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There are a lot of useful tips that we can gain from the web about networking in a conference. For example some useful tips from blogger Chris Bogan, is that if there is a blog of an event or a conference, it is wise to upload a picture of yourself and blog with other members to make a connection. During the conference you can try to identify the people you blogged with and it could be an ice-breaker.
An aspect that I found noteworthy is the degree of information you give when you introduce yourself. Giving too much information, can bombard a person and seem too serious. For example giving your full name and the company you work for, can be too much information as a conversation starter. Alternatively, it can be a good conversation starter if somebody is interested in the company you work for.
People also develop an impression about the company you work for, from the impression they get from you as a person. Therefore impressions count and you could be a good spokesperson for the company or could give a bad reputation to the company, if you don’t give a good impression. I felt this personally, when I attended a career fair and conference, where a female recruiter from Ernst and Young was giving interviewing advise. She sounded very critical of interviewees, yet she dressed shabbily, her hair was messy and she wore no makeup. It didn’t give me a good impression of Ernst & Young, and made it seem like it was a stern place to work and employed strange people. I didn’t mind that she had high expectations from applicants about etiquette and dress, yet she sounded hypocritical when she didn’t seem very put together.
Another area of social networking that we should all take note of is card-giving: that it is more useful to receive than to give. This selfish mentality has a purpose from a seller’s perspective, as you can contact potential customers to offer products for example. However, in trade fairs, booths are very inclined to give out brochures and name cards as a form of promotion and advertising. In the end of the day, from experience, you can realize which strategy works best for you and which approach to take based on the situation.
4 comments:
it is important to remember that people judge you by your appearance in the first minute they meet you. You appearance is very important in the impression you make. After the first minute you have about five minutes to make a good impression with what you say and how you compose yourself.
My question is how do you go about networking in the blogosphere. It takes a different method of networking to make connection with bloggers. Would you begin networking with bloggers by leaving comments on their blog.
It's interesting when doing an interview, you want to make a good first impression as you said. But how do you show your personality and how professional you can be online? You can be completely fake online, where those kind of things can be picked out in an interview.
I think the best way is to find good networking sites and show interest in certain topics. If you show that you are knowledgeable about certain topics, I think it will show you are interested. But what else can you do?
I hate the pressure of an interview. You get that terrible feeling in your stomach and all you want to do is get it over with. Everything you say represents who you are. Basically you are selling yourself. But, that may not have to be necessary when you have the right connections. Networking is essential and that cannot be stressed enough. Also sites like LinkedIn ease the burden of actually having to go out and meet people in person. Not that i agree with that method, but the main point is to expand your network and stay in touch with those currently in your network.
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