Ahead of the Job Boards: Inside Connect&’s Better Hiring Plan

The following is sponsored content by Connect&. 

These days, hunting for a job that will propel your career can be a cold, automated experience. You polish your resume, tweak your LinkedIn, and fire off applications into online portals that rarely respond with a human connection. The process is frustratingly isolating — an endless loop of uploads, auto-generated rejection emails, and almost no sense that a real person is on the other side. As the hiring process moves further into automated systems and AI-filtered candidate pools, there’s even less emphasis on the type of human interaction that could actually lead to a career leap. 

But the minds behind a new venture, Connect&, are looking to give job seekers and companies seeking talented workers a support system that restores the human element to the equation. Founded in Miami in late 2025 by talent leader Alexis Meyer and experiential events strategist Lauren Clausen, Connect& runs an event-driven professional network designed to get mid-level and senior candidates in the same room as employers who are actually hiring. Instead of chasing algorithm-approved keywords on job boards, members can get to know each other in real life in a relaxed environment.

A Response to Bot Hiring

Meyer has spent more than 20 years recruiting, most recently for a large tech enterprise, watching the industry lean harder into automation. In her world, it’s common for candidates to use AI tools to generate polished resumes, only to have those resumes scanned and filtered by the employer’s own software long before anyone in HR reads them. The result is what Meyer bluntly calls “bots talking to bots,” with capable professionals filtered out by small mismatches in language or format rather than any real lack of fit.

Meyer points to a reality that has stayed stubbornly true despite all of the new tools: Most roles still get filled through referrals and warm introductions, not cold applications. The hires that last tend to come from “passive” talent — people who are reasonably happy in their current roles but open to better opportunities if the right one comes along. Connect& is built around that slice of the market. Instead of waiting for a layoff or burning out in silence, candidates are encouraged to immerse themselves in a standing community of employers, recruiters, and power networkers, so that when a new role appears, they’re not just a resume in a queue, but rather someone an employer already remembers.

“We wanted to support the job seeker who felt like they were struggling by applying online,” Meyer says. “We created Connect& for job seekers, people exploring new opportunities, and networkers who are tired of applying online and getting nowhere. We believe there’s a proactive way to build relationships and stay connected to the right people — even before you make your next move.”

Employers get the opportunity to meet potential hires before the need to fill a position actually arises, Meyer adds: “You want people who are happy in their roles and are choosing to come to your company. You can be proactive about filling that position because you’re not starting to source for that position from scratch.”

Over time, Connect& events become an evergreen pipeline, shortening the time it takes to move from an opening to a signed offer and putting some humanity back into how hiring decisions are made.

An Events-First Talent Pipeline

Clausen’s background is in the arts and experiential events, and that shows in the design of Connect& gatherings. The company’s backbone is a monthly event, hosted at co-working spaces such as Mindspace in downtown Miami. There are no rows of branded booths in giant, fluorescent-lit rooms. The setup looks more like a mixer than a career fair, with professional headshots offered at no cost, food, N/A drinks alongside beer and wine, and a soundtrack that aims for energy instead of corporate stiffness. The point is to make the job search feel less like lining up at a convention center and more like stepping into an active, local network. To access the events and Connect&’s other support offerings, members pay $40 a month or $300 a year. 

“We really saw the value of what happens when people gather: Companies can spotlight themselves, and candidates can really see current employees who are happy in their roles,” Clausen says. “We are providing a platform for people to connect with opportunities and for employers to have an evergreen pipeline and a different pool of talent to tap into. We’re just creating a new stone to turn.”

The events aren’t narrowly siloed by industry, but they are tightly defined by career stage. Connect& focuses on mid-level professional to executive roles across sectors such as sales, marketing, finance, and office-based positions in tech and other fields. At one of the company’s first true networking events, held in November, a member landed a new role and started in January — an accelerated hiring pace compared to typical corporate timelines. It’s a meaningful signal that this isn’t just another networking night that ends with a thick stack of business cards and no real progress. On January 22, Connect& will hold another gathering at Mindspace in downtown Miami. 

