Networking at a Hedge Fund cocktail hour, any advice?

So I'm volunteering at this charity event next week that is being hosted by the portfolio managers of a dozen or so hedge funds. There is a 2-hour cocktail hour I'm allowed to go to where I wanted to go around meeting people in the industry to get their business cards and try to get a job out of it from them. I don't have much experience networking like this so I was hoping I could get advice. How should I go about asking a guy/lady for a business card?

4 Comments
 
"LongIslandBound"

Ask them questions about their work. Turn that into a discussion. At the end just be like "I'd love to speak more do you have a card on you?" It's not rocket science, just don't look like a fucking tool asking everyone for their card after just meeting.

This - if you're just going to go around wildly asking for business cards, don't even bother going. You'll look like a fool. Either have a genuine interest in speaking to people there and learning more about the work they do, or don't go at all. No one wants to talk to a kid who just "wants to get a job out of them", as you so eloquently put it.

 
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