My networking skills has helped me get to this height in my career. Chevening scholarship

networking skills essay for chevening

Networking is all about connecting with people, exchanging information and ideas to grow, develop yourself and impact positively the people around you. As a licensed pharmacist working in Lagoon hospital; one of the best hospitals in Nigeria, my networking skills has helped me get to this height in my career.

When I finished from the university, getting an internship placement was a difficult one owing to the number of pharmacists graduating each year. I kept contacts with my lecturers in school who helped me with ideas, information, referral letters and even contacts of my senior colleagues to guide me. This helped me immensely and I was able to secure an internship placement barely three months after graduation at National Agency for Food and Drug Administrative and Control (NAFDAC); one of the prestigious sought after places for internship. I realized then the importance of networking to my career.

During my internship, the work provided me the opportunity to grow my network by working and interacting with the share holders of my profession through inspections, workshops and training we conducted. It was during one of this exercise that I met a colleague that offered me a part time job in a community pharmacy to aid my knowledge about drugs.

On completion of my internship, I embarked on the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Delta State. Although I was posted to the remote part of the State, it didn't deter my passion for service. I interacted well with my Local Government Inspector (LGI) who recommended and encouraged me to volunteer for the Delta State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS. A decision that changed and propelled my career by expanded my network as I got to work with different healthcare professionals in the committee.

While my NYSC was coming to an end and in my pursuit to get a job before it ends, I put a call to all my contacts that are in position to help, one of my senior colleague and friend working then in Lagoon hospital asked for my CV and helped me to submit it to the HR with recommendations. I got that job before the end of my service and was asked to resume immediately I finish.

Networking to me isn't just about meeting new people but cultivating a relationship with them that will influence others, the networks I have created and maintained over the years have made practicing easier, interesting and educating. I believe chevening scholarship will provide me with a learning platform to interact with intelligent scholars who will inspire and guide me to realize my full potentials. Finally, I hope to use my skills, knowledge and experience to inspire and assist others in my career and push pharmacy out of the shadows it has been in the health sector.

Ugwu, there is no need to define the meaning of networking to the reviewer. He is not interested in the definition of the word because he is more interested to learn about how you develop your network, how you use your network, and how that network can help the Chevening scholars in general. Unfortunately, your networking skills do not go beyond your college days, internship days, and your national service participation. Although these are actual networks, these are not the sort of professional networks that can help you win the scholarship.

The majority of the applicants to Chevening are highly skilled professionals whose network of contacts span both their professional and social circles. Both of which combine to help them achieve professional advancements within their respective careers. These are the networks that Chevening looks for in an applicant. Professionals who have attended both local and international conferences and can prove the effectivity of their networks through job related scenarios. Either through a problem solving instance at work or through a type of career advancement supported by the networking experience of the person.

Therefore, you cannot use any part of this essay for your application. You are applying for a scholarship to support your advanced studies in either a masters or doctorate course. Therefore, you are expected to have grown career-wise by this point. That means you have attended notable conferences, seminars, or meetings wherein you were able to grow your professional crowd so that it becomes easier for you to solve professional dilemmas. There is no evidence of that in your essay. This essay could only be useful is you were applying for a scholarship to a secondary college degree. Not for an advanced studies degree.

There are quite a number of Chevening networking essay samples to be found at this forum. Read those samples to learn about what networking credentials work for this type of application. Change your essay to be similar to those. This essay, while containing a reference to networking, just doesn't deliver the kind of network that Chevening will be impressed with. Don't forget to reference how the scholarship foundation will benefit from your professional network in your revised essay. That is an important aspect of the networking essay that you skipped mentioning in this version.