Like it or not, employers judge your appearance. In a CareerBuilder poll, employers were asked what keeps them from promoting employees, and while attitude and attendance were definitely factors, they also had something to say about what employees wear.
Networking events remind me of online dating; you tend to repeat the same conversations with different people over and over again. It's because questions people ask when they first meet someone is often prescriptive. "Is this your first time here?", "Where do you work?" and, here's one I get all the time, "That's an interesting name. What does it mean?" The point of networking events is to build mutually beneficial professional relationships. There are better questions to ask if you want to make the most of networking events. Here's a list of them.
Making the most of your mentor's guidance includes being prepared with questions that tap into your mentor's experience. The same applies to conferences, or other opportunities you have to ask experienced people in your field how they work. Here are some questions to consider.
