Ah, Networking. The word, innocuous as it is, brings with it so many bad connotations: for me, I imagine standing in a room packed with people, but having no idea who is receptive to being approached. Or that moment when you do enter a conversation, and it immediately stalls out. Sounds terrible.But, it is getting to be that time of year. On Campus Interviewing for law students. Kick-off receptions for legal organizations. A renewed sense of programming for every workplace as summer ends and people are more readily available.
And really, if you think about it, those awkward situations pass quickly, or never really happen. Bring a friend out to an event, or put your arm in a sling as an automatic conversation starter if you're really nervous. But I usually leave an event thinking about the good conversations I had--not the few seconds I spent browsing the room nervously looking for someone to approach.
That cheerleading moment aside, I did some web-browsing for some networking tips for those with events around the corner. Forbes has some fun pictures to click through in this article for women networkers, although its tips basically boil down to "be yourself" and "get involved." If you are specifically looking for some good interviewing tips, I like this article on how interviewing is like dating, which can be applied to most professional events.
And sometimes the guise of networking is good: you'll never catch me "gossiping" with co-workers....I'm simply "networking."
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