Solo Session: Networking in PhD: The Most Valuable Skill

Hello students and graduates, welcome to PhD Launch, the podcast of Late Night talks in which PhDs have a drink and talk about their research topics. Networking the galactical keyword that you hear all the time during your PhD, whether it's your supervisors or PhD peers. This word eventually comes up during a supervision meeting or a student gathering. Networking is a skill you become aware of when there is an opportunity to build connections with like minded people. These people you meet can help you to achieve your goals while you also help theirs. In the context of a PhD, networking is the key to fostering authentic connections and relationships with your supervisors, peers, the department, alumni, academics and industry employers anywhere. This can be local, national and international, online and in person and during formal or informal events. It's a strategic skill of who you will connect with and make contributions, bringing long term benefits such as friendships, employment opportunities and tacit knowledge. Realistically, networking is hard to harness throughout your PhD because it requires time, effort, and rejections. But it is probably the most valuable skill any PhD can own it. After having great talks with some of my guests at PhD Lounge about networking, I share with you 3 insights about the power of developing this incredible skill throughout and after your PhD. One purpose when attending formal or informal networking events, regardless of their size, having a purpose of why am I doing this is essential. Networking randomly without having a clear purpose of making contacts with people within your PhD field will lead to poor experiences. Instead, try to leverage your PhD as a way to show interest in talking with and learning new knowledge from people who are related to your expertise. This will help you to build relationships that will eventually create an opportunity to land a job. 2 value. This means that you must put yourself to work into talking with people within or related to your field to create valuable interactions and relationships. Obviously, you're meeting new environments you hadn't met before, and so it can be quite an arduous challenge to cultivate that value. To build it up, I recommend strategically to attending networking events and meet people who may offer valuable insights while you showcase your expertise. It feels like a trading process, but we're human beings after all. And three, patience. Besides purpose and volume, networking requires patience. We always say that patience is a virtue. However, that virtue encourages you to actively maintain your rapport with who you speak with. When exchanging contacts during a conference, for example, it's great to follow up with any updates with anyone you had network with. Just be patient with them and yourself. Networking in PhD is about building relationships that have purpose, value, patience, and any other meaningful trait APHD can develop. Honestly speaking, many of us with PhDs want to land their dream jobs through networking, and that's a fairpoint. However, they take time and by developing these core skills strategically, you will eventually have opportunities that come your way and you can also be generous to them by sharing opportunities for them to thrive. Thank you all for tuning in, it has been a pleasure.