Philadelphia, PA - My first networking event included good and bad experiences. It taught me 3 important things that I will carry to my next one.
Everyone Doesn’t Care About What You Have To Say
This topic is something that I didn’t quite know going in. I thought that everyone would be interested in what I had to say.
That failed miserably - When people didn’t seem interested, I thought I approached them the wrong way. Some people are interested in things that pertain to their genre. And some people there weren’t into writers much.
So after talking to a few people and getting comfortable, I scanned the room for available people to talk to and I went all in.
Since I’m 17, people were shocked, so some actually wanted to know more about what I do.
I actually was the youngest in the room, so that was kinda nerve-wracking because young people aren’t taken seriously.
Opportunities Are Out There, I Just Had To Grab Them
At this networking event was mostly new startup people interested in learning about the basics of building a startup.
I’m a content creator, and most startups need content created. So after meeting a few good people, I met a guy named Bilal.
I emailed him a few weeks later with some of my work, and he was very impressed. So impressed that he sent some of it to the CEO of MsLightCollaborative (Anik).
I got a chance to have a tour of the building and a good talk with her, now I am involved with the organization and even writing content for them.
So that goes to show that when you throw yourself out there you open doors full of possibilities.
Always Provide More Value To The Next Person
I’ve always lived by the motto, give more than you take. So going in that is something I didn’t have to fake.
So when I first engaged in conversation, I, of course, told them who I was and what I did. I then took in who they were and their interests.
Depending on what their skill was I asked did they need a content writer in that specific area. Some said no and some said yes.
Throughout the whole conversation, I always came back with what I could do for them. Instead of holding my hand out and asking what they can do for me.
I’ve learned that this created meaningful and long-lasting relationships with people.
These three things were my experiences at my first networking event. I hope whoever that will be attending their first networking event will take these things into consideration!
