Networking questions - chevening scholarship - Chartered Accountants in health

In my work as a Senior Analyst in Health Financing with xxx, I have built reliable networks within various organisations such as government ministries (primarily Ministry of Health), bilateral and multilateral development organisations such as DFID, USAID, Irish Aid, World Bank amongst others. These relationships have been crucial in driving my work in resource mapping, maternal and neonatal care, health financing policy development and driving for sector wide efficiencies. It is the input and cooperation that I get from individuals I interact with from these major health sector stakeholders that have allowed me to achieve in an organisation that values relationships, networking and humility through service.

As a returning Chevening scholar, I will leverage these existing relationships to further advance my work in health policy reform as most of these organisations are critical players in health service delivery without whose buy-in any health financing reforms such as the proposed National Health Insurance will not be as successful. As a Chartered Accountant, I have horned my skills and networks in private sector service delivery and my studies in public policy will strengthen my talent and intuition in public service.

As a Charterered Accountant with ACCA, I am a member to global network of Chartered Accountants who share ideas and knowledge through various channels including local bodies, winter schools as well as electronic media such as LinkedIn and Facebook. I will actively use this network to encourage and advise more accountants to pursue careers within the public sector especially in Zimbabwe were this sector is starved of highly-skilled technocrats depriving it of the much needed instruments to drive public sector reform. I will use such existing links and media to open up opportunities for other Chevening community members to careers and opportunities that allow them to harness their skills and talent towards transformational impact in their various fields.

Over the last 10 years I have worked in external audit servicing a wide range of organisations within both the public and private sector. As an auditor and health analyst, I have interacted with with leaders in higher echelons of power and besides such as lawmakers, not only have I created been able to achieve my work and grow the organisations I have worked for, I have also created mentorship networks that allow me access to advice which will be critical in my career development in the medium to long term as such career growth is necessary to be able to influence public policy in Zimbabwe.

Additionally, the time I spent in Liberia as an expat working in a post conflict and challenging environment gave me multi-cultural experience through interacting with other expats and nationalities in such a hot spot during the Ebola era. I will exploit these networks as centres for knowledge sharing and cross country interaction.

@munmar

When I was reading through your essay. I was wondered that whether I took a time machine back through your story or this is just your unique reverse timeline writing style. My personal instruction so far, is that you may upside down your paragraphs by presenting your previous networking skills that supported you to fit Chevening' s interest along with your community first, then you can draw your plan of creating larger-scale networks back home relating to Chevening supports afterwards. And all of these strong networking skills have to reflect your academic background and degree that You will going to complete from the UK.

Mun, as a returning Chevening scholar, there is a better way to approach your networking essay. Since you have already previously applied for and successfully completed the scholarship program, the thrust of your networking essay at this point in time should be no longer on how to build your network but rather, on how you have built your network since you first completed the program.

So your essay should highlight the accomplishments in terms of networking since then. Does the network of organizations that you mentioned at the start of your essay related to the network you create post graduate studies? If so, you need to make that abundantly clear. An explanation as to how these networks were created after your graduation will suffice. The other accounting specific organization that you belong to is a nice additional touch to the network.

Towards the end of the essay, you can actually try to explain how you have been using your own network to help the Chevening alumna and current set of scholars. That way it becomes obvious that you are the true embodiment of a Chevening scholar and that you will continue down the path of paying back to the scholarship this time around.

@Holt
i am not yet a scholar, sorry if my writing was misleading, this will be my first time of studying with a Chevening and i wanted to highlight my input into developing others after i have graduated. Advice if tis is the wrong approach to the question.

Mar, definitely the wrong approach to the essay. You will need to revise it in order to properly reflect that you are not yet a scholar and you are speaking of the future. I would place the reference to how you plan to help the other scholars are the end of the essay, which is where the prompt advises that you place it in the first place.

Review your essay for the parts that may come across improperly to the reviewer. I think only paragraph 2 is the problem. If you read through the essay again, you will see that all you have to do is re-position the paragraphs in order to get the desired effect. My arrangement would be as follows: Paragraph 4, 1, 3, 2. In its new position in the essay in the 1,2,3,4 order, you will have a new essay that better responds to the prompt requirements.

@Holt
thanks, i will revise and edit as advised.