I recently started going to various tech and design meetups in New York, as a way to meet new people in the digital product space, learn some new things, and expose myself to information that will help me navigate my career as a designer. If you’re not already on Meetup.com, sign up on their website, find a few groups you are interested in, and start going to events.
I am not an expert at networking by any means, but I’ve developed a strategy that makes the meetups feel productive and enjoyable. Besides the obvious (get there on time, bring some business cards, carry a small notepad), I wanted to share my list of tips for making the most out of these events based on my experience:
- Go alone. I know this sounds scary, but when you go to an event with a friend, you are less likely to break out of your comfort zone and talk to someone you don’t know. Each time I’ve gone to a meetup by myself, I am forced to meet new people, which has been surprisingly fun and rewarding.
- Find a person to talk to. Walking up to a group of people who are already engaged in a conversation can be intimidating. What has worked for me is to show up a little early, put on my name tag, and then scan the room for people who are standing (or sitting) alone. It’s much easier to start talking to someone who is by him/herself. I casually approach this person and say something like this: “Hello! What brings you here today?” or “Hello! Do you know if there will be pizza at this event?” This approach always works to get the other person talking, and pretty soon we are chatting away about various things (“what do you do?” “is this your first meetup with this group?” “what other meetups do you like?”, etc.). Keep it light and casual.
- Take notes and pictures. I like to snap lots of photos of each presenter and their slides, and write down interesting quotes. I later use these photos and quotes to post something about the event on social media, and make sure to tag the meetup organizer, presenter, and location host. This helps increase the meetup’s visibility, and my own.
- Say hello to the presenter(s). At the end of each event, some people line up to chat with the presenter(s). If you enjoyed someone’s presentation, make sure to tell them so. You don’t have to go on and on, but I think anyone who spent the time to put together a 15–20 minute presentation would appreciate your kind words.
- Exchange business cards. The main point of these events is to meet other people, so don’t be shy about asking people for a business card and also offer yours. After I leave the event, I write notes on each business card about the person so I can better remember some details about where we met and what we talked about.
- Follow up. If you did any of the above tips, you would have most likely met at least one or two people at your meetup. The next day, invite these people to connect on LinkedIn, and follow them on Twitter, Medium, etc. Your network will grow organically over time, and this will be good for your career. It is a well-known fact that people tend to find jobs through other people they know or have a connection to.
- Keep at it. When I first started going to meetups, I was pretty open to going to any event that sounded remotely tech- or design-related, even if it wasn’t totally relevant to my particular design work. Virtual reality designers talking about the future of VR? Customer experience insights from marketing pros? Squarespace web designers offering project management and workflow advice? Sign me up. I think of this time period as an exploration that will take my career into unknown directions, and I am enjoying the journey.
- If you’re not naturally extroverted, it might take going to a few events before you start to feel relaxed and confident in your ability to do small-talk and schmooze in a way that feels natural. Best of luck, and I hope to see you at a meetup in the near future. 💯