...Let the Webbing of Networks Begin!...

What do you get when you mix a group of professionals, a nice restaurant, free refreshments, and wine? A networking event!!


Everyone who joins our NSBE Alumni Extension chapter says, “Yeah, I really want to attend this… yeah, I really want to volunteer for that…and I really want to network!” Perhaps it’s not stated with that much enthusiasm, but ask any member of the board, and they’ll confirm the truth behind that statement.


The NSBE response was to do it big: become a partner in a combined, multi-organizational networking event, sponsored by a major corporation, to acquire the full effect. Held at Il Fornaio Restaurant in Palo Alto, professionals from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), The African Network (TAN), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), gathered in a covered (and heated!) patio area of the restaurant. Perhaps a few people *forgot* to RSVP because the room was a bit on the crowded side. The plus side to the large number of people was that it wasn’t quite as difficult as usual to strike up a conversation with a total stranger. It was harder work to stand in the corner and NOT talk to someone!



Host Qualcomm allowed everyone to freely mingle before they formally introduced themselves to the packed room. There were several employees dressed in Qualcomm apparel ready to answer questions about the company. They raffled off a Blackberry right at the start – just the right kind of technology to get everyone excited. They were also handing out USB flash drives and advertising their numerous job openings located in sites throughout the Bay Area and San Diego. Once the company introduction was complete, everyone was free to start working their net. (Get it? “net” – “work”??)

One couldn’t help but notice that initially, a large majority of the crowd stuck with their professional organization cliques…it was like junior high and high school all over again! Excessive shyness and/or discomfort, maybe? Who knows? But once everyone inhaled the available refreshments and loosened up on vino, intermingling began. Throughout the room, business cards were exchanging hands. It was great talking to different people about what they’re doing in their job and what they’re getting out fo their professional organization. (Don’t worry; I took notes.)


Networking is an artform that takes guts. You need guts to walk up to a stranger on the premise that the only thing you have in common is that you’re both professionals. You need guts to know what to say after initial introductions have been made, and guts to know when and how to end a conversation, hand over your business card, and walk on to the next person. It’s practice that can only be honed when used in a practical setting.

Major lessons learned:
1. Uh...I should probably start carrying around my business cards. Hm.
2. Practice, practice, practice!
3. When in doubt, just start talking to the person standing next to you!