Networking - Quality vs. Quantity
Photo Source: Fotolia We just had over 70 people attend one of our job seekers' networking events during which I observed candidates “working the room”, but doing so with no real objective or purpose. Unfortunately, I see this happen more often than not and feel that it is representative of one of the biggest mistakes people make in regard to their networking activities; feeling compelled to meet everyone in the room/at the event. This is not a good strategy for a number of reasons, but mainly because a candidate may meet “everyone”, but he/she comes away having a lot of conversations of little value. The main purpose of any networking event is to get to know a few other people well enough to have them consider referring the individual to a decision maker within a targeted employer. Or, at a minimum, to feel comfortable enough to agree to a one-on-one follow up meeting. Thus, if you attend a networking event with 20 people or 70, set your sights on having quality conv