Sometimes, professional networking can feel like a never-ending cycle of event hopping and meeting random people.
Worse yet, many of these events are structured to facilitate bite-sized, ten-minute conversations with people.
As a writer, I get media passes to dozens of “networking events” and conferences.
I’ve been to few really great networking events.
For the most part, they weren’t that conducive to networking.
In fact, I can’t even remember meeting a friend or acquaintance from any of these events.
These events are so busy that I neverfeel quite like myself.
Instead of subjecting yourself to this method of meeting people, authorRamit Sethi advocatesmeeting one new person per week.
(That’s not an invitation to pitch anything though.)
You could also get in touch through a mutual contact (you could findcontacts through LinkedIn).
You could also use tools likeTen Thousand Coffees.
Dinner may bea big step, so set up a quick lunch or coffee.
Alternatively, you could set up an informational interview (cold email scriptsin this article).
Connect with Internal Colleagues
If you’re already working a full-time job, take advantage of it.
First, learning more about each role will probably help refine your internal perspective of the company.
You could also collaborate on internal side projects together, which would be good for both of your advancement.
They can be crucial contactsfor the 2+1 rule.
For example, marketing and sales teams likely know each other well.
Product managers probably flitter between designers and developers.
It can be tempting to stick with just your team and immediate unit.
You’ll gradually start to see each other as more than just “professional contacts”.
As Marshall McLuhan so famously wrote,the medium is the message.
Take your conversation away from email or LinkedIn to another medium as soon as possible.
For some, this could be text message or WhatsApp.
For others, it could be on Threema, Twitter DM, or another channel.
If you feel the other person is comfortable, start moving beyond professional topics.
If you have mutual friends, ask how they met each other.
This is usually done by discussing business or personal challenges and sticking points.
Examples of mastermind groups include Ben Franklin’sJuntoand Henry Ford’smastermind group.
One of the best events I attended was Jayson Gaignard’sMastermindTalks.
Gaignard conducted interviews with each applicant and made sure that their top priority was meeting otherpeople.
You should take that kind of care when setting up or choosing your mastermind group.
Mastermind groups can be expensive since you may have to help people travel to your meetup.
Don’t let the name fool you.
It’s something you must approach strategically.
Keep these principles in mind as you make new friends.
Meet with fewer people, but form deeper relationships with them.
Invest time and energy into your online grid.
Always bring more to the table than you leave with.
Title photo byPaul Fenwick.
Section photos bychichacha,Stepan Mazuro,Chris Ford,andFlattr.
