An ever-growing professional network - regular contact with the professional analytical chemists

Chevening Networking Essay

Over the past two years, I have managed to develop and maintain a regular contact of professional analytical chemists which form an integral part of my professional network. My current status as a graduate quality analyst and an associate member of the Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria (IPAN) has afforded me the opportunity to participate in a two-day training workshop organized and conducted by fellows of the institute, researchers, academicians, and stakeholders in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Quality Control (QC) sector of Nigeria. At the end of the training workshop, I was opportune to meet and exchange contacts with the fellows and participants who were public quality analyst, researchers, food and drug scientist, pharmacist, consultants, chemist, and academicians.

Not only did I develop a network of professional contacts, I currently maintain these contacts using three strategies; first, by trading direct calls and messages and reposting articles or content they create or ought to promote on food and drug safety, either on Twitter or LinkedIn. Second, offering my assistance in the best possible way in order to help them accomplish their project. Third, offering to introduce them to potential clients and individuals who I think they will benefit from. An example was during my previous employment at Rite-foods Nig. Ltd. At a particular time we were facing challenges in complying with the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) quality standard in producing Yam fries because we lacked alternatives to premodern manufacturing practices. Thus, I contacted a food consultant whom I met during the workshop, who then offered to develop our production process and as a result we were able comply with SON set quality standard.

Developing and maintaining a network of professionals is not only an enriching experience, rather, it gives me a platform to make a positive impact in my community by helping people to grow and develop professionally. Hence if awarded the Chevening scholarship, my plan is to develop and maintain a network that includes Chevening scholars and alumni, global leaders, professional chemist, researchers, and academicians whilst participating in conferences and seminars organized by the Chevening communal, and upon return to Nigeria, I plan to connect with Nigeria Chevening alumni network and assist in providing mentorship to scholars who are starting their Chevening experience by sharing my knowledge and experience during my study in the UK, and also assist in providing mentorship for new alumni of the Chevening scholarship in order to help them maximize their academic and professional experience.

Similarly, I plan to develop a communal by integrating my Chevening network with my existing professional network. The objective of the communal will be to provide mentorship to food industries with an aim to improve food quality in my region. Extending this network will not only benefit the food system in my region, however, it will have a lasting impact on my network of quality analyst and thus, raising Chevening's profile and attracting potential partnerships that will support the Chevening scheme.

@Urca your essay is practically seamless. It is near perfection, but does not showcase a real situation that shows how your contacts worked for the betterment of the company you work for. You are too busy showing off your contacts and how it is very easy for you to maintain these that you forgot the most important part of the essay. You did not give a detailed example of how you created the network that you used, why you thought of using it, how the help of this network contact was attained, and what you had to do in order to show gratitude to the network contact. You are too glib for your own good.

The essay could have been more informative if you focused a whole paragraph on the explanation of the SON situation rather than enumerating the unproven contact list that you have. One of the most effective networking essays that I read here, which won a scholarship for the applicant was the one where the student focused his essay on showcasing just one of his most important contacts and how this contact helped him solve a problem at work that led to his subsequent promotion. His presentation showed a clear , verifiable, and proven mode of networking which helped the applicant catch the attention of the reviewer and the screening committee. I suggest that you think of something similar and present it in this essay.

Paragraph 3 is a redundancy in this presentation. The most effective explanation of how you plan to promote Chevening and how the scholars can benefit from your contacts is presented in the 4th paragraph. Revise that presentation to remove the word "Similarly" in the presentation so that it becomes the only reference to networking promotion within Chevening in the essay.