Connect& uses three archetypes to describe the people in its network, Clausen explains. “Seekers” are actively looking for what’s next. They are open to conversations, aligned opportunities, and real human insight beyond job boards. “Explorers” are not in a rush, but paying attention. They are curious, strategic, and gathering signals before making their next move. Then there are the “Builders,” who are extroverted networkers who seem to know everyone, show up to everything, and are constantly plugging people into new opportunities. 

“We want to really break down barriers to communication and give people a deeper connection so that they are their true, authentic selves,” Clausen says. “And when we’re our authentic selves, especially during the job search, we can be at our best.” 

At Connect& events, seekers, explorers, builders and employers are identified through color-coded name tags. It’s a small visual cue that does a lot of work, Clausen says. A hiring manager talking to a seeker knows they’re connecting with someone who’s ready to move quickly. Chatting with an explorer might mean a different approach: less pitch, more conversation about long-term fit. Builders, meanwhile, function as live-action referral engines, connecting people, swapping stories, and planting the seeds for future introductions.

To keep the events lively, the Connect& team layers in structured interaction. They bring in energetic facilitators and mindset coaches who run short connection exercises — often in small groups — to push people beyond the familiar trio of colleagues they walked in with. For candidates who don’t naturally thrive in a room full of strangers, the structure is meant to lower the social barrier and help them show up as themselves instead of as a rehearsed pitch.

“Employers are already lining up, because it’s free access to something that they’re not finding online,” Clausen notes. “They can send messages out on LinkedIn, but the perfect candidate may not ever reply — yet that person may be showing up to our event.”

Membership, Support and Access

Meyer and Clausen offer curious job seekers free entry to their first event so that they can experience the Connect& dynamic before they commit to a membership. But Connect& offers more than just a place to rub shoulders with potential employers and recruiters.

In between events, members get what Meyer calls “candidate programming” — essentially high-touch career support. There are morning “mingles,” where members sit down with her individually to talk about their search. Meyer and members go over upcoming interviews, how to position themselves for specific roles, and whether a resume needs tweaking. Sometimes the work is tactical, such as walking through interview prep for a particular company. And sometimes it’s just about listening, especially about the strain of sending out dozens of applications and hearing nothing back.

“I could just be a sounding board, right?” Meyer says. “Sometimes people just need to vent and talk about their journey.”

Connect& also puts in work for employers by introducing members who express interest in specific roles, screening them before making introductions, and using the events to present real, open jobs. Opportunities are projected on site and posted on the company’s social media channels so attendees can match what they’re hearing in conversation with what they see on the screen. The aim is to filter out the “phantom postings” that candidates increasingly complain about — jobs that remain online even after they’ve been filled…or never existed in the first place.

Partnerships deepen the model. The Miami Downtown Development Authority backs the events as a sponsor, seeing the network as part of the city’s talent infrastructure. That relationship gives Connect& access to employers opening or expanding offices in Miami, as well as a clearer line of sight into real hiring needs.

Scaling Human Connection

Miami is Connect&’s testing ground, but Meyer and Clausen are already planning to expand their concept to other cities. Austin is slated as the next market, with a launch targeted for the spring, and Atlanta is in the conversation. Long-term, the goal is to build a presence in 20-plus cities dense with professional roles where in-person connections still matter, Clausen says.

Each event will feel distinct, and members will not feel like Connect& is recycling the same template. That could mean different speakers, different facilitators or, eventually, larger summit-style conferences that pull in talent acquisition leaders and companies from multiple markets. Underneath those possibilities is a consistent frame. Connect& positions itself as a “company of service” to candidates first, intent on giving job seekers and career-minded professionals a way to meet employers face to face.

“Every day, we’re planning and creating,” Clausen concludes. “We really believe in it, and we see firsthand how making these connections possible is changing people’s lives.”

Register for Connect&’s next experience.