@360JobInterview.Com blog

We’ve written about the importance of networking before. It is undeniably one of the best ways to get ahead in your career, and even find a great job (or any job, at all). When someone meets a potential client/new hire/valuable contact in the flesh, it leaves them with a biased towards that person. They’ve created a connection, even was limited to a quick handshake and exchanging of business cards.

A great place to network is a conference, particularly ones focused on your industry. They happen all over the world, typically in the city that is considered the “hub” for the sector. The travel, however, won’t be the highest expense. These conferences typically run from $1,000 dollars and up per attendee. This is not a nominal sum, especially if you are unemployed.

Attending the conference, however, will likely give you a great advantage. It is only logical that the majority of attendees will have been sent by their companies, which is why they can afford to go. This leaves out most people seeking a job, but plenty of companies who could use good, specialized talent like yours. If you are one of only a handful of job seekers at the conference, shmooze with various representatives from different companies. Chat with your new found buddy about your skills and experience, your goals, and your availability. They’ll see you as quite the catch and consider themselves lucky to have found such available talent – and will provide their recommendation for you to the right people at their company. Many companies offer a bonus for employees that bring in qualified candidates, so they have a gain, too.

Find the Events

Look up all the up-coming large events and conferences in your city or ones nearby. For the ones that are in an area of your interest, bookmark their websites and create a document to keep track of all related information. Check out Mashable’s Weekly Guide to Social Media Conferences & Events for those related to the Internet industry. The All Conferences also provides a very thorough database of conferences in nearly every industry.

Pre-Conference Networking Opportunities

For nearly every event, there will be dozens of meetups in the area and days surrounding (and during) the conference. Some will be listed on the website itself, but others you’ll have to look up. Doing a quick search for the conference name, city, and “meetup” or “tweetup”, you should be able to find a few. Also, check out Meetup.com for any relevant local groups that may plan special mixers around the conference. If you don’t live in the area, connect with top-level influencers online. If you do it via Twitter or Facebook, make sure it’s in a more organic manner.

Be a Bargain Hunter

There are always discounts for even the largest of events. Again, do a simple search for the conference name, add “discount” and voila, you should have a few results that include a usable discount code (anywhere from 10% – 25% usually). If you’re a student, there are often student prices available. Make sure you have a current student id and you should have no problem getting in for that reduced rate.

Do you blog or vlog (video blog)? If your website and/or videos are influential enough, or reach a critical niche group, you should contact the event organizer. Inform them of your intent to thoroughly cover the event, and mention that you really enjoyed their last event/article/service/product. Did they not offer a discount? Then ask for one (it usually never hurts to do so).

Wait ‘Til the Last Minute

While this may seem counter-intuitive, waiting until the last minute can get you a special deal. The conference may offer cheap or free expo-/exhibitor hall passes at the door (remember – they’re in this to make money and look good), which will at least get you in where you need to be to network. It’s rare that any conference goer, including full-paying ones, actually sit in on all the speakers/sessions the entire time, so you’ll be able to rub elbows with all the folks there.

Good luck getting in. Maybe we’ll see you there! But, if you’re still uncertain of your networking skills, make sure to talk to one of the 300+ professional coaches from over 55 industries. They’ll provide you with top-notch action planning for your career.