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Networking with Others
"It's not what you know but WHO you know!"
Networking is an excellent way for you to get a greater understanding of the world of work and is a chance for you to get the inside story on a range of careers and occupations you may be interested in.
Networking can give you a real advantage over other job hunters and your career planning in the following ways:
- It allows you to determine whether the career, industry or company matches your skills, interests and expectations.
- By confirming information that you have read and provides information not available in written form.
- Assists you in organising your future job search by revealing the best ways to get into the profession.
- Provides you with tips and information about the job and career field that could be of great value in preparing applications and increasing your self-confidence in interviews.
- Enables you to identify organisations and people that you may like to apply to at a later date.
- Gives you an opportunity to see the organisation from the inside.
- "Networking", "information interviewing" or "job-shadowing" are all similar activities that will help you to gain more of an insight into a number of occupations.
Specific information you may wish to find out about could include:
- work patterns on a day-to-day basis
- reasons for people choosing their occupation
- tips for entry into the profession
- earnings and financial bonuses
- potential for career advancement / promotion
- rewards of the job
- problems of the job
- skills developed
- biggest disappointments
- greatest surprises
- entry requirements
- training opportunities
- future developments
- likes and dislikes
- other contacts in Industry
- related occupations.
For more advice on gaining useful information from your career contacts read our guide on Information Interviewing
~ http://careers-main.lancs.ac.uk/dcs/Informationinterviewing-handout.doc
Why not start your research by visiting the CareerTalk website and see if any Lancaster Alumni are already working in your area of interest?
