Unpopular opinion: networking events are a waste of time compared to just reaching out directly

I went to three networking events over 6 months and got maybe 2 decent conversations out of it. Then I tried something different - I sent a short email to a guy whose work I liked and asked if he had 15 minutes to chat. We talked for an hour and he ended up giving me a lead that got me a job interview. Has anyone else found that one-on-one reach outs work way better than standing around with nametags?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyclark18d ago

Ditched the last "networking happy hour" I went to after 20 minutes of awkward small talk. Emailed a random person on LinkedIn who worked at a company I was interested in, just said I admired his project and wanted to ask a quick question. He responded in 10 minutes, we hopped on a call the next day, and he literally walked me through exactly how he landed his role. Still talk to him a year later. Those big events feel like youre just collecting business cards from people who are also trying to get something out of you. Direct outreach actually builds rapport and feels way less fake.

quinns2018d ago

Had a buddy who went to 5 networking breakfasts and came back with nothing but a handful of business cards that went straight in the trash. He tried cold emailing a VP at a mid-sized tech firm instead, got a call that same week, and they hired him two months later directly through that connection.