When it comes to landing your dream job, who you know matters. That’s why people all over the world turn to Meetup to find local communities that help them grow professionally.
Learn what you need to know
Before you start looking for a job, seek out all of the information you need to feel comfortable in your role and in the industry. This is especially important if you’re trying to break into a new field or a new type of position. Going to Meetup events will help you understand industry lingo, best practices, and help you get to know who the popular thought leaders are. Even if you’ve been in your field for a while, it’ll benefit you to stay up-to-date with how things are evolving.
Meeting people who work in all levels of the field—rather than only hearing from experts—will help you understand more of the nuts-and-bolts of your industry. Reading books, taking online classes, or listening to podcasts are certainly important, but they can’t provide this same value. Make it a goal to learn one new thing at every event you attend. This could be identifying a new person to follow on Twitter, a new idea to research, or a new book to read. Also, be sure to ask questions if there’s an opportunity to do so.
Make real connections
Striking up conversations with strangers can be hard, but remember this: The vast majority of people at the event are probably hoping to make some new connections, too. Our best tip is to start talking to someone within 5 minutes of when you arrive. Waiting too long will only make it harder to break the ice. Walking into an event with friendly confidence changes your entire body language, and people are likely to gravitate to you.
Be ready to share your contact information
If you don’t have a physical business card, you can create a QR code that the people you meet can scan and easily save your information. Be sure to share your LinkedIn profile, your email, a link to your website or portfolio if you have one, and even to your other social feeds (like Instagram or Facebook) if you feel comfortable doing so.
Get involved with a professional group
Many professional networking groups have leadership teams or often ask members for help in finding new venues to host events. Make a point to introduce yourself to the organizer of the event, and offer to help in any way you can.
Start your own group
If you can’t find the right professional community in your area, or the groups that do exist aren’t quite a fit, try starting your own. You might be surprised how many people are looking for the same type of community (check out Naimeesha’s story to see what we mean).
Starting a group puts you at the center of a professional community. You choose the speakers, you decide where and how often the group meets, and you decide how you want it to grow. Leading a group can be an extremely valuable way to learn on your own terms and gain credibility in your field as you bring people together and facilitate connections.
One thing to remember: You don’t need to be an expert in your field in order to run a professional Meetup group. Be clear from the start that you’re trying to meet others in the field and learn more about the industry. Your job will be to seek out the experts and create programming that’s valuable to you and to others in your group. Often times the experts are more than willing to speak or get involved in local communities like yours that center around their field. You might even be able to ask companies to sponsor your group—meaning, they’d pay for pizza or provide a space—as your community continues to grow.
Find events, join groups, and communicate with your people—from anywhere. Download the Meetup app today!
Last modified on November 15, 2022
