How to Network at the SMRP Conference
Adrian Messer, Proreli
Statistically speaking, the average tenure for an experienced employee is 3.7 years. Given this information you’d still be shocked to realize that out of the 1000 expected attendees at this year’s Annual Conference; no less than 250 of the folks you see will be in a different role or at a different company by next year’s Conference.
This means nearly 1 out of every 4 people you meet will find a new role and we’ll bet 4 out of 4 are looking for the right folks to join their team!
With job security at an all time high and job satisfaction at an all time low; we thought it would be helpful if we pivoted 6 different (deceptively simple and incredibly powerful) aspects of our hiring matrix into ways you can actively improve your career, your team and your network at this year’s SMRP Annual Conference:
1. Be sure to fully participate in the learning sessions and ask questions – you’re about to be surrounded by maintenance & reliability’s top thought leaders.
Curiosity & the ability to ask great questions is one of (if not THE) greatest sign of engagement & experience. Because we’ll be surrounded by so many of the best & brightest in our industry it’s easy to overlook the fact that what may seem obvious to you is the bright light of a great idea for others. It’s also well known and often overlooked fact that the very folks who you may be trying to connect with are sitting right next to you. If you want to grow, you can’t be afraid to ask!
2. Talk to at least 5 people each day that you’ve never met before.
Your days and shifts are fiercely goal & metric driven, right? We do that to ensure your team pushes ahead and maximize their time – so why would a day at the most Reliability rich conference of the year be any different? Be sure to set some networking targets to push yourself a little further and meet your next great colleague. Everyone we know & trust today was once a stranger, and we’re all here for the same reasons – so be sure to introduce yourself whenever you’re waiting in a line or get to know whoever is next to you before or after the session.
3. This is a real life version of Linkedin, and 2nd connections are orders of magnitude more powerful.
There’s an old saying amongst professional extroverts: “the person you’re talking to may not be who you’re looking for, but there’s a good chance they know exactly where to point you.” Put another way; we’re all here to learn and grow, and we’re all here because we’re excited about what we do as well as where our industry is headed – so everyone will be as tuned in as possible to finding solutions and making recommendations. Make sure you ask THROUGH the people you meet, and the people you know, to find the right resource or solution to this year’s most pressing challenges.
Progressive Reliability, the most valuable team in manufacturing talent, is excited to be exhibiting at SMRP’s Annual Conference. Stop by our booth (206) to talk to Chris, Lisa, or Adrian about your top challenges and ways that we can help. If maintenance & reliability talent or advice is what you’re looking for, we‘ll happily share the success tactics that we’ve been leveraging in contract and direct hire positions. Specifically – Reliability Engineers, Industry 4.0 Applications Specialists, Maintenance Managers, Maintenance Technicians, and Maintenance Mechanics.
Adrian Messer, Proreli
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