THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING 1 A Common quotation about establishing a career: “It’s not what you know but who you know that matters” Ability to use people we know in making decisions – Probably single most important skill in being successful Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

SESSION OBJECTIVES: At the end of this session you should: – Be able to identify how you’ve used contacts in a variety of settings – Understand how contacts can help you in career planning – Be able to identify networks that you already belong to – Understand how to make new contacts – Understand how to use contacts effectively THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING Pro-Active Mentoring Programme 1 B

1 C IDENTIFYING CONTACTS Have you got any contacts in the world of commerce? If your answer is NO – answer these questions: – Do you belong to a family? – Did you go to school? – Have you ever belonged to any club or society? – Have ever had a part-time job? – Do you know anyone who works for a large organisation? If you can answer YES to three or more of the above: – You are likely to have access to hundreds of contacts Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

1 D USING CONTACTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE Are you good at networking and using contacts? You have probably used networking already in: – Choosing your course – Getting a placement/part-time job – Planning a holiday – Buying a car/computer etc. If you’ve done any of the above – – You’ll be able to get advice on planning a career Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

1 E THE MIND MAP Dynamic method of recording information & ideas – Mirrors the brain’s processes Main themes radiate from central image as branches – Branches divide into connected structure of sub-branches – New ideas can be added in any direction Colour & visual images used to aid memory & recall Can compress large number of ideas into one page Useful for brainstorming lists of contacts Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

1 F MIND MAPPING EXERCISE Think of at least two career areas you want to research Produce a mind-map like the example in 10 minutes: – It will be rough, without colours or diagrams – Aim is to get 25 contacts/organisations you could follow up – Note: people in non-graduate jobs can have many contacts (e.g. the hairdresser in the example mind map) – Prize to 1 st group of four with 100 contacts between them! In the next few weeks – develop a proper mind map Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

Discussion Details Details of Contact * Key Discussion Points Further Action Recommended Action Taken? (  & date) Date: Phone or face-to-face? Venue: Length of discussion: Name: Organisation: Job Title: Address: Telephone: BY NEXT PRO-ACTIVE MENTORING SESSION: Interview at least one networking contact (preferably more) – Complete entry on networking contacts sheet (e.g. below) – Bring this with you – you’ll be asked to report back on outcomes 1 G Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

1 H WHAT IF CONTACTS DON’T WANT TO HELP YOU? Always be positive – the worst they can do is say no! Be realistic – not everyone will feel able to help you Reflect on the outcome – Could you have done it differently? Plan carefully to minimise rejection in the first place – Start with contacts close to you – they’re more likely to help Diversify & think laterally – don’t rely on one person Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

2 A PREPARING FOR THE MENTORING PROGRAMME SESSION OBJECTIVES: At the end of this session you should: – Understand how the mentoring programme will work – Be clear about how you are going to obtain your mentor – Have set learning objectives for your meeting with a mentor Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

2 B THE NETWORKING YOU’VE DONE SO FAR SOME THINGS TO DISCUSS WITH EACH OTHER: What steps did you go through to meet your contacts? – How did you find out about them? – How did you approach them and arrange a meeting? – How easy was it to arrange all this? What were the key points of the discussion? – What information and recommendations did they give you? – How helpful were they? – What further action will you take as a result? Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

3 A PREPARING FOR THE MENTORING FAIR SESSION OBJECTIVES: At the end of this session you should: – Understand the processes and outcomes of:  The Mentoring Fair  The Mentoring Process – Have formulated questions to ask at the Mentoring Fair – Have practised asking questions to an individual about their role in an organisation Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

Questions I will askNotes from the actual meeting Question 1. Question 2. MENTORING FAIR – PREPARED QUESTIONS - Help each other to prepare at least five questions for each interview - Bring this to the fair – make notes on the answers given to each question 3 B Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

4 A MENTORING FAIR Employer Briefing Session SESSION OBJECTIVES: At the end of this session you should: – Understand the aims of the mentoring programme: – Understand the processes and outcomes of:  The Mentoring Fair  The Mentoring Process – Be clear about:  How you will match up with your mentee(s)  How the students have prepared for today’s event Pro-Active Mentoring Programme