Morning meetup at a locally-owned coffee shop scheduled…check
RSVP’d to an evening post-conference dinner…check
I was ready for last weekend’s Society for Women in Engineering Conference (where I shared my perspective as a “Jill-of-All Trades” on a panel).
I don’t go to many conferences now that I’m a coach/freelancer. But when I do, I try to make the most out of the opportunities to socialize beyond the boundaries of the conference. And I align those meetings with my values, which include supporting small businesses.
I recognize these meetings are one of the privileges that come from in-person conferences. They benefit those who have the time, money and support structures (such as childcare) to attend. During COVID-19, when all conferences went virtual, the opportunity to participate was extended to many who had been previously shut out. And for those who HAD attended in the past, many realized the critical value of these “bonus” features.
And if you’re a job seeker or just wanting to check out what other options are out there, I highly encourage you to check out conferences or gatherings you could attend (as I discussed previously, in my series on Gardening as a Metaphor for Networking, Networking 101 and Making Your Garden Thrive). I know of multiple associations and societies that are offering significant discounts for people impacted by layoffs and funding cuts from the federal government. If that’s you and you know of a conference you want to attend, it’s worth checking out the organizer’s website.
Making the Most of Gatherings
If you can attend something in-person, here’s my suggestions for success.
- Find ways to meet with others in smaller settings. Know your bandwidth and organize appropriately. If you’re not a morning person (or traveling to an earlier time zone), skip the 7am coffee. If you’re an introvert, limit the number of gatherings, schedule when you’re NOT mentally drained and keep the group size small.
- Pick a spot that isn’t a coffee shop in a conference hotel. The lines there will be long, seating will probably be limited, and it will most likely be noisy. If you have the ability, talk (or roll) outside to go to a nearby establishment or coordinate shared transportation. This supports the local economy too.
- Explore options beyond eating and drinking for your meetups. Some of my favorite memories of frequent travel from the Midwest to Seattle include getting up for sunrise hikes on the hillside where our hotel was located (see picture below from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill). Explore the city you’re staying in, meet in the hotel gym, see a local theater production, visit a nearby museum…there’s so much to do!
- Talk about work AND life during these meetings. Genuinely connecting is the goal, not getting a job, recruiting a new client or finding a collaborator for a project. Those things can organically come out of meetings, but they don’t need to be the goal going into it. Let serendipity arise.
- Continue the conversation afterwards. Find a social media platform you’re both on where you can connect (regular readers know I’m a big fan of LinkedIn but other platforms work too). Note something another person mentions and follow up with them via their favorite connection method to see how things are going a week later. This means you need to find out their preferred method if you don’t already know it. Are they a texter? Emailer? Phone caller? Slacker?…wait, that doesn’t sound right… Even if it’s not YOUR preferred way to connect, honor their preference. If you see something related to what you discussed afterwards, shoot them a message and share the resource.
We’re all craving genuine connections right now. Seek them out!
(Excerpt from my “Take it With You” Newsletter, sign up to receive regular updates)
And if you’d like to build community during your job search, check out my LinkedIn Sprints!
