Eating at networking events

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Yeah, the events suck. It's just important to get your name down, and maybe a couple of business cards. Just part of the game.

On the food, whether it's a formal dinner or a standing event, I would eat as light and easy food as possible. Your job there is to network and you only get 1 or 2 shots per firm. Don't blow it by waiting 10 minutes on the shrimp, or worse, drop food on yourself or someone else.

Don't do it. Was at a CIB networking event recently where they had pizza and soda... Kids were awkwardly in dilemmas for shaking hands and handing resumes while hands were oily; hard to juggle bites, maintaining engaging convo without looking like an obese wreck, and staying hygenic

lines of people waiting for forced conversations that go nowhere.. gotta miss "networking" events. I remember the asian kids always filling up plates of the cheese cubes and fruits. I always grabbed a water bottle and never ate, these things all around suck though.

I used to go grab a plate a food and eat quickly then go network with empty hands

I would eat something (some people might think not eating at all is weird or rude), but go minimal.

Been to those events. The food was amazing. I was just standing at a small table feasting on those crispy shrimps and sweet and sour meatballs, not giving a f about what was going on in the room - which is basically 999999 people surrounding 1. It was my very first networking event, and I was just an ignorant sophomore. In about 10 mins, two people from the company came with their food and joined me at the table because they were also hungry and don't give a f about what was going on. The table was very small and could only allow three of us there. It was a great meal.

Don't eat at all at networking events. I may get monkey shit for this, but basically eating (overeating) only has downsides at these things. There are going to be people who secretly judge you for doing it and others who don't care. Unfortunately, many people brought up in a certain background (myself included) are taught not to really eat as much at events like this or in public. A lot of this networking shit comes down to faking it till you make it. If you are asking me what the highest Expected Value action here is, don't eat at the events.

Sun Tzu once said: “One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”

You're obviously not the popular one at the party, nor does it seem like you'd be able to compete with your more charismatic and extroverted colleagues in direct mouth to mouth or mouth to anus combat. But you sure as hell seem to know how to eat...a LOT. Rather than try to shoehorn your weak aristocratic social skills into the mould of an IB work party, turn the tables on them and challenge your VP or MD to a cocktail shrimp eating contest. Remember, IB is full of a bunch of beta-yet-self-identify-as-alpha types who will subconsciously appreciate you putting them in their place by asserting your dominance through superior consumption. Welcome to the top (ice) bucket my au d'oeuvres loving friend.