Chevening - Network elevates yourself

Hello All, I am going to apply for chevening and this is the essay I write for the networking part
Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (minimum word count: 100 words; maximum word count: 500 words)

to connect and learn

To only introduce myself to new people is easier than to make the connection beneficial for my goals. I learned that my decision to work in the consumer goods industry is different from most mechanical engineering graduates. Mechanical Engineering graduates from my university are mostly known to build a career in the oil, gas, automotive, and airline industries.

I understood that I should connect with those who will enlighten me about the world of consumer goods. So when I was awarded a scholarship from Indonesia's biggest automotive manufacturer, I took the opportunity to connect with fellow awardees from different backgrounds across universities. The scholarship comes with terms and conditions to finish a business case. I was given a supply chain project; to enhance logistic supplies of their subsidiary. I worked with fellow awardees from Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Business. This project opened our gate to the supply chain world with all of us working in the transportation, logistics, and consumer goods industries upon graduation.

I maintained the connection through informal calls and discussions related to the supply chain models of the company we worked for, it was like a share of knowledge to discuss how to tackle challenges related to the supply chain. The discussions were fruitful which helped me find reliable business partners for my company logistics initiatives. Having a different perspective from people working in the same field outside the company, gave a solid fundamental to my argument, and supported conclusions in my projects. It gave fresh ideas on what to do when the same business case happens in the company and helped me to excel in my career.

The relationships benefited for assessing third-party logistics performance and credibility, which is needed when faced with a situation to choose several logistics service providers. When I was about to expand the distribution path of my company and had to travel across the island to visit a potential business partner. I got informed about the integrity and performance of that business partner, which helps me mitigate the future possibility of loss that is not seen in business proposals. The information was very precious especially when I found out later on that the potential business partner was having a dispute with our affiliates in International Arbitrage.

I noticed that maintaining a network gave me the privilege of a head start, where I am able to learn about one's experience. Since then, throughout years of working, I always try to maintain my connection, not only with those working in the supply chain but also other fields.

I believe that life is not always linear so that we should be open to connect and learn. I felt that success can not be gained alone, it is an accumulation of teamwork and network. The way Chevening connects and maintains its alumni is aligned with my definition of the importance of networking. I had reaped the sweetness of maintaining a connection locally, and I am sure it will be way sweeter when done globally with Chevening.

You are over the word limit by 2 words. Not to worry though, my advice on areas to correct or improve should help you bring the revised version down to a more manageable word count. It will definitely become less than 500 words.

The essay itself does not lend any idea of useful connections in terms of career growth, networking advantages, and possible Chevening alumni usefulness. You are talking about how you come into contact with people and the knowledge you gain from them, but fall short of actually highlighting the usefulness of these contacts on a professional scale. Remember that the network you have to show has to support your leadership and influencing abilities as well. There is a disconnection between the two presentations. You need to make sure that your network somehow reiterates your development as a leader. That comes from highlighting how you used the network you created professionally. That way you can prove to have a network that has significance in your career and possible usefulness in terms of Chevening considerations.