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The Workplace

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    This. And when it feels unnatural, it is not really networking in my opinion. You need to get across as someone who genuinely is interested by the other person, or their work: we are humans, not robots. Commented May 17, 2019 at 8:49
  • What is so unnatural about asking another person to consume food together? "absurdly unnatural" is pretty extreme when considering how mundane this behavior really is. Commented May 17, 2019 at 11:41
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    @Behacad well sure when you intentionally take that out of context, it does sound extreme. However that's clearly not the case. When it's to someone you don't bother keeping contact with on a regular basis, it is unnatural. It's forced. Commented May 17, 2019 at 12:04
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    @Behacad a stranger and an old acquaintance are different things. Note the OP didn't mention whether they were even old friends, just that they were colleagues. Also considering they most likely work in the same industry still, they probably know it's just networking for career's sake rather than friendship being 100% the reason. Commented May 17, 2019 at 12:17
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    @Behacad my answer isn't an absolute truth, it is my opinion, which may be up or down voted, according to how you perceive the word. For me, and 14 more people at the moment I write this, this feels unnatural. Commented May 17, 2019 at 12:27