How to Network at Pharmacy Conferences When You Hate to Network – Part I

Take the Poll: Do you love or hate to network?

Are you someone who goes to pharmacy conferences & enjoy attending educational sessions or workshops, but dread anything that has “networking event” on it? You avoid them as much as possible, or make up excuses not to go. Maybe you wonder if something is wrong with you and why it is that other pharmacists around you seem to network so easily. If you hate to network, you are probably like many other pharmacists.

Maybe you’d be surprised to hear that the truth is most people don’t enjoy networking. Especially if they’re an introvert. I used to hate networking, because I was concerned about what people would think of me. It was like the possibility of being rejected time and time again each time I met a new person. And even when I went through a lot of personal growth and became more comfortable in my own skin, networking was still not something I enjoyed, until I had a significant mindset shift that changed everything.

I went from wondering what I could get out of a networking event to “who can I help in this room today?” This shift changed everything for me, because I no longer had the pressure of having to say the right things or made sure I got what I wanted out of the conversation when I met someone. It became much less about me & what I could get out of the networking, but rather how I can help another pharmacist get to where they want to go. It was about thinking who can I introduce them to, or what resources I could offer them. Networking became more enjoyable (although still not my favorite thing to do). As a result, I also ended up with more helpful relationships and connections.

Now, you can have your own style of networking that works for you as well. For example, if you’re an introvert, your needs are different compared to an extrovert. I will discuss that in a future article in this series.

For those of you going to the APhA Meeting in Seattle coming up, have a good time! Go into the conference with your new mindset shift and comment below to let me know how it changes your experience.