Late last week, I was invited to tag along with a friend to a party in Lincoln Park, with an intended purpose to network with some digital media folks. It was an after work party for a friend of a friend who was helping her out after she had expressed an interest in digital marketing.
Turns out it was a party for NBC Universal. A Name on the list, open bar, swanky buffet followed by 2 bands and a DJ kind of party with a fairly intimate group of mostly 20 somethings. I met plenty of new people, and even ran into some old friends.
Thursday night at the NBC Universal party. I apologize for the poor quality, but you get the idea.
I realized quickly that this was the best kind of networking. Everyone was more comfortable in this relaxed and fun setting, and it was a great way for people to get to know your personality, rather than your work ethic. Nobody was there to talk about work, but they did have an interest in what you do for a living.
All it took was a conversation with one person, and people started coming to you. From there, I was introduced to even more people. It was relatively effortless on my part, and a genuinely enjoyable time.
I highly encourage you to find these types of networking opportunities, and they are out there. It has been my experience that the more laid back and fun environments for networking are more effective than the typical job fair set-up. And if all else fails, at least you had a good time. Take a break from the traditional and stiff networking, and go have some fun! Do a little research, Chicago is full of these types of opportunities.
Feel free to share any upcoming events in the comments section.
Jacque
Megan
Looped: Chicago 