Tried networking events vs coffee chats for 6 months, coffee chats won by a mile

I forced myself to go to 5 networking events last year and got maybe 2 real conversations out of it. Then I switched to doing one 20 minute coffee chat a week with people in my field. After 3 months I had 3 job leads and actual advice on my portfolio. The events felt like handing out business cards into a void. Coffee chats let me ask specific questions like how they broke into project management at a firm. Has anyone else stopped going to big mixers and found smaller meetups way more helpful?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_simon1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, big mixers are basically just awkward speed dating for business cards. I had way better luck doing one on one lunches with people I actually vibed with on LinkedIn.

skyler_kim151mo ago

Yeah the big ones are just noise. Best connections I've made came from asking someone for 15 minutes of their time over coffee, way more real conversation happens that way.

maxm501mo ago

Coffee chats feel way less like you're auditioning for a role in a bad improv comedy sketch. Walking into a big room full of strangers trying to "network" always made me feel like I was selling myself door to door but nobody was home. At least with a coffee chat you can be upfront and say "I have no idea what I'm doing, help me" without looking like a total mess. Plus you get caffeine out of the deal, which is more than a stale pastry and a sticky name tag ever gave me. Honestly I'd rather stammer through one awkward coffee meeting than fake laugh my way through a whole room of people again.