'I grew up, professionally and personally'; Networking skills references for Chevening scholarship

networking skills - Chevening scholarship

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your networking skills, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future.

(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

By being a graduate from National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), I was automatically part of an extensive alumni network. As a medical graduate who has just returned to XX in 2014, it provided me with the much needed "network accelerator" during the early days of my career. It has allowed me to reach out to Mr Y, a renowned surgeon in Ireland, who agreed to mentor my research. He also connected me to his professional network from other countries. This resulted in transatlantic collaboration and successful publication of my research paper in The Breast Journal. Moreover, the publication has allowed me to network with the journal editor and I have been invited to send in further papers for future publication.

Besides, I made it a point to attend scientific meetings and conferences annually as I value the importance of face-to-face networking. Both oral and poster presentations are excellent opportunities to introduce myself and to build personal connections. I believe that most people would prefer to work with someone they have listen or spoken to over someone whom they read online.

Nevertheless, two years ago, I noticed that I was surrounded by people who were like me. I am more likely to meet and socialize with medical professionals. I realized that I could choose to gravitate towards the same sub-group or find ways to break the current cycle. I signed up for Zumba classes which turned into 'sweatworking'. My Zumba-mates comprise of individuals who excel in their respective fields. Many of them have impressive jobs. Some own successful businesses. Some dedicate their time by feeding the hungry and helping the poor. In fact, these connections have seen my embarrassing Zumba moves well before they knew about my profession.

Diversifying my social and professional circles has proven to be beneficial when I was entrusted to organize the Cataract Campaign and to attract potential sponsors. First, I identified the potential corporate sponsors whom I have met while attending conferences and made personal calls to them. Next, I turned to my Zumba-mates. Thirdly, I used the power of social media; Facebook, to promote the event to my existing network of friends. The event was a success and I handmade personal cards to all sponsors, hoping to create a lasting impression.

Furthermore, few local corporate that I have associated with are keen to be involved in scholarship-related programmes as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Thus, I hope to use this opportunity to promote and assist Chevening to find more partners locally in order for the program to develop further. Being able to speak English, Malay, Chinese in five different dialects and Borneo native language also provide me the edge to reach out to potential young leaders as most people would feel much at ease, knowing that you can speak their language.

I believe that my networking skills have helped me grow, professionally and personally. I value the meaningful friendships I have made and appreciate this great platform that provides opportunities for collaborations.

Jacquiline, you need to revise the paragraph about your Zumba-mates. It sounds a little too casual for a formal essay presentation. Perhaps you can increase the formality in that paragraph by offering examples of their actual professions. You can elaborate further on the profession of those close to you by indicating that they were your "go to" people for your cataract campaign. In this sort of essay, you need to utilize examples and descriptions because that will help to serve as an example of your networking capacity. While you are good at describing who they are, the field they are involved in and why you chose to contact that person for your campaign helps to better support your "Sweatworking" claims.

Additionally, give examples of the types of network that you created by attending meetings and conferences. Describe the capacity that these networks have helped you advance your career. Explain the importance of such networks for someone in your line of work. By the way, unless your mentor is giving you a letter of recommendation to accompany this application, it may be best to not mention his name as he might be required to support the reference later on. As for the journal editor, you need to mention his name and be sure that he will be providing you with a recommendation letter for the same reasons. Add the publication date and volume / issue of the journal you were published in. Include the article title, just in case. Remember, all of your claims will be verified so you need to support all claims with verifiable evidence.