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Advice for networking at a conference?
So in about two weeks I'll be at a conference for a career path that I've been trying my best to get into for two years. It's a bit niche, having an overlap with science, tech and IT.
As such this conference represents opportunity for me, and given how low my morale is after rejection after rejection after rejection, something I really hope to see some result from.
Does anyone have any tips on how to network at such a conference?
Walk up to the booth and ask them what their company does. You ain't have to talk much, they try to sell it to you. That will get you in the groove.
Good advice, I used the booths as kind of a training grounds too. These people are there to talk to you :) Additionally, you may bump into some higher ranks with greater probability as compared to random motion.
Yeah I use it to get into the swing of things.
My experience has been that networking is the most important thing. Degrees, pieces of paper, etc is just a way of breaking the ice. Things might be different in an academic setting etc but people have never cared that I don't have a degree. Once they see that I'm pleasant, a good team worker, etc they just don't care. That's how I always got hired.
To OP: just get in there. People just want to talk, and genuinely they want to help. They will refer you to other jobs if you don't quite fit.
When I went to PyCon in 2016 I made a point to overcome my fears and go talk to people. There were lots of opportunities to engage and meet people. Not a single person I introduced myself to showed any reluctance to engage. There were was an opening event for socializing, meals that people just go and sit with strangers at, and a job fair. Plus just sitting around waiting for talks was another time to simply say hello to a neighbor and the natural thing is to exchange details on work and focus. People will likely talk to you, but don't be shy about introducing yourself. Good luck!
Adding a note about morale... I left PyCon feeling a much needed sense of enthusiasm and vigor. I hope whatever conference you are attending does the same for you, @Raspcoffee.
Also, I need to go back to PyCon.
I can second this, though I went to PyCon DE here in Berlin rather than the American event. Even the usually standoffish Germans are friendly and sociable at events like that in my experience.
Found out about PyCon NL that's in October thanks to this, thank you!
Ooh, glad you did! There were also lots of lovely Dutch people at PyCon DE last time I went. I've wanted to try more PyCons in nearby European countries myself, but it's very dependent on if I can convince my employer to pay ofc.
If you need an opener or dont feel fully comfortable stepping up and just immediately launching into network stuff: At every place like this at least a few stands / gather spots will have food or coffee. Simply just engage about the food/drink for a sentence and it'll flow from there.
Seriously I've gone from "is that a sticky cinnamon bun?!" to "Yes absolutely, let me mail you my CV and we can chat next week about what's opening in your department" in the span of 5 minutes.
Also remember that the people who you want / need to talk to are usually either 1) the most extraverted people who their company knew would do well at this conference, so they will absolutely be happy to talk to you and at the very least refer you to who you actually want to talk to; or 2) the actual technical people who are not used to this at ALL and are probably pretty terrified of screwing it up, so if you go up to them and just be nice they'll already be thrilled with you!
And yes I know there's extraverted tech people - I'm one of those myself - but by nature we're extraverted people who like to talk nerdy to other people so we're like labradors in a sea of tennisballs at a conference like this any way LOL
Oh and actual networking tip: If you like the person you're talking to but you've already gathered that they themselves can't help you further, maybe ask them to look over your CV for pointers. They'll at least know what kind of stuff the company is looking for, even if whatever position they represent isn't relevant to you. Might get you some tips about what to put in your cover letter to the company, or ideas on how to tweak your CV to appeal better - and not feel like time wasted at least!
Ah and one more: Linkedin add the absolute SHIT out of people. Seriously, the second you walk away send a linkedin request to that person.
More generally: take some concrete follow-up. This could be linkedin links, a business card, or many other things.
Don't get in your head about your string of rejections. That sucks, but it's a hard market everywhere right now. At least while you're at the conference, get into a headspace where you can imagine good things coming to you.
Especially if this conference represents your niche, it should be easy to find common ground with people, so I second most of what I see in this thread about coffee and idle questions.