Do’s and Don’ts: Appropriate Networking in Personal Events

If you are an enterprising career girl you will look at all social events, both business and personal, as a great chance to network.

“Another wedding invite?!”

If you are a career girl in your mid-20’s, you know what I mean. For many past their quarter life, there’s a lot of big decisions are being made within your circles.  A friend is throwing a baby shower, a cousin is getting married, a collegue is throwing a housewarming. If you are slowly getting a bit run down by social obligations like these, why not look at them as opportunities as well?

If you are an enterprising career girl you will look at events like this as a great chance to network. However there are many things to be remembered to keep your networking level event-appro. Here are some great do’s and don’t to remember when networking in personal events.

Do: bring your business cards. You’ll never know who you’ll meet.

Don’t: hand your business cards too eagerly. Only offer it to someone whom you’re interested to keep in touch with, at the end of the event.

Don’t: Be an attention hog. The event is not about you, so refrain from talking about yourself too much.

Do: Talk about the hosts with grace and fondness. No sulking about the bride or telling people about that embarrassing and inappropriate story about the groom.

Do: have an “Elevator Pitch”. Name, relation to host, and what you do in 2-3 sentences. This is a good way of bringing your business out, so rehearse your answer beforehand. You don’t want to give a speech on what you do, again, this event is not about you.

Do: ask a question back. A lot of people who are confident in asking “what do you do” in a social event usually has an interest in networking as well. However, know the appropriate amount of information to share. Leave them hanging, and tell them that business can be discussed another time, which is a great reason to exchange cards and keep in touch.

Don’t : only talk to the people you already know. Approach other people or ask to be introduced.

Do: Ask for the contact numbers of key people. The organizer, host, or catering staff will come in handy eventually, so don’t be afraid to come up to them at the end of the evening to let them know that they did well and to ask for their number. .

Do: have fun. If you are not having fun and you only look at the event as a networking event, you might turn off some people.

As an ambitious career girl, it is not unheard of to look at every moment as an opportunity. Just make sure you do it with finesse. 

Reading Pairings: [amazon template=product&asin=1940858089]