more about normal stuff, like sports, news, etc. If you end up finding somethign you have in common with the person and have a decent converation... exchange business cards once you are done and in our case even send them a thank you e-mail... but thats just basically kissing ass directly for the purpose of trying to get a job, probably a little different than your situation
If you are naturally friendly and social person then just be yourself and you should do fine |
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| teufel-man |
| btw, yeah its really weird at first but each event you go to it becomes easier and easier... so dont worry too much, you'll get the hang of it |
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| The Highroller |
| I also had this problem. I consider myself a confident and charismatic speaker if I want to be, but it when I started going to these events it was uncomfortable because it was foreign to me. Try seeing if your school's career center has networking seminars. I found them helpful. You'll get used to it with experience though. Just go to as many as you can, and you'll start getting the hang of it I think! |
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| VDub |
| Feed everybody a pill... |
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| Pett |
| so glad i don't have to do that bs |
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| Yohan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Pett
so glad i don't have to do that bs |
+1
can never interact properly with humans. they are so weird |
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| teufel-man |
| quote: | Originally posted by Pett
so glad i don't have to do that bs |
yeah its definitely bs.... but if its what you have to do to land a job then you might as well do it! |
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| Yohan |
| quote: | Originally posted by teufel-man
yeah its definitely bs.... but if its what you have to do to land a job then you might as well do it! |
the problem is a lot of jobs, you still have to network after you get the job (to advance in the job, get help for project, acquire resources, etc)
meritocracy ftw |
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| barbina |
Body language is key.
Smile, lean in a bit when someones talking to you, eye contact etc.
It may seem stupid... but its what I pay attention to most when I'm meeting someone new. |
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| rabbitjoker |
Practice makes perfect.
The vast majority of networking opportunities will not prove to be valuable in the networking sense, however they will be valuable to improve your ability to talk to anyone, about anything, anytime – while still remaining interesting and engaging. |
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| DigiNut |
I don't think there's any secret to it, really, other than taking a genuine interest in other people's work. If it's familiar to you then you relate your own anecdotes, if not then you ask lots of questions and try to learn something.
Personally, I would avoid ever mentioning that you're looking for work. If I have a position to fill and I really want you for it, it may not even matter whether or not you're already employed (I can always try to make a better offer).
To tell you the truth, if I were you, I'd be doing almost the exact opposite of what the first reply here says. If you're trying to make a friend, then sure, talk about "normal stuff", but when it comes to business and I'm looking to hire or recommend someone, I really don't care which hockey team they love or how they feel about the latest hurricane. This is a business conference - it's OK to talk shop, and while you may be a great person and have lots in common with me socially, the only thing that's going to make me remember you at work is if you seemed to be experienced and/or competent. Even if it's just a peer relationship, or a potential service-provider scenario, it's competency in the field that's going to matter.
This may not help much, but if you're still a student and aren't doing actual field work on the side, then you're kind of screwed because you just don't have any experience to draw on. Best you can do is, like I mentioned, take an active interest in the people around you (they will, after all, be about a third of your future life, so you should be genuinely interested) and try to ask insightful questions, and obviously exchange business cards before you leave.
I'm no social butterfly but I've always walked away from these things with 5 or 6 new contacts, which is about as much as my totally non-photographic memory can handle. If it's genuinely difficult for you to talk to people about the very thing you're going to spend most of your life doing, maybe you're in the wrong line of work / field of study. Or maybe you're worrying too much about making an impression when you should be trying to learn about your craft.
Incidentally, I'm not saying that you should refuse to ever veer the conversation away from work, just that you shouldn't avoid the subject like people normally do in social situations. |
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