How to Prepare for Networking in Person Again

Make the most of face-to-face networking in this post-pandemic era with these four tips:

1. Do your homework: Research the event, attendees, and speakers, and create your game plan around who you want to meet and what you want to get from the event.
2. Refresh and refine your elevator speech: Practice makes perfect. Say it out loud multiple times. Your refined speech should be under one minute, engaging, and adaptable to your audience.
3. Dust off your LinkedIn profile: Completed profiles bring 20 times more views. Focus on your About section, add a high-quality photo, and update your work history.
4. Go into events with both a purpose and an open mind: Find a balance between staying focused so you can identify relevant opportunities and being open to the possibilities.

“Whenever you attend a networking event, make sure you’re actually ready to make a deal if the opportunity presents itself,” Pam Kosanke, global marketing leader at EOS Worldwide, wrote in an article for Women 2.0. “In general, you should be ready to pay for help or ask for funding. Don’t be shy, and never apologize for wanting to succeed.”

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