One of the important things I’ve seen in the last while, is networking with others is a contact sport. At the end of the day, though we all have the same agenda, we keep very much to ourselves and our immediate work environment. (Keep your demons close). This then places us in a “glass bowl” surrounding; where as much as we are on display, or known for our sparkling people skills, some have problems letting go of the “Work Persona”. This can lead to a very skewed vision on the chosen profession; and we start relying on outside sources for the inside gossip.

This is where the idea of a “Tweet Meet” makes so much sense. Firstly, it is usually spur of the moment; with notices being sent via e-mail or by twitter, and they are usually held in a restaurant or bar central to most of the participants. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet up with new collegues, with old friends and learn briefly about new practices in the industry, and trade war stories about our various issues to get a second opinion on how to solve the problem situations. Most times you don’t really know who is going to show up until everyone arrives.

For people like me, who are coming in as a new collegue from another profession, this provided me with an opportunity to meet some of the key players (those who have presence and a reputation throughout the industry); and to tear down the velvet curtain and see that “the Wizard” really is human. I went there with trepidation and questions, though my coach tried to keep me calm knowing about the fear of too many people in a really small space. With her in the room, I felt a little more at ease for the night to come.

I really appreciated the veterans I met taking the time to make me feel at ease; and I was even more pleased to see people I had done work for over the internet; and could now place faces to ”the voice” at the other end of the telephone. Most industries only have gatherings like this at Christmas; or if something really big is happening at their company, but I will say it was really nice to see people let their hair down and have fun. Although encouraged, shop talk is quickly tabled in favour of everyone diving into the “ sandbox” together and cutting loose. It was nice to see that professionals of the industry willing to trade stories with the “new blood” and make them feel that we are colleagues and not competitors looking for the same bone.

New opportunities seem to rise at these things which can get the blood flowing as people figure out whether or not to participate. Right now, my coach is working on a special project (to be outlined at the right time) with the lead of this year’s show. This can be very major for people across the industry as it gives them a voice and an opportunity to share ideas and collaborate on new business models and practices. This gets everyone “jazzed” and further committed to our business choice. Its nice for once to be included in the “cool club” rather than sitting on the outside waiting for our chance to shine. That doesn’t by any means say that our “place” doesn’t need to be earned, but it does feel good to be welcomed by those who we only know as Profile pictures on our LinkedIn database.

Now its time to catch up on some rest from last nights event (expect late hours; especially if the conversation and the poison of choice works out really well) I hope that in the coming months, as I learn more about my new chosen craft, that I will be able to take part in more of these “Meets” over Southern Ontario, and meet up with more interesting people, and be able to pick their brains for knowledge or better, more efficient ways to do more with less; Lets face it, Recruiters are the McGuyvers of the employment industry, always finding the way to pull the horseshoe out of thin air with minimal equipment.

Thanks to Rebecca for including me, to Geoff Webb, who hosted the event, and to everyone I met and networked with; It really was a good time, and I hope to see you all (and meet other new faces) at future “Tweet Meets”

Thats it for this week, I am The Recruiters Assistant and have yourselves a dynamite weekend