Speed Dating?
About that "networking conference" on Thursday (mentioned on A Day in the Life).. I would like to brag about it now, so here I go...
Picture 40 or so business people in a conference room at the Delta Hotel in downtown Kitchener, many of whom are dressed in typical business attire. We are all there to take part in an interactive activity known as "speed networking" where we'd have 3 minutes with another person, and in those minutes we each have 30 seconds to promote our businesses and 2 minutes to chat. Then we do the same with another partner, and so on. Just think of speed dating, except we're pimping our businesses rather than ourselves. My task is to promote Student Connections and the E-Biz Boot camp.
Cory and I arrive just before 7:30am, a little tired and unable to remember the last time we were up before sunrise. Inside, the atmostphere at the Delta is very comforting as we are greeted and served orange juice, coffee, muffins, and some fruits - no eggs or sausages though.
The average age of everyone there is about 35-40, so I'm definitely the youngest. Wearing my "business casual" shirt untucked probably didn't help my image either, but the idea of "hanging out with the big boys" made me feel energetic nonetheless. Keep in mind that most people my age are still flipping hamburgers and making pitas. So at first I felt a little awkward, as expected, but once we got going it was smooth sailing.
The only person who looked anything close to my age was one of the first I networked with - Alesia, a Community Employment Development Worker at The Canadian Hearing Society and recent grad out of U of Guelph. She later gave me a magnetic dart board (a prize she had won but had no use for) to hang in our student house. So that would be her donation to 125 Columbia.
I also met a gentleman from Clerica who is a part-time instructor at WLU and tried to get me to take his Financial Planning class... BUS 483, i think. Looks like an interesting course but I'll have to figure out my academic plans first.
I also met a bunch of business owners.... consulting companies, web development companies, a dude that sells printer ink, and even someone who runs a traditional matchmaking service.
Overall it was a unique experience and encourage all co-op employers to do these types of things with their students. What I found most challanging was having only 30 seconds to make my pitch and tailoring it towards whoever I'm speaking to, as well as listening and looking interested. Communication, like any other skill, only gets better with practice and hopefully I'd be able to walk into my future job interviews with more confidence than ever.
Picture 40 or so business people in a conference room at the Delta Hotel in downtown Kitchener, many of whom are dressed in typical business attire. We are all there to take part in an interactive activity known as "speed networking" where we'd have 3 minutes with another person, and in those minutes we each have 30 seconds to promote our businesses and 2 minutes to chat. Then we do the same with another partner, and so on. Just think of speed dating, except we're pimping our businesses rather than ourselves. My task is to promote Student Connections and the E-Biz Boot camp.
Cory and I arrive just before 7:30am, a little tired and unable to remember the last time we were up before sunrise. Inside, the atmostphere at the Delta is very comforting as we are greeted and served orange juice, coffee, muffins, and some fruits - no eggs or sausages though.
The average age of everyone there is about 35-40, so I'm definitely the youngest. Wearing my "business casual" shirt untucked probably didn't help my image either, but the idea of "hanging out with the big boys" made me feel energetic nonetheless. Keep in mind that most people my age are still flipping hamburgers and making pitas. So at first I felt a little awkward, as expected, but once we got going it was smooth sailing.
The only person who looked anything close to my age was one of the first I networked with - Alesia, a Community Employment Development Worker at The Canadian Hearing Society and recent grad out of U of Guelph. She later gave me a magnetic dart board (a prize she had won but had no use for) to hang in our student house. So that would be her donation to 125 Columbia.
I also met a gentleman from Clerica who is a part-time instructor at WLU and tried to get me to take his Financial Planning class... BUS 483, i think. Looks like an interesting course but I'll have to figure out my academic plans first.
I also met a bunch of business owners.... consulting companies, web development companies, a dude that sells printer ink, and even someone who runs a traditional matchmaking service.
Overall it was a unique experience and encourage all co-op employers to do these types of things with their students. What I found most challanging was having only 30 seconds to make my pitch and tailoring it towards whoever I'm speaking to, as well as listening and looking interested. Communication, like any other skill, only gets better with practice and hopefully I'd be able to walk into my future job interviews with more confidence than ever.
Labels: James
posted by James | 1/15/2006 08:15:00 PM
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