Tips to Find and Attend the Right Career Networking Event
A lot of professionals shy away from networking because it appears to be intimidating. However, let’s accept that networking is essential, regardless of how intimidating it may seem. The sooner you are able to change your attitude, and view it as a move that can impact your career positively, the more likely you are to make better progress with it. Assuming career networking events to be job-hunts are where most of us go wrong. The idea is to go and meet like-minded people and see what comes out of the rendezvous. No one promises anything, but statistics do state that 80% jobseekers benefit from networking as it is easier to get leads and insider information about vacancies than simply applying for a job from an ad. Hopefully this has changed your mindset, and if it has, let’s take a look at how you should find and attend the right networking event.
Know Where to Look
Let’s start with the basics – understanding where to look for the right event. There are a couple of things you should understand when you are looking for such events.
•Not every networking event is openly publicized – it is important to stay in touch with colleagues and acquaintances who may be able to help you in your search.
•Every place, where a large number of people gather can be a great networking opportunity; this includes your church, a wedding or even a lunch at a friend’s house.
•While the web is a great place to network, it is not the only place you can be updated about networking events. Look into the events listing in your local newspaper and you will be able to get an idea about the upcoming networking events in town.
•Small business associations as well as community centers organize such events, so keep your eye open for updates from these organizations.
Which Event is More Important?
A lot of people, particularly those starting out with their first jobs, think it is imperative to attend every networking event that is taking place. This is definitely not the case. Moreover, not every career networking event is aimed at job searches, and it is therefore, essential that you figure what the event is about before you go for it. As mentioned earlier, networking events take up a lot of your time and money, which is why, wisely choosing which one you should attend is very important. A rule of thumb that career experts suggest is to attend events where you know there will be experts from the field you are trying to break into. Even if you don’t land an interview, you will learn a lot from these individuals that will eventually help you in some way or the other.
Understand What You Expect from this Networking Event
Don’t assume that one networking event will help you land a dream job immediately. It is a long-drawn process that involves more than just attending career networking events, and you have to work on each aspect simultaneously to be able to make a difference. Moreover, remember that at such events, you are not always expected to hand out your resume. You also have to learn to listen to. There is a lot to learn here from the biggies, about their expectations from a potential work force, or simply about the changes currently affecting the field. So, the sooner you change your perception about such events, the more you will benefit from the entire process.
