"Networking" An intellectual adventure for creativity- 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)

I am motivated by the benefit of networking

Stephen R. Covey in his book "THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE" describes networking in pages 264-265 as a "principle of synergistic communication that creates an intellectual adventure for new discoveries". I appreciate one significant synergistic communication I developed as an intern at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), through which I was able to kick-start my professional career and develop a regular network of professionals and individual contacts.

It all started in May 2015 when I was posted to the central laboratory at NAFDAC. I established a network with the laboratory analysts and my colleagues and through synergistic rapport; I realized that we share a common vision and initiative to improve the quality of Nigerian produce. Hence I pursued a lunch meeting with the head of analyst to discuss the possibilities of organizing a forum that will harness quality control professionals with aspirants. Auspiciously, he concord and related it with other laboratory analysts and external professionals who then gave their consent.

The forum was held in Lagos on the 15th of April, 2015 and the theme of the forum was "Amalgamation of quality and safety". The meeting lasted for three hours whereafter everyone became very open to each other's ideas which led to a new common vision. I spent some time synergizing and sharing contacts with professionals and by the end of that day, a group-chat was created on telegram wherein we currently synergize.

My synergistic relationship with the network I developed at NAFDAC is benefiting me at 234 Foods Nigeria Ltd. where my primary responsibility as a quality analyst is to oversee and ensure that the quality of yam fries produce complies with the international set standard. When I assumed the role, my first task was to provide solution to the browning of the yam fries. I was confident to handle the task because it reminded me a comparable situation my team and I experienced at NAFDAC. Immediately, I related the challenge to the members of the network wherein we worked collectively to provide a sustainable solution. I applied the solution and fortunately, the problem was solved.

I am motivated by the benefit of networking, and if awarded the Chevening scholarship, my idea is to develop a network of Chevening scholars, alumni, community leaders, lecturers, and professionals whilst participating in chevening community project. Similarly, as an associate member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the UK, I will attend and participate in conferences where I can synergize and share contacts with professional chemist. Thereby, building a rich-in-knowledge and scholarly network that I need in order to accomplish my project upon return to Nigeria. My project is to establish a communal hub of chemist with focus on integrating Nigerian chemistry scholars and researchers, my existing network, and the network I intend to develop in the UK. The aim of the communal will be to educate, address, and provide environmental and health safety facilities and solutions in rural areas of Nigeria.

Chukwuka, you must remove the reference to the book in the opening paragraph. Don't lecture the Chevening reviewer about the meaning of networking based on someone else's understanding. He isn't interested in any definitions you have or wish to make. Those are irrelevant to the task you were asked to present as proof of your networking skills. Once you remove that paragraph, you can instead, open the essay using the second paragraph.

The main problem that I have with your essay is that you seem to have created only an inter-office network when the reviewer is expecting you to have attended international conferences and meetings where you should have been able to network with various individuals from different fields whose specialties you should have used during opportune times in your professional life. If I misunderstood and you actually attended a professional or national conference attended by various individuals representing different sectors of companies then please correct me and clarify that point in your presentation. If I misunderstood, then so will the Chevening reviewer.

A networking conference usually lasts more than just 3 hours. These normally take place over days at a time. Have you ever attended a non-office sponsored seminar at a different venue held by a different organization? That is the kind of networking discussion this prompt requires.

Your experience at 234 is not relevant to the discussion. You enacted a personal solution based on a previous experience at your old office. That does not represent a method by which you had to use an existing network in order to overcome a work related obstacle. Remember, it cannot be an inter-office network, you need to go outside of the workplace in order to prove a truly effective and work relevant network that can help you and potentially, the past and future Chevening scholars.

Try to find other terms to describe the word synergize. It gets too repetitive in the essay. You can use the term energize or cooperation/cooperating, or variations thereof. You have a very good idea as to how to utilize the Chevening scholarship network in your last paragraph. Keep that but remove the reference to the RSC since that is not a Chevening related organization. Focus only on Chevening. The reviewer could care less what other organizations you are a member of. At this point, the prompt is focused only on Chevening so you should not offer information that is not related to the discussion, even if it proves a networking style. The networking style should be proven in the earlier parts that discuss how you created and used your professional network.

Thank you very much. This is only the draft, I will work on the correction. God bless