The Inbetweener: How admitting my career mistakes at a networking event eventually got me a job

I must confess that I am loath to write this article, not because it has a happy ending, but because I must admit to being wrong - something I am hopeless at.

My first column for this website was about recruiters telling me I was too qualified for the jobs I was applying for. After many comments about whether or not recruiters are actually good for anything, the main advice passed on by eFinancialCareers readers was to network.

I cringed at this suggestion. It took me back many years to when I was the only female in a sales team and my boss would regularly dispatch me to networking events to flog our firm's name. (For some reason financial services employers love to send the token women).

Although I never struggled to mingle, I hated the idea of giving the 30-second elevator speech. I felt like a total sell-out. What was worse, I always got stuck with the same twerp recruiter on my table, who then harassed me for the next six months about getting my boss to sign a client agreement.

More recently, while I was looking for work, I was invited to a networking event. I asked a few people who had been to this kind of thing before and they all said I should not attend. But I went anyway, and this time I had no expectations. I even rocked up late and just didn't care.

I decided that instead of trying to give an impressive spiel about myself (as the networking experts advise), I would tell the cold, hard truth. So during conversations, I admitted making some bad decisions and bad career moves. I told this to everyone and didn't care how they responded.

Oh dear, my networking worked

The result? I got business cards, great advice, and had people from different tables chasing for my CV. A few interviews and a job later, I ask: Is this "truthful" approach to networking actually better than the "normal" style (when you pretend to be a superstar)?

This brings me to the hardest part of this article: Admitting that my networking worked.

But take heed - this was a specialised networking occasion. I wouldn't recommend the above approach at generalist events where every man and his dog are there for the same reasons. If you go to one of these things, know in advance what you want, and stay focused. Moreover, try something no one else will recommend: tell the humble truth.

So what type of networking has boosted your career? The truth? Or just talk some idle chat?