Setting Up International Networking (Chevening scholarship).

Effective two-way communications

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, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (minimum word count: 100 words; maximum word count: 500 words)

Effective two-way communications are the most important capability for implementing governance. As a research management, my major responsibility is to evaluate the development and competitiveness of the research institutions and apply for funding. Because I can easily communicate with people whose native language is Mandarin, Cantonese or English. Therefore, I establish well connections with Canton Province government officials, university administrators, and different disciplines scholars.

In globe village era, establishing a mutual trust relationship beyond culture gap is coming to a significant networking problem.In 2016, I visited Lancaster University and shadowed with the head of Research Services Mrs. Fox Yvonne for three months. My research planning was to explore how Lancaster University can survive in a global academic competition and change to be competitive. Mrs. Yvonne introduced REF and Thematic Review to me, which are the original responsibilities framework and revolution policy of RSO. In order to survey the instrument of this two research policy, I need to interview with 18 key staffs or director. Having no idea of English humorous jokes and familiar gossip topic. It is really a challenge for me.

Inspired by my sons' favorite picture book Stellaluna which telling a story about a little bat named Stellaluna make affectionate friends with birds. I proactive find common ground, stay in touch appropriately, and offer my assistance to reap the mutually beneficial results of my foreign colleagues.

Firstly, I learned to use the Lancaster University office network system and outlook software. Before doing the one-by-one interview with Contracts Management, Research Ethics Office, Senate Secretary-General, Research and Faculty Partnership Management. I would send an E-mail to introduce myself and book interviewer's time. After the interview, I send a Thanks E-mail to interviewers. After that, I would communicate with Yvonne to discuss the uncertain question of my interview, and design the next investigation planning.

Meanwhile, I attended every possible conference to make new friends and absorb useful information, such as the Chinese Research Project Forum, Road Map meeting, Research committee meeting, Team restructure and Job Interview. I proactive to be the conference reception staff of the Impact Event and arrange the conference in Lancaster Castle. After busy work，colleagues Gina and Sarah invited me to have a cup of coffee and chattered small talk with me closely. Impact Officer Jacqueline exampled the Essay writing for curing the soldier psychological trauma to explain the literature impact, which renewed my opinion about the social influence and value of literature and humanities. I utilized every possible chance to build up my networking relationships and accumulate first-hand survey information. In spare time, I actively participated in the female running group, shared hand-made Cantonese dessert with foreign colleagues. I even took a documentary photo for Department manager Sarah for her equestrian competition. Depending on sincerely friendship, foreign colleague kindly feedbacks me more than what I want.

There no doubt that my projects were going well. What I wrote in Lancaster University was published in the famous academic journal which was the top 1 of foreign language and teaching in China. I also use the skills and strategies, what I have learned from Lancaster University, to help my Chinese academics organizing new research centers. And most important, the unforgotten experience show me the clue to communicate by human nature and improve my confidence.

Bella you have confused an interactive working environment with networking. Being active in engaging one person at Lancaster University in the completion of your duties is not the same as networking with heads of various departments at Lancaster and 2 or 3 other universities whose jobs all intersected for use in the completion of your own work tasks. What you have shown is not a networking essay. It is an interactive essay only.

Now, are you sure that this person whose name you are mentioning will be writing your recommendation letter? If not then do not mention this person's name and instead, mention the position only. If you mention the name, this person will be expected to be your referee and will have to vouch for everything that you said regarding your working experience with her. It is best to omit the mention of names in this section as much as possible. It is the title and importance of the responsibilities of the person that you interact with as part of your network that is more important.

Your son's favorite book has no place in this essay. That total paragraph should be removed. Actually since the whole essay needs to be thrown out due to irrelevance to the prompt, that mistake is actually negligible. Please, stop trying to sound like you are writing a letter to a friend. Your non-professional tone and use of first names is very unprofessional for such an important formal essay presentation. You are writing to a person of respect and whose credentials are far higher than yours. Respect in written communication is of the utmost importance.

Do yourself a favor. Stop trying to write what you think the essay should contain and try to understand the prompt. Since the application is now closed, you will have to submit this next year anyway. Unless you are only asking for my opinion of this essay which you submitted in this cycle which, I can tell you, will not help your chances in getting the scholarship. Read the other networking essay samples here as posted by your competitors this cycle, you will clearly see why this essay is not good enough and will not be able to compete or compare to the networking skills of your competitors. Also, you have to focus on explaining how you will use your network in the future after you graduate and how the Chevening community can also put your network to good use. Right now, due to the informality and irrelevance of your presentation, you have not accomplished any of the goals of the prompt you were provided.

@Holt many thanks for your prompt, It is really inspired me. For my experience, I thought networking is the ability of communication with others. but for your suggestion, that is absolutely not the right point. so could you tell me what is a good networking? I can give you more details and example.

I like to learn it from you.

Best regards.

Consider what your current job is. What is your job title? What sort of work does it entail? Does it require you to seek help from outside of the company in order to accomplish tasks? How do you accomplish that? The answer, through networking. How do you network? Through company sponsored training sessions, continued education, training programs with other companies, or even the occasional social party. Anywhere you find yourself surrounded by people working in various sectors of the same field as you, you are networking. The question is, how do you nurture these contacts? How have these contacts helped you with the performance of your job? How have you helped them? Why do you think Chevening can use your contacts? If you can refer to at least 2 or 3 different people from related professions who helped you with some difficult tasks in your own office, and you have shown an ability to reciprocate, then you will have proven a usable, relevant, and nurtured network on your part.

you are right, as a new-hand, I am preparing for the next year's Chevening Scholorship.
To be honesty, In China, there are strict disciplines and management regulations for the networking with government officers.It is difficult for me to find a Chinese government office to be my referee. that is why I want to find my Lancaster University supervisor to be one of my referee.

My job title is section chief of planning. the responsibility are :drafts research planning,apply for government research centers/platform funding.
I need to help the research teams to evaluate their potential academic qualification and review their applying proposals. I pay attention to different research fields( such as literature and humanities, economic, sociology, law, etc) and communicate with different university academics and government funding officers.

my main relationship is intercommunication with academic circles and help them to accomplish funding application. So do you think these relationship is effectiveness for the essay writing?