My First Networking Event
My first networking event was interesting. I was anxious and scared of saying all the wrong things at the same time. I had high expectations and wanted to connect with EVERYONE. No one mentioned that that would be an impossible feat. I researched the speakers and their areas of practice, prepared my introductory speech and was ready to go.
I reminded myself that beyond working on what to say, I also had to look my best. As the popular quote by Bianca Frazier goes, “Dress how you want to be addressed.” All was in order…until I arrived at the event. Walking through the entrance doors, I was overwhelmed by the number of people present. There were so many new faces.
I was taking it all in when a lady walked up to me with a smile on her face. She introduced herself and asked what I did and what area of law I practiced. I introduced myself and told her that I was a law student and this was my first networking event. She got really excited for me and made it a point of duty to introduce me to the people she knew. She also checked in with me throughout the event. I felt so fortunate to have been able to make such a connection right off the bat.
During the event, I noticed that people like me, including young lawyers had short conversations that sounded the same. It started with an introduction, where the person was working, and what area of law they were practicing/had interest in. Not too long after, someone requested for the card of the other person. In some cases, both parties exchanged cards and then moved on to the next person. There was an unspoken rule that you had to email your new contact within 24 hours so they did not forget you. Although I followed suit, it all seemed too rigid. I did not feel like I established a lot of genuine connections.
The Day After
The next day, I took out all the cards I had collected the night before and spread them out on my table. I started to draft messages to send to each one. Some messages were more personalized than others. While drafting the messages, and thinking back to the events of the night before, it was easy to remember who I connected with on a personal level. This must have affected the tone of my email because I found the responses of those people to be warmer. I started to work hard on growing those connections.
With time, I have recognized that genuine, personal connections, formed from getting to know who the person is at their core, improves the relationship. The people I have met and connected with have the kindest hearts, are warm and always looking out for me. I am so grateful for them and I keep in touch with them till date.
Takeaways
I will leave you with a few takeaways from my first and subsequent networking experiences:
- Do your homework. If you want to meet with someone in particular at an event, dig a little and read about them. This will greatly improve your conversation and you will be able to get more out of the relationship.
- Prepare questions ahead of time. If there are things that you have wondered about getting into the profession, a networking event or a coffee chat will be a good chance to get answers.
- Take a notepad with you. I always get gems whenever I go to a networking event. These notes are helpful whenever I feel stuck.
- Relax! In a networking event, everyone is nervous, including the people you look up to.
- Try not to stick to a script, it improves your conversation. Be yourself. If you form a genuine connection, there will be many opportunities to ask questions.
- Do not make it a point of duty to pick up everyone’s cards. Trust me, there are cards you will not use if you go about it this way.
- Focus on creating connections. If you do not connect with someone you had in mind to connect with, please don’t force it. It’ll make things less awkward.
- Do not be disappointed when you plan on creating a connection with someone and they turn out to be unfriendly or brush you off. It has nothing to do with you. Trust me!
- Reach out to those you want to build a connection with, and stay in touch with them. I send emails just to check in as well as during the holidays. I also interact with their posts on LinkedIn. If you know their birthdays, that is an added bonus.
