Meetups are said to be hidden gems for jobseekers, but why? In this article, we will tell you a bit more about these events, why we think every professional should attend them once in a while and why are they outstanding networking opportunities.

To introduce you to the diverse and interesting world of meetups, we will use the example of our most recent event, the C++ meetup we co-organized with one of our clients, Nitro. The company announced its entrance into the Hungarian tech scene with the opening of a new development center in Budapest, and they decided to organize a meetup to share some knowledge and give back to the C++ developer community.

Why do companies host meetups?

Meetups obviously raise brand awareness, but it’s not the only benefit they offer for companies that host them.  These events are great opportunities for employers to strengthen their network in certain industries. They can also develop their employees professionally and personally by providing a platform for them where they can prepare a presentation on a certain topic and use their public speaking skills to introduce their ideas to the audience.

Pizza is just as essential in most meetups as the amazing community and inspiring talks

Why should jobseekers attend meetups?

Meetups are also unique opportunities for jobseekers. They can build their network and gain knowledge in their specific field of work. These events also provide informal settings for professionals to interview the company they are interested in with their questions, even ones that would otherwise not be appropriate during a job interview.

What happens in a meetup?

If you’ve never been on a meetup, let us explain how it usually goes. Guests arrive at the spot, chat for a bit, maybe have some food and drinks, and sit to listen to talks about current topics within their industry. Then, everyone has the chance to go around and ask the speakers, make some connections and friends with the same interests, and perhaps find an open position that’s interesting. It’s usually a fun time discussing topics related to a certain group’s expertise, and discovering the scene in terms of both talent and places to employ them.

Networking on meetups is easy and comfortable. That’s why we recommend attending them once in a while

What makes meetups stand out from other networking opportunities?

As we mentioned before, meetups are amazing networking opportunities both for companies and individuals. But why?  Let us walk you through the 4 most important reasons

They are targeted for like-minded individuals

Each meetup is organized for a certain audience, for a specific purpose. Meetup groups collect professionals from the same field or individuals with the same interest, so an event targeted at one of these groups will result in collecting like-minded individuals in one place. Of course, it’s an amazing networking opportunity for individuals, however, in our example, the goal was to introduce the Australian-based Nitro to the Hungarian C++ community. Organizing a meetup to discuss exciting topics and trends together was a nice way to get these experts’ attention and help the company to network with potential future candidates too.

They provide a comfortable safe space for discussions

In contrast to other networking events, meetups manage to involve introverted or shy professionals in conversations. It’s much easier to discuss a topic within one’s expertise and turn it into a more personal conversation, as it eliminates the stress and the performance-focus of traditional job interviews.

Professionals can learn from and approach the greatest source

Other than networking, meetups are great learning opportunities too! The speakers are always highly-skilled, often senior-level professionals with lengthy experience behind their backs so they are always a great source of knowledge. And what’s even better? Participants can approach the speakers after their talks and discuss the professional topics with them. IseeQ stands for peer learning and mentoring over textbooks at any given time, so we love this aspect of the events. This time participants got to learn about two separate topics that they would either use during their daily practices or come as great additions to their knowledge. As we know, the more skills one obtains, the wider their applicability.

Meetups provide an opportunity to get to know a company’s employees and make a quick culture check

During meetups, more employees of a company are present. All participants have the opportunity to talk to them, ask questions about their usual daily activities within their roles and look for common ground in an informal setting. Both parties are able to discuss their wishes and needs, and check if they align. All this without the strict standards and stress of possibly needless interview rounds.

Presentations on meetups are always a great way to learn from skilled professionals

What kind of presentations do professional meetups have?

Depending on the exact target group or the goal of a meetup, presentations can be about almost anything. In our specific example, the meetup was targeted to C++ developers and the participants had the opportunity to listen to two presentations. The first one, titled “Development in Nitro” was held by Timothy Costigan, Senior Software Development Engineer at Nitro. Attendees got to learn about finding and fixing different types of programming bugs and also were able to ask questions afterward. The second presentation was about exploring C++ co-routines, a rather hard-to-digest, but all the more interesting field of programming. Justin Durcan, Director of Engineering at Nitro went into great detail about stackful and stackless co-routines, answering the audience’s questions right on the spot.

As this article shows, meetups can be almost about anything and they provide a great networking opportunity for both companies and individuals. This is why we recommend attending or hosting them for everyone that is interested in being an active part of their (professional) community.

Regarding our example, we are thankful for the opportunity to co-host and participate in Nitro’s amazing event and hope that the great mood continues for future events as well because we can’t wait for the next meetup to attend.