This year, we launched the Conference Navigator to guide you through the conference according to your specific goals. Now that you’re back from Minneapolis, take a look through our follow-up advice to learn how everyone from lifelong learners to job hunters can turn a great weekend into a great year (or career!). Dig into the tips for your personal style, or try out all 15…
1. Learn year round: Join a local Net Impact chapter to gain access to tons of events, from facilitation workshops to design thinking challenges.
2. Keep digging: Check out our online impact programs. You'll find webinars, toolkits, fellowships, and self-guided workshops available for you to continue to gain new knowledge and skills.
3. Pass it on: One of the best ways to solidify your own knowledge is to teach others what you know. Host a short seminar or dinner party for colleagues or classmates on something you learned at NI14. The new information will crystallize as you think about how to present it to others.
4. Follow up: Send emails to anyone you discussed job opportunities with at the conference as soon as you can, while the memory of your conversation is still fresh. Be sure to follow up in a few months as well, so that if a job becomes available, they’ll remember to think of you for the position.
5. Plan your next steps: Did you meet a speaker at the Net Impact Conference that has your dream job? Reach out! Ask for 30 minutes to discuss their career trajectory, and what you can do now to secure a similar job in the future.
6. Click around: Use the “explore careers” tab on our website to gain valuable job search tips and tricks, and learn about some of the different opportunities that are available in your field. There’s also a job board to explore.
7. Roll up your sleeves: Volunteer with an organization you learned about at the conference that really spoke to you. You’ll get the chance to work on something you’re passionate about without the pressure of committing to a job.
8. Relive the best moments: Take some time to re-watch your favorite moments from the conference online (like Temple Grandin’s inspiring case for doing real things, and Marc Gunther’s hard hitting questions on the future of food), and reflect on what stands out the second time around.
9. Get it down on paper: Write a blog post about your experience at the conference. Parsing out what made the most impactful moments of the weekend stick will help you clarify your passion, and inspire others.
10. Go digital: Flip through all the business cards you collected and connect with people on Linkedin and Twitter. Send a personalized message to remind them who you are and what you discussed.
11. Turn ideas into action: Did you hit on a great idea for a startup at the conference? Get the ball rolling now, while the idea is still fresh. Dig into your excellent list of new connections for a business partner.
12. Stay happy: The networking doesn’t have to stop now that you’re back - organize a happy hour with your local chapter to meet some of the local faces you may have missed in the crowd in Minneapolis.
13. Follow through: You made some great connections at the conference, but your work isn’t done yet. Schedule meetings or send an email following up on the conference with the two or three people you really clicked with.
14. Submit a proposal: A great way to turn your new contacts into lifelong business partners is to work on a project together - like a workshop for NI15! Fill out the speaker interest form now, and we’ll reach out in the spring.
15. Reflect: If NI14 was a trip outside your comfort zone, take some time to think back on what did and didn’t work for you. Networking doesn’t have to be a chore, and you may have a lot to learn from Minneapolis that can be applied at the 2015 Net Impact Conference in Seattle.
Start with video highlights from the conference!