Networking is like a car engine - Chevening

Hi forum,
kindly need your point of view on my essay, highly appreciate on correction.
Thank you

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. how you hope use these skills in the future

my networking-building process

Networking is like a car engine, which need other components to move and expand. My networking formed when I involved in International Organizations. It started in 2005 I joined with XA International as field officer to help earthquake and tsunami victims. It gave me opportunity to know and made friends with a lot of people from different city and country to run project related water and sanitation. I engaged as person who responsible for infectious diseases data collection as well as health education activities. Sometimes my manager requested me to involve in his meeting with counterpart on hygiene working group meeting. Then for close coordination we exchange the name card, made contact for assistance. Then I continued my study at university FGC in 2007. I participated in several public health seminars, community health practice activities, in fact in 2009 I obtained grant from university FGC for assisting people in Garut, west Java to access clean water etc. In addition, I joined for several Universities, National and International Organizations since 2009 up to present.

I know to be at this step, building a good partnership is necessary. In my opinion building a good relationship is about how individual connect with others to build rapport. I remember in 2013 when the first time I joined with ABC as health program assistant. one of finance hospital staff angry and upset with my visit. The issue was about ABC financial procedure. One of my job is to make sure all medical administration complied with ABC financial regulation. At that time, I faced hard times and a little frustration since they did not want to collaborate with ABC anymore. I communicate this case to my supervisor and suggested to invite them on the meeting. Trough the meeting we involved them to find better solution. Ever since, trust was built, then we conducted few meetings to get input from hospital, and finally rapport established.

Now, if there is necessary thing I simply just call hospital. The partner of ABC comprises; District Health Office (DHO) Hospitals, Community Health Centre (Puskesmas), Private Clinic etc. To keep the connection, I involved in the several activities which conducted by partner like engaging in the Measles and Rubella (MR) Vaccinations for 55 babies and children immigrants, vector control like fumigation, etc. I also connect with all my friend from my previous job and education. I communicate through social media like Facebook, Instagram, etc. sometimes discussing about current public health issues. Besides registered as alumnus in my nursing school and university, I also have mailing list for Public Health Faculty which all public health people can share everything related public health like job, conference etc. For certain business, sometimes I contacted Indonesian Public Health Association.

Networking makes me and my organization easier in achieving goals. I believe through Chevening scholarship, my network will grow widely, and I will engage in the Chevening activities to attract more future leader to join with us.

Ninin, it seems that you have very good and meaningful contacts but you are not using them properly. This essay is not about show of your contacts but it is about presenting how you used these contacts to solve a situation. The case about ABC financial regulation does not count as you contacted your supervisor to deal with it. I am sure that during your career you have faced many challenges , so choose one of them that better show how you used your network to overcome the situation. You also have to say in which aspects or how cheveners will use your contacts. Wish you the best. Good luck

Ninin, you hve to understand what a networking essay is all about. You are supposed to prove to the Chevening reviewer that you have a current working network of professional and other related contacts that have been instrumental in the completion of your tasks or the growth of your career. Your essay was on mark with the first paragraph, but too old to be considered a still existing and working network. You failed to indicate that you are still nurturing and developing the network that you built at the time which invalidates the network claim you made. The second half of the essay is more focused on leadership and influencing, so it should not be introduced in this essay.

You should work on developing the network that you developed during the national crisis. Show the development of your network from there. It should continue to the present in terms of development, relevance to your profession, and actual use. If your network does not represent that, then the essay will not work for your application. The network needs to prove to be useful to the Chevening community so if you are not continuously developing your network, then your network is weak and will not help advance your application.

@gmeigo9
thank you so much for your clear correction.