How To Handle Yourself at a Networking Event

If you have ever been to a networking event or function, you would know who knows their way around the room and who is just getting started in the networking scene.  This website talks extensively about this topic, and We&Co itself hosts tons of professional networking events (around four per month at the time this article was written).  But remember, in the words of Anton Checkhov, Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.  So let’s get out there and practice honing our skills at a networking event or function!

During the Networking Event

Travel Strategically Around the Networking Event

If you do not know many people, stand near and around food stations. These locations attract a variety of guests, people are generally more at ease while eating, and the food itself offers an easy conversation starter. You could also stand near the bar, but depending on the type of event, this area can be noisy, and it can be difficult to hear what the other person is saying.

*PRO TIP* if you are looking to converse with someone specifically: stay near the entryway or the registration area.  Even better, offer to be a greeter or visitor host at the event.  This way you are one of the first faces attendees see when they walk into the room.  Offering to be of service is a fantastic way to get out there and get in front of other people.

Entering and Contributing to Conversation

Entering into a conversation is as easy as asking open-ended questions.  Here are a few examples:

1. What business are you in?
2. How did you get into your business?
3. What makes your company different from your competitors?
4. What industries are you breaking into or getting ready to break into?
5. What are your professional goals in the next year, three years, and/or five years?
6. How can I best support you in your business?
7. What are you hoping to gain from being here today/tonight?

Make your presence felt in creative and kind ways. The best way to enter a conversation is by asking a simple question. Once you’re in, offer professional humor, smile, use encouraging words, and be sure to provide recognition or praise during the networking event.

As a rule of thumb, practice the 80/20 rule. Listen 80% and speak only 20%. As a rule of thumb, if I get someone to talk solely about themselves 80% of the time, it means I have done my job as a professional networker.  They were comfortable, they shared their interests and occupation, and nine times out of ten, I know what or who they are looking for in order to expand their business.  Remember to be professional and avoid the networking no-no’s.

Handling Food and Drink

Grab a drink and begin traveling around the room. Always hold your drink, especially if it is cold, in your left hand. This leaves your right hand free for introductions and keeps it dry.  This is important because research conducted by psychologists at the University of Alabama in 2000 tested the handshakes of 112 volunteers and compared the impressions they made with the psychological reports the volunteers completed afterward.

The researchers found that a “firm handshake” corresponded to personality traits that included extroversion and “openness to new experiences,” while those with a weak handshake were more likely to show higher levels of shyness and anxiety on their psychological reports. Women generally had weaker handshakes than men, but women who shook hands firmly were rated positively. Even among women, a strong handshake suggests a strong personality.

Exiting the Conversation

As a rule of thumb at a networking event or function, hold a conversation with an individual for around five to eight minutes, but not longer than 10. To excuse yourself and the individual to meet other people, simply say, “It has been a pleasure speaking with you.” If you would like to speak further, request their card and follow up with them on a later date to meet over coffee or lunch. To make this natural transition, say “I’m glad we had this opportunity to talk. Maybe I could call you or join you for coffee or lunch. May I have your card?”

Choosing Groups to Enter

Carefully choose individuals or groups of people to enter a conversation with. Giving preference to groups of three to five people, in my experience, is easier than trying to enter a conversation between two people. The group conversation is likely to be general and often requires less specific knowledge about a subject. Likewise, larger groups are more open to allowing a new member.

If you have ever entered a group and quickly found out they are all colleagues, this can be uncomfortable. Before entering, take a cue from the proximity in which the group members are standing to each other. The closer they stand, the more familiar they are with each other.

After the Networking Event

Follow-Up With New Contacts

Phone or send a thank-you note after an event if it seems appropriate. Forced gestures are usually ineffective – here, authenticity reigns!  Do your best to follow up within 24 hours or the next business day.  Again, this will help you stay top of mind!

Networking Using Social Media

When you meet someone new, you will likely Google them to learn more. Likewise, your new networking contacts and potential employers will also Google or use Facebook to get to know you. Social media is an easy, free way to manage and control information about you on the internet, however, it is a double-edged sword.

Whereby many of us use social media for our personal lives, and employers and would-be clients use it for research.  What you post on your profile matters.

Typically, what you post online is subconsciously how you want the world to see you.  Are you posting pictures of your family or pets?  Is it mostly business?  What about politics? Are you argumentative with those who don’t share the same viewpoints as you?  What kind of selfies or photos do you post up?  Are you posting pictures or videos of yourself and, if so, what kind of manner are you posting them?

Your social media speaks volumes about who you are as a person.  The question is how are you portraying yourself?

All About LinkedIn

The reason LinkedIn works so well for professional matchmaking is that most of its members already have jobs. A cadre of happily employed people use it to research clients before sales calls, ask their connections for advice, and read up on where former colleagues are landing gigs.

In this environment, job seekers can do their networking without looking as if they’re shopping themselves around. This population is more valuable to recruiters as well.

Tips for Using LinkedIn:

• Create your professional profile that highlights your skills, education, and experience. Early in your career, do not hesitate to include volunteer work, internships, or awards received. When you Google search your name, make it your goal that your LinkedIn profile is often the first hit.
• Update your profile regularly and include professional PowerPoint presentations or other portfolio work. Your contacts are alerted regularly of new posts on your account.
• Complete your profile! The more detailed your LinkedIn profile, the more chances you will have to be found and to be contacted by would-be clients, spheres of influence, or other professional liaisons.
• Include a recent professional headshot or photo. This allows your contacts to recognize you and feel more secure in inviting you to connect.
• Your contact settings let your connections know your availability. Options include things like career opportunities, consulting offers, new ventures, job inquiries, and reference requests.
• Your LinkedIn profile allows you to post a link to your personal or professional website, gallery or portfolio. Take advantage of this option if you have a site you want to show off, especially if you work in visual or graphic arts, or keep a professional blog.
• Include keywords and skills: Add these specific terms so that your profile will be picked up in relevant searches.
• Whenever you make a new contact, locate them on LinkedIn and invite them to connect. Leaving a message also increases the likelihood that they will connect with you!
• Join a LinkedIn Group, there are 500,000 of them, based on companies, schools, and interests. You will have access to discussion boards, industry updates, and a greater professional network, through membership.

Maintaining Your Professional Connections 

Build & Maintain Trust

Once you make the initial connection, you must cultivate your business network.  This is so your contacts become and stay fruitful over time. The strongest network is one strengthened by time and trust. To initiate the trust-building process, it can take as long as six months to two years.

To build trust, you must show that you are trustworthy. This means doing what you say and saying what you do.  I am of the opinion that how you do one thing is how you do most things.  If someone stands me up at a first face-to-face meeting, I tend to let it slide.  Life sometimes gets in the way, and you never know what they are going through.

*PRO TIP*

I like bringing my laptop everywhere with me so if someone does have to cancel last minute, I can still get some work done.

However, if they do it more than once, or don’t inform you before you are already at your meeting spot, it portrays that they don’t value your time.  And if you don’t value my time, then I am not going to make time for you in the future.

In short, follow up when you say that you’ll follow up; send the referral if you offer to send the referral, etc.  Remember, how you do one thing is how you do most things, especially when it comes to agreements with your professional network!

Keep Your Professional Network Active After the Networking Event

Do not let your network die due to a lack of attention. All it takes is a single email, phone call, text, or note to re-establish a connection. If I have a lull in my day, sometimes I’ll go through my phone and reconnect with people I haven’t spoken to in a while.  I’ll give them a phone call or shoot them a text asking how they are and if they need anything. I’ll also invite them to one of the We&Co upcoming events to see if they are available.