Meet and Greet: Great Places to Network As A Business Owner (or Employee)

If you are currently trying to fill a vacancy in your staff, or if you are an employee looking for a new position, blindly going through the motions of trying to find the right fit can be time consuming, stressful, and disappointing.  Much like “cold calling” for salesmen, attempting to find employees (or find a job) without some prior connections will typically take long, and take more effort, than working within circles you’ve already created.  The problem, however, lies within creating those circles in the first place.  It can be hard to know how to make connection with other business owners, professionals in your area, and/or potential employees, specifically if you are new to the area or have just recently starting searching in your city.

Networking is the answer, and lucky for you there are plenty of opportunities for you to make the connections you’re searching for!
Chamber Meetings

Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start when seeking out networking opportunities.  Oftentimes Chambers will host periodic meetings or gatherings where business owners (and sometimes employees) will socialize with one another and get to know others within the community.  This is when you can strike up conversations (and hopefully relationships) with other members of the Chamber in your town and use those connections for your benefit later on when it’s time to find new employees (or a new job).

Community Events

Unlike the Chamber meetings, community events are often open to the public, making them a great place to find both other business owners, and potential employees.  Are you an employee seeking a new position?  Look for events where vendors and businesses are represented.  These booths are usually low-key and casual, and can give you the chance to speak one-on-one with current employees of the company, or perhaps even the business owner!  Meeting them in this setting is much less intimidating than an office meeting with your resume in hand.  Hint: have your resume in your bag just in case.  It can’t hurt to be ready!

Conferences/ Training/ Retreats

Business owners and employees alike benefit on many levels from conferences and retreats where they receive both skills training and teamwork guidance.  These types of events can be helpful when you are looking for networking opportunities since it will help you connect with your current staff on a deeper level, and will also put you in touch with other businesses throughout a larger area.  These connection can come in handy when it’s time to fill an opening in your company (or find a new position for yourself).

Are you ready to find the perfect fit for your company, or for your own employment?  PHR Staffing Solutions is here to help with ALL of your staffing and recruiting needs.  We work with businesses throughout the greater Polk County area, and we recruit the highest quality applicants available.  We use a process of background checks, skills and education assessment, and multiple checkpoints to match employees with open jobs to make sure everyone gets the right fit the FIRST time.  Give us a call to get started!