Networking

For someone entering the legal industry at a young age and fresh out of education, the art of networking has always seemed rather daunting and intimidating.

The procedure of being forced into a room with strange people and being expected to engage in small talk is partly mind boggling. I always wonder what the best thing to say even is, what's appropriate? And in my case (for Mrs Motor Mouth), what's too inappropriate? On top of this, the idea of talking to other professionals who have a lifetime of experience in their field compared to you is, to be honest, terrifying.

I was invited to a networking event for young professionals which was organised by Brewin Dolphin (www.brewin.co.uk). I wasn't sure what to expect because as much as I enjoy meeting new people, I was hoping it wasn't going to be artificial and somewhat 'awkward'. I attended with a Paralegal at my firm so we had a mini team, and we had each other to turn to if we were ever stuck in an awkward situation.

The event was held in a pub based in my local town and it was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be! (no offence intended there). Most people were between the ages of 19-27 and either starting their careers in their chosen field or qualified by only a few years. (Even better, there was a tab running at the bar).

I found it a lot easier to speak to those that were around my age, we were able to talk about the struggles of qualifying in our chosen fields and how we were getting on at our current stages.  I even noticed some familiar faces from previous events, so it was nice to see that those from local companies are also attending events regularly.

I'd like to get to know a few more young people in the area and I will definitely attend further events when they arise, but it was a great start as a young professional in the heart of Suffolk.  Hopefully one day I can say that I can network confidently!