Arranged Networking

The days of arranged marriages are over (mostly) but we have taken the principles into another, almost equally important area of life -- corporate networking. Events like tweet-ups, networking events at bars, and things like career fairs are on the rise, and I feel like if someone were to tell our great-great-great grandparents (who may have had arranged marriages of their own) that these types of events are taking place, they would be as surprised as we are when we hear about arranged marriages.

The idea of going to an event solely to meet people sounds a little bit like camp, but for adults. And when you think about it, it's a really great idea, especially with today's economy and the face of the job market. In the Communications/Marketing/PR field that I'm interested in, it is helpful to know people at all different companies, in all areas of business because you never know whose help you're going to need on a project, or when you'll be looking for a new client, or if you're going to need a new job soon. Or maybe someone is interested in forming a start-up company with you, which seems to be an ever-growing trend it seems. They can be very lucrative and absolutely amazing to work for. However, it is weird to think about the actual premise of the events - you're meeting people as resources to you (and offering yourself as a resource to them, most likely), but it feels to me kind of like you're using someone for their business expertise, connections etc.

This is kind of uncomfortable at first, which is why I think they have so many of them at bars, but then when you think about it, it works for the same reasons arranged marriages work -- it's mutual; everyone is getting something out of this. In the days of old, arranged marriages were essentially a business deal: husband would provide for wife, wife would cook, clean, sew, and bear children: everyone was happy. Today, this translates to me meeting someone at a co-op event, I can offer PR and marketing help, he or she can offer help on the business end of things. I don't know enough about business and finances to start some company on my own, and they might not know about the best way to market and brand the company to get people to actually have an interest in it. Neither of us could work without the other, so while I would definitely feel dependent on this "significant other business partner," they would in reality be equally dependent on me. And hopefully, if this arrangement were to work to its full potential, we would both learn something from each other about our respective fields, and come out of the experience better people, and more knowledgable people than we were before, just like if marriages go right, you come out a bigger, better, happier person than before.