I hate happy hour. I seem to defy my age bracket by going out of my way to avoid late nights and alcohol-induced experience.
Ever notice how happy hours and networking always seem to go hand in hand. You don’t hear about networking teas, those just don’t happen. Alcohol seems to be a necessary social lubricant for many.
Given that you are who you know, I can’t avoid networking, but I can try to make it less painful. An acquaintance sent me an invite to a networking/happy hour event at a hotel on the Westside for tomorrow night. Gut reflex — not going. Instead, I sent the invite to a bunch of people I know that are also looking to meet new people for a variety of reasons. One e-mailed back to ask if I was going, and what time I was going? She’d rather go if someone she knows is there.
So picked a time. And now I have a networking buddy. I don’t need to worry about not knowing anyone. Once we’re comfortable in the setting, we have the opportunity to double our networking by working opposite ends of the room. People that would be good fits for her, I can introduce her to later in the evening, and vice versa.
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