The importance of networking has been emphasized at almost every iJOBS event thus far. While some people find themselves at ease in a room full of strangers, others feel so far out of their comfort zone that they need a map to find their way back. Luckily, it turns out networking is more learned skill than natural talent, and with enough practice most of us can become competent at it. Here is an overview of what a BioHUB networking event looks like and some of the things I learned from attending.
The November 12th BioHUB was my first official networking event. It started at 6:30PM at the Holiday Inn in Princeton, and was projected to last about two hours. It was organized by the Life Sciences Talent Network. You may have heard of this organization before from its director Matt Alcalde, who came to Rutgers as the main speaker for an iJOBS event on networking back in the beginning of 2015. (If you missed it, he is planning something similar in 2016 and is also helping put together another career fair in April, so stay tuned! You can read about last year’s career fair here).
What can you expect when you walk in?
The event was in a semi-dark, spacious room with a bar. Business casual dress code was the norm, although some people had full business formal wear on. I was surprised to be recognized as an iJOBS participant at the sign-in desk, and the organizers seemed happy I was there. Recruiters were identified by yellow stickers on their badges. Once I was pointed in the direction of the nametag-making station, I was on my own. What I came to realize is that everyone is there to network, and therefore, almost everyone is open to conversation with strangers. I chose not to drink alcohol, but many others did. I started my first conversation at the nametag station, and soon two or three more people joined us. I observed how people introduced themselves and joined into an existing conversation, offering their name and a firm handshake, and I tried to copy their style.
Who was there?
It didn’t even occur to me how many different people might be present at the event. There were several undergraduate students, recruiters looking for a variety of levels of experience, entrepreneurs searching for talent, and people of every career track and seniority trying to find their next place of employment. Oddly enough, I was the only PhD candidate I saw there; there may have been others, but I didn’t have the pleasure of encountering them.
What are some tips for attending this event?
- Talk to everyone that wants to speak with you. Don’t focus on only finding people who might get you your next job and snub everyone else. Everyone has some experience or information to offer, even if they cannot get you hired directly. Plus, you never know when you might come across something that could be useful to them!
- BREATHMINTS. I noticed a minty fresh breath on everyone I spoke with, and then I came into contact with one individual with severe beer-and-cigarettes breath. Choose to be remembered as that person at your own risk.
- Business cards – have ‘em ready! This is not the place to hand out resumes, but almost everyone had business cards on them. Following advice received at previous iJOBS events, I found it useful to go through the business cards I collected and jot down small details about the person, what they are looking for, and what we talked about after the BioHUB. These notes came in handy when I sent LinkedIn messages and invitations the next day.
- Read some articles to prepare. The internet has all the articles on networking advice you could want and more. Read a few, especially if you are nervous in social situations and unsure of how to behave at such an event.
I am no networking guru (yet?), but I hope this simple advice will help you with your next networking session. I cannot stress enough how doing some background research on networking can help you become more confident at one of these. You can get extra practice in networking by approaching iJOBS speakers at the end of their talks, but I think there is no substitute for attending a BioHUB or similar social event. I was slightly disappointed that I saw no other PhD students there, and I hope we can improve our attendance as a group for the next one!