A few weeks ago I was in Chicago for HRTech. I spend most of my life networking. I have a great network, and people often ask me how I ended up here. I want to share the big secret, there isn't one.
There is no secret to networking. don't buy the books, believe the coaches, join the associations or listen to the boy wonders who have never actually had a job. Networking is easy. Be human, be real, don't try to be a brand, a thought leader or anything else. Be human.
If you meet me and you lead with your business card, or you give me a sharpened elevator pitch, or you try to qualify me as a mark, the conversation is going to die. I know your game. I've seen you with your target suit, preparing to try to snare the next victim. I don't want to be a part of your game. I don't want to end up on your spam list. I know what is coming next. I call these folks creepers or death eaters, and I see them at every event.
Drop the act. Talk to everyone, they will check you out later on LinkedIn or elsewhere. Be a person not an automation, because I'm bored, bored, bored of the professional networkers. The ones who just try too hard to be my friend. Talk about things I care about, like sport, or politics, or comedy, or cats, or whatever you want, because if we really get on, then we will definitely network, pitch me and we hit the human mute button.