Tried networking events vs coffee chats for 6 months, coffee chats won by a mile

I forced myself to go to 5 networking events last year and got maybe 2 real conversations out of it. Then I switched to doing one 20 minute coffee chat a week with people in my field. After 3 months I had 3 job leads and actual advice on my portfolio. The events felt like handing out business cards into a void. Coffee chats let me ask specific questions like how they broke into project management at a firm. Has anyone else stopped going to big mixers and found smaller meetups way more helpful?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_simon3d ago

Ngl, big mixers are basically just awkward speed dating for business cards. I had way better luck doing one on one lunches with people I actually vibed with on LinkedIn.

skyler_kim153d ago

Yeah the big ones are just noise. Best connections I've made came from asking someone for 15 minutes of their time over coffee, way more real conversation happens that way.