If you’d have said to me 6 months ago that I’d attended a networking event I’d have laughed in your face. Well the joke is on me because I’ve attended not only 1 but 4 since September! Networking to me always seemed terrifying, the thought of just walking up to people announcing myself and jumping straight into an exchange with a person on what we both do in our lines of work, it always seemed like my idea of hell, when in actual fact I really quite enjoy it! (Even more so if i have a glass of wine in hand) You can argue that the setting and the people in the room will always have a big impact on how comfortable you feel in a room but actually a lot of it comes down to how you project yourself, it’s the age old ‘fake it til you make it’, even if you are in fact having an internal meltdown, which let’s be honest, we’ve all been guilty of.
So how do you get into networking? Easy, it’s everywhere! You probably do it on a small scale without even knowing! That stranger you sat next to at the rugby that you got chatting to and found you had lots in common so you switched numbers, that Airbnb host that you stayed with and works for a company that has links to you locally, it’s all building relationships, albeit this is in a more organic way, however if you want to purposefully network there’s a whole world of networking events you can dive into.
Networking events are all different and only you can say what sort of event works best for you, in my recent dive into this world I’ve worked at 2 of the “classic drinks and sit down dinner” type events at Cardiff Business club, and I’ve also attended 2 more informal approach events with Cardiff Young Professionals, 1 of which being at Par 59’s golf course (guess who won?) and most recently this week at Heidi’s Beer Bar. All of these different events have benefitted me in different ways and at all of them I made connections, whether it be congratulating/commiserating over a crazy golf score or chatting and finding out they do business with a family member or friend. Don’t let the connections fizzle out, it’s not all about business cards these days. Swap Instagram handles, Linkedin profiles, email addresses, or even phone numbers if you like, follow up with these people, they may be the greatest connection you ever make.
I think my bottom line from this experience so far is you’ll only get out of it what you put in, but also there’s no right or wrong way to make connections as long as you’re making them for the right reasons. As someone who loves to talk (seriously, ask anyone haha!) and find out what makes people tick, the only thing that’s surprising to me is why I’ve never ventured into networking events sooner. So whether it’s your first try at networking and you need a bit of moral support or it’s your millionth time, if you see me at an event come up and say hi!
Everyone has to start somewhere.
Rhi
