It’s been a while since my first blog post, and between now and then a lot has been going on. Namely, I went to my very first networking event! The event I went to was the Griff Fair, and it is an annual event held by my college.

Prior to the Griff Fair, my college hosted something called the Suit Up Event, where undergraduates could buy professional clothes from a specific store for a discounted price. I made sure to buy a lot of clothes, not only so I would have some for the event, but for my internship as well. A few days later, the career center at my college was giving away free professional clothing, so I made sure to stop by to pick up a sweater. Something I was nervous about going into the Griff Fair was that I didn’t have a good enough outfit, so this helped me prepare for the event.

The Griff Fair itself was a very educational experience. I went between two of my classes which didn’t give me a lot of time to stick around, but I made sure to talk to some people. When I got to the Fair I wasn’t really sure who to talk to, so I went with people who looked to be close enough to what I want to do in the future. After chatting with a few people and collecting a few business cards, I left and went to my next class.

My main takeaway from this event is that I should be more prepared. I did look at the companies attending but I didn’t take note of the ones that would be relevant to me. Additionally, my other takeaway is to give myself more time to talk to more people at the event.