PREMIUM: There is nothing like „too much networking“

My first boss once told me that the world belongs to the most visible ones. For me, it always meant talking to people, entering the room holding my head high, and greet everyone aloud. But as Woody Allen said: “showing up is just 80% of the success”. The rest is called networking.

Everyone is talking about it, some do it not even being aware of it. It may be disguised as a casual party, a business dinner, or a conference. But being somewhere and talk just to people we know well is not a networking. Long gone are times when getting a lucrative job or an interesting project was dependent merely on the individual`s qualities or amount of experience. Today, it is more important whom you know, and even more important who knows you.

If you are like me, the idea of coming to an event and introduce yourself to the people you don’t know and who are usually very successful in their fields, would not elicit the most pleasurable feelings around your stomach. But there is no other way than try. Moreover, you can be prepared. Prepare your story – a brief elevator pitch about who you are, and why people might be interested to talk to you. Try to learn something about the people you are going to meet. You can check their LinkedIn profiles or just google them. Try to remember at least a couple of people, what their achievements are and why you are interested to get in touch with them. The next time you may be calmer and more self-confident.

In PREMIUM, we got an amazing opportunity to practice networking. During the Mix & Match event that took place in January in Maastricht, we met our prospective clients for the very first time. Motivation to work on our networks was high. Based on our interactions, clients made their preferences about the teams. We came prepared. We studied the companies, we knew we would have to present ourselves, and we did our best. In the end, everyone experienced what it is like to be at the professional networking event where everyone has an equal chance to shine if they try.

Written by Marcela Provazníková (FPN)

PREMIUM Student 2018-2019