In non-party social contexts consider becoming friends first approaching either sex with the same questions you'd ask people sharing the same interests. Then ask for contacts to share and receive opportunities for similar events. Then deepen your friendship and get to know each other better asking about events outside your groups' interests but more of pairwise mutual interest.
Whether this comes across as stalking or courting depends on how weird or creepy you come across. Basically, once you leave university, your ability to spend a lot of time with people you're allowed to date kind of dries up, because people don't want to be counted at work.
I'm sorry, but the early-mid steps what I described is completely how you make friends and close friends as well. If someone is in a social context and take offense with people trying to be friends, they are the problem.
