How to approach career and networking events

Throughout anyone’s career there is going to be a time where you experience a careers event or some sort of networking evening. These can be beneficial events which can broaden your idea of where your career path could possibly go. However, they can also be quite intimidating events with a significant amount of people.

The key advice is knowing where to start and being prepared. When it comes to careers events, it might be useful to research a few of the companies attending so you can narrow down the stands which you go to. But don’t feel the need to meticulously plan which companies you talk to and don’t. Some of the best conversations for my career have come from spontaneous conversations at an event where often I didn’t know the company had existed beforehand.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask the obvious! These career events are there to inform and help everyone. Often the people representing these companies at career events will be a mix of recent graduates and experienced members to give a range for those attending. It is also great to get different points of view to help you decide whether a company would be a good fit for you.

Career events and networking events can sometimes be slightly different in terms of set up; career events are often organised in terms of stands with booklets and leaflets which can still be a networking opportunity. Or there are events specifically for networking where often people with similar interests or are part of a similar organization are present but won’t have stands and formal leaflets.

The best advice for events which don’t have things such as stands and designated areas as social crutches, would be to try and plan out some conversation openers. These often will always spark a conversation and will invite other people to join. These could include general greetings or by introducing yourself and what you are studying or the reason why you are at the event. If there is any sort of presentation happening, take note of anything which you could use as a conversation starter. Little things such as these will help you begin and continue a conversation as icebreakers.

It is also great if someone with similar interests, for example, someone on your course goes with you. It is always great to have someone else there with you! But don’t worry if you don’t, loads of people attend events like these and it gives you a chance to talk to people with similar interests to you.

To make the most of these events it is important to understand what you are aiming to get out of attending. Whether it is to just broaden your idea of what kind of companies there are or if you are in your final year and are looking at graduate schemes and want first hand advice from recent employees. If you are in first or second year, going to these events is also great just to get some idea of how they work and how you can make the most of the day.

Overall, the best approach for any events such as these is to not overthink and worry too much about approaching new people. These types of events are specifically designed to help you and your career (they should also be some level of fun too!) :)