Chevening - Networking is the art of making connection with people

NETWORKING QUESTION
Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage ...

Networking for me is the art of making connection with people or group of people around which will be useful for future life needs. The basic type of networking that I had experienced was friendship. I had developed the relationship through the circle of group which I entered since childhood for instance kinder-garden, elementary school, high school, and university. I spent some particular time with each group which leaved different special connection on them. Following that, my professional network began at the university where I involved to organize alumni sharing and then I also gain another professional network in my workplace as a HSE specialist at an oil and gas company. During the job, I required to meet thousand people from various background for both company employees and its business partner employees to delivered training and field verification program about Managing Safe Work Processes of the company. I build a broad networking trough the profession for two years long.

In order to keep in touch, almost all of my group circle have mailing list or group chat on social media. Trough it, we share latest information about each other, recent issue about circumstance we are involve in or any related issue for instance job vacancy, wedding invitation etc and we usually also have a alumni gathering yearly.

Regarding the usage of my network, I usually use my friendship network to collaborate in order to make a difference for the same belief we share such as various kind of charity program and recent social project which I co-founded. There are different kind of help they give such as information, donation, person's contact, or involve in the event directly. Additionally, I used my alumni network for my personal benefit for the first time to get a company to do my internship program. I sent my application to an alumni and got a chance to do an internship program at mining company in Kalimantan. Following that, I was accepted on my job at an oil and gas company trough an alumni which share the vacancy information as well. Additionally, we also gather to make a campaign related to recent Occupational Health and Safety issue. And there is a broad opportunity to create another useful project in the future.

Eventually, I realize that networking is a need in life. No matter what kind of activity or job you are involve in, you need others in order to make it operate, develop or grow more and more.

Chevening is an opportunity to expand my networking internationally. Trough its alumni all over the world from various backgrounds, knowledges, and cultures, it will be a great chance to do something huge. I will appreciate to be part of the agent of change which can get together to solve many problem of each country as well as Indonesia. I will actively commit and participate any chevening alumni activity in Indonesia. We will collaborate to be the agent of change to make a better Indonesia especially relating to Occupational Health and Safety which will benefit the relation of both Indonesia and UK.

Debby, your network seems to have such a personal connection to you that you do not seem to be sharing it outside of your immediate needs or exclusive circle of friends. That is not the kind of networking ability that Chevening expects of its scholars. As a scholar, you as expected to be able to develop a high profile network based upon your professional abilities and performance. This means growing your network while in the performance of your professional tasks. Don't get me wrong, your class connections and how they helped you secure a job among other things is notable. It is just too selfish a use of the network that lessens the importance of the network. A good network helps others before it helps you. Or, it helps you to help others. Which is what the basis or premise of a Chevening scholarship is all about. It will be best for you to write a new essay that will better reflect the Chevening objectives before you apply for acceptance to the scholarship grant.