Episode Notes

On the seventeenth installment of Tristan’s Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield dives into how you can better prepare for networking events and lower anxiety around them.

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TRANSCRIPT

Tristan: What’s going on, y’all? It’s Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I’ve teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today we’re gonna dive into how you can better prepare for networking events and lower anxiety around them. If you’re anything like me, networking events can be a nervewracking experience, but growing and activating your network has become one of if not the best ways to find a new job. Over the years, I’ve found a few ways to better prepare for networking events and reduce my anxiety leading up to them, so let’s jump into a few things you can do before your next networking event to be better prepared. First, set some goals around the event. I’ve found that networking events go smoother when I know I am there. For example, I went to a conference where my goal was to meet three panelists and to connect with ten other entrepreneurs. Number two, if you can, research who may be in attendance. If you know who’s going to be there, you can figure out what commonalities you all have and use that to your advantage. Number three, develop your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a short and concise statement that explains who you are, what you do, and what type of position you’re seeking. Spend some time here and make sure it’s good. After all, it’s gonna be most people’s first introduction to you. Number four, you want to prepare your outfit. Let’s be honest. When you look good, you feel good, and there’s nothing worse than it being an hour before the event and you find out all your good clothes are dirty. Number five, figure out your contact strategy. You want to think about how you’re going to provide your information, receive other’s information, and what your follow-up strategy will be. Do you need business cards? Are you gonna show off your knowledge of LinkedIn’s Nearby feature to connect? You know, what are you planning to do? Whatever it is, you just want to make sure it’s appropriate for the event that you’ll be attending. While networking can be intimidating, if you can take these steps you’ll feel better prepared, exude more confidence while there, and hopefully land some new and fruitful connections. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn. Thanks. I’ll be talking to you soon.

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