What Is Networking?
Networking is the process of engaging and interacting with others in order to develop professional relationships, exchange information, and learn about opportunities.
Why Network?
Networking can help you to:
- Discover new ideas and inspiration for your initiative.
- Connect with new mentors and stakeholders.
- Discover opportunities to support your initiative.
- Learn from other's knowledge, previous mistakes and experience.
- Make connections for the future progress of your initiative.
Where Can You Network?
As a student, you can network:
- With your teachers and mentors.
- With other student groups at schools trips and events.
- On volunteering programmes.
- With parents, guardians, or relatives.
- With other student societies and initiatives.
- At recruiting events with employers.
- At youth organisations such as The Career Hub.
- With NGO, company, and organisations representatives.
How to Network Effectively
- Approach people you think could be valuable connections for networking, introduce yourself and your project.
- If possible, before you approach the person it is useful to have researched their background. Know what information you are looking to gain from them.
- Aim to also be a useful contact to the other person. Consider what you can offer them, perhaps they could benefit directly from your initiative. Make any opportunities clear to them.
- Don't start the conversation with what you want, build a relationship first.
- Be friendly and polite.
- Aim to get to know the other person as well.
- Listen and ask questions.
- Exchange contact details at the end of your conversation, and send a follow up email, text, or call.