Thought networking events were useless until I went to one last month

I always figured those industry mixers were just people handing out business cards and nobody actually following up. But a buddy dragged me to a local hospitality event in Austin and I ended up talking to a restaurant owner who was looking for a line cook. Had an interview two days later and got a raise of $3 an hour. Anyone else find a real job lead from something they were sure would be a waste of time?

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the_emma5mo ago

@ward.mason that catering gig sounds like a solid find, glad it worked out for you. I gotta ask though, out of all the people you talked to that night, what was it about the catering manager that made you actually follow through? Like was it their vibe, the way they talked about the work, or just the timing of it being a big wedding? Because I think the real skill here is figuring out who at these things is actually serious versus who's just handing out cards to look busy. That's where I struggle personally, I can talk to someone for twenty minutes and still have no clue if they'll actually call me back. Would love to hear how you tell the difference.

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jennifer_murphy535mo ago

The clever ones mention a specific problem they're trying to solve right then.

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ward.mason5mo ago

Man, I was exactly the same way... thought those things were just people trying to sell me something. But then I went to a small meetup for local restaurant workers and ended up chatting with a catering manager who was short staffed for a big wedding. I filled in that weekend and now I've got a steady side gig with them. Totally changed my mind about those events.

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