Always thought 'network with strangers' was pointless until a random convo got me a job lead

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last month, started chatting with the guy next to me about his dog, turned out he manages a warehouse that was hiring. I'd been applying online for weeks with zero callbacks, but his tip about the internal job board got me an interview in 3 days. Has anyone else had luck from just talking to random people in person?

2 comments

2 Comments

samward9d agoMost Upvoted

Willow makes a good point about timing, I read somewhere that slow afternoon spots are way better for business chats than the morning rush.

schmidt.willow9d ago

I mean it's wild how those random chats work out, but here's the thing nobody's talking about - the success rate of those convos probably depends on where you live more than anything else. Like in Portland where you mentioned, people are chiller and more open to talking, but I tried that in Chicago and just got weird looks. Also depends on the time of day, like a morning rush coffee shop is totally different than a slow afternoon spot. The guy with the dog probably had time to actually chat, you know? Idk maybe I'm overthinking it but location and timing might be the real secret.

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