Job / Career

20/20 – Day 16: 20 networking nuggets

You need other people.  Nobody succeeds alone.

Engagement is crucial in everything we do.  On your own, in a dark room, it wouldn’t take long before you came to a stop because you needed skills that you didn’t have.  From learning how to do it yourself, to finding someone who will do it for you, other people need you and you need other people.

How do you make contact with these people and begin a relationship?  It’s not that difficult.  Below, I list 20 top tips toward mastering networking.

  1. Don’t judge, remain open.  Opinions only seek to close off opportunities.
  2. You won’t know unless you try.  Don’t be afraid to make the first move.  Waiting for people to come to you doesn’t work.
  3. What have you got to lose? You won’t lose anything if you reach a dead end, yet you’ll gain so much if you find an in.  Your choice.
  4. Do it all year round.  Quiet moments can yield huge gains.  Busy times bring everyone out.  There is no specific networking season unless you count ‘always’ as a period of time.
  5. If networking with a specific purpose, prepare beforehand.  General networking is pretty open once you have a basic set of openers and ideas.  For more specialised pitches or a focus on targetted individuals, you need to have a plan.
  6. Don’t think of your contacts as useful, see them as people.
  7. Introduce other people to the conversation.  Have you ever heard that you should act like the host at events, even if you’re not the host?  I’ve used this trick a couple times before.  Not only will you be memorable (for the right reasons), but you network by bringing others together to network too.  When this technique works, it works incredibly well.
  8. Focus on the person, don’t let your attention slip.  I think of it as paying ‘Bill Clinton attention’.  When Clinton communicates with people, it seems as if his entire attention has turned to that one person.  It’s like he switches off the world around him, but not to the point where he’s just staring in an uncomfortable manner.  While I haven’t spoken to Clinton personally, I’m pretty sure if I did he would come across this way.
  9. Help others. Be useful.  Just take Twitter as an example. One of the best things about Twitter is when people help others by offering recommended links, answering people’s questions, and putting in a good word for others.
  10. Keep tabs and remain on track even when an association naturally ends.  Unless you don’t like the person and you’ve totally moved on from that line of work/life, there’s no point in burning bridges.
  11. Don’t expect from others without trying to make an impact yourself.
  12. By all means find as many people to network with as you want, but focus on the quality of the contacts rather than the number you’ve collected.
  13. Don’t expect the world. It’s not like you’re owed a favour. Asking isn’t ordering.  If you’re turned down, accept it.
  14. Don’t expect instant results. Networking takes time.  That person you’ve known since you were 6…who’d have thought they would be the perfect contact now you’re 34?
  15. Be kind.  People like to be complimented and like to know you care.  Don’t be false, but do be appreciative and thankful when you can.
  16. Talk about the weather. We’re human.  We don’t talk shop all day.  Smalltalk is not just reasonable, it’s required.
  17. Show an interest in others.  An interest…not an obsession.
  18. Go gently.  A pushy attitude won’t get you far.  You’re building a network, not recruiting soldiers.
  19. Change with the times.  It’s easier than ever to network.  You have access to millions of wonderful minds via an Internet connection.  You don’t need to leave the house. But wherever you are and whatever platform you use, be prepared to go where the people are.  They don’t come to you, you go to them!
  20. You are the key…Not your tools, not your business card, not the money spent, not the gifts you lavish upon them, not anything else.  YOU are the key.
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: Lumaxart (cc)

20/20 – Day 15: 20 considerations for the future before you leave university

It’s impossible to plan the future perfectly.  No matter. The more you do to provide for your future, the greater scope you’ll have with each new day.

Whether you’re still in your first year or you’re soon to graduate, start thinking about a life after your degree.  Nobody knows where you’re headed, no even yourself, but there’s plenty you can do to help the process.  Get the dice working in your favour.

  1. Why did you choose to study your subject? If you were asked this question, would you have a reasonable answer ready?
  2. Is your degree relevant to the field you want to go into? If not, pay attention to what you can bring to a job or career and what experience you have gained from your study.  Many core qualities and skills can be developed from a university education, so be prepared to explain and sell yourself over these transferable skills, no matter what your degree is.
  3. Work experience. Whether paid, voluntary or otherwise, any stints working are good to show off. Not so much a paper round when you were younger, but anything more substantial than that could play a part in strengthening your case.  Bar work, SU work, shop work, office work, placements, charity work, student work…jobs may not be directly relevant to those you apply for in the future, but many of the roles will have given you transferable skills.
  4. Societies/activities to mention, or join.  Playing a role within a club or society brings many transferable skills.  I don’t advise joining a vast number of clubs and societies for the sake of it.  Join one or two societies that you have most interest in so you develop contacts, experience, confidence, and much more.
  5. Professional associations.  Most associations have cheap membership options for students.  This is a great opportunity to find valuable information and join with people who already work in the areas of work you’re interested in.
  6. Create a great CV.  Don’t rush a document off a couple days before you need one, spend some quality time crafting something good now.  Check my series of posts on Employment Nirvanafor more information.

    You can't control the future, but it still depends on your help.

    You can’t control the future, but it does need your help.

  7. Tweak your CV and update it if you already have one.  Perhaps you made a pretty good CV in the past.  If so, keep going!  Make sure it’s kept relevant to your needs, as well as adding your experience and achievements as you go along.  Don’t leave it to chance.
  8. Look at jobs currently on offer for ideas. You may not be applying right now, but do you know what type of jobs are available?  If you don’t take a look, you won’t know how feasible your plans really are.
  9. Look at jobs currently on offer to see what they’re looking for.  Another benefit of browsing jobs you’re not about to apply for is so that you know what skills and qualities employers are looking for.  If you see a common trait that you haven’t yet mastered or experienced yet, you’ve got time to bring things up to speed.
  10. Check graduate schemes as soon as you can.  There’s no point in waiting.  The jobs won’t wait…
  11. If you know what your dream job/career is, pursue it NOW! Don’t wait, get involved.  Just because you’re not getting paid to learn about your chosen line of work doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother putting the effort in.  The moment you start chasing for leads and opportunities is the moment you step closer to what you want.
  12. Go to careers office and use them.
  13. Check careers & graduate sites for information, help and leads.
  14. Consider transferable skills in everything you do.  A small feat for you may be just what an employer wants.  Don’t overlook your talents!
  15. Clean up your online profiles.  And if you don’t want to remove the gory details, at least protect yourself by updating your privacy settings so you’re…well, private.
  16. Clean up your offline profiles. You don’t live in an online-only world, unless you believe we’re all in the Matrix or something.  Real-world issues need just as much consideration as those online.
  17. What do you *want* to do when it’s all over? Ask yourself this question and give a genuine answer.  Don’t kid yourself with ideas of what you’ll probably end up doing and what would roughly satisfy you.  Be bold by deciding what you’d choose if you had every option freely available to you.
  18. How will you achieve this? You’ve been bold in your answer to the above question.  Now have a plan to make this happen, no matter how outlandish it seems.
  19. Personality. What would you change and what would you keep the same?
  20. What do you seek beyond career, money and fame? We all crave different things in life.  Those cravings change as we change.  Before you graduate, what matters to you beyond money and the usual ‘big dreams’?
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: quinn.anya (cc)

29 More Money Matters: Spending, Saving, Working, