How we really feel about networking events at Georgetown

Networking events are a necessary evil. As we’ve been told dozens of times, connections (or Malcolm Gladwell’s “weak ties”) are the secret to professional success.

And while I absolutely DO NOT want to go to networking events, I still go. But mainly for the free food and the show.

The free food part is not hard to understand. Everyone loves free food, and it is a nice change to the dull and tiresome choices in Leo’s. But, I do not “just eat” – I observe the people around me.

A business school freshman and a College freshman outside of McDonough, where most networking events are held

In one of the post-info session receptions, I could sense the smell of eagerness, desperation and boredom the moment I walked into the room.

Dozens of people were dressed in their fancy suits, their hair done almost perfectly. Their dress shoes were so shiny they reflected the ceiling as the students flushed Goldman and JP Morgan tables.

About halfway through my first plate of spring rolls, which were quite decent, the first casualties of networking exhaustion left, despaired and drained. Soon, many more followed their steps. By the time I finished my eating (I ate a lot), the eager students were all but disappeared. Powered by hundreds of calories, I decided to walk around and check out the competitive firms themselves.

As I was approaching the first, I realized it was not only listless, but also clearly bored of being asked the same questions over and over again by those who came before me.

So without really crossing my mind, I said: “You seem like you had enough of this.”

Truth be told, I did not meant to say it out loud, especially not directly to a powerful recruiter’s face. But, things happen.

Surprised and somehow puzzled, he stared at me for a few seconds, not really expecting a Georgetown student to utter something like that out of the blue, and then murmured softly, “Yeah.”

And that was the end of our brief encounter. Lesson learned.

After my rather bizarre exchange at the event, I went on to talk to some upperclassmen and asked them about their past experiences. A junior named Sitaara, majoring in political economy, shared with me a rather exciting story.

Like many of her peers who were earnestly searching for internship opportunities, she attended a speed networking event recently to mingle with potential employers. To her great dismay, none of her counterparts shared her passion or interest.

She was not the only misfit that night. While eating her food to make up for the unproductive evening, she met another lady, an outsider also, who was equally disappointed. The two misfits, with shared misfortune, soon found solace in one another as they discovered their common cravings for non-profits.

As it turned out, the other lady was the CEO of a non-profit! AND she offered to have chat with Sitaara over coffee sometime in the future! I did not see that one coming.

Classic networking flyer

Summarizing her thoughts on the topic, Sitaara said: “Getting advice from these events is a false pretense of our true intentions: networks and jobs.”

I do not agree or disagree with her. Sure, they are important, but should we go into every networking events with only these on our minds?

Or is there something more to these gatherings?

Are we missing the nuance beneath the seemingly monotonous exchange which may shed new light on our approach? Either way, I am done with networking events.

At least, for now.