Beer + High-Fives = Networking

 

By Emily Knight

Networking.

One word and I bet you are dozing off, moaning in agony, or tensing up with fear. But why? Why is the thought of networking so off-putting to so many of us?

Picture this, a networking event or career day, you know the ones; a huge room filled with booths where people from various companies are giving out branded stress balls. The stress balls themselves are alarming, hinting that either you should already be stressed or you are going to be stressed after talking with these people. You walk around shaking hands, blurbing out what is supposed to be an elevator pitch, and taking business card after business card.

What you don't do is have a meaningful conversation with a single person or actually use any of those business cards to follow up with someone and build a relationship.

Now picture this, a bar full of people, dressed casually, laughing, high-fiving and sharing their personal and professional victories and roadblocks. You don't know anyone except for the friend that invited you, but you recognize dozens of faces from around campus and are quickly chatting with a group of people who range from the founder of your go-to coffee shop, Barrow, to the co-founder of your favorite sweater company, Local Laundry. Hearing these stories of how these peoples' university experiences blossomed into serendipitous careers that they never expected leaves you feeling inspired to continue exploring your own future. Looking back years later, it was these connections and conversations that helped you land your dream job.

Does this sound too good to be true? Straight from the dictionary, networking is defined as "a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest". We took this definition and turned it into a reality; networking that is actually fun and valuable! If you are ready to fall in love with networking, meet crazy cool people, and be inspired to reach your dreams then we want you to attend our next Innovator & Founders Circle Meetup.