We can’t tell you how many people hear the word networking and cringe.That’s typically because networking (that necessary evil for getting ahead in life) often drudges up the thought of “forced conversations” with people you really don’t want to talk to on any given day.
We’ve been to plenty of networking events where we see people get stuck in a corner with the overly excited man who can’t stop talking about himself or the overeager woman who is determined to give every person in the room a business card for her homemade deodorant company (yikes). At the end of the day, we applaud the ambition that exists in each person that attends a networking event — but these over-the-top personalities just freak the rest of us success-driven women out and holds a lot of people back from making the valuable connections that they truly could be making.
Know this, lady. The next networking event or opportunity that comes your way doesn’t have to feel like a nightmare talk show gone bad. Some of the key ways to remove the negative or inauthentic connotation that attaches itself to networking is to adjust your mindset, outline your goals, and to ask transformative questions. Not sure how to do that? This quick read will prep you for your next afterwork sip and schmooze and have you sweeping your professional charm around the room in no time.
photo credit: IMG_9379
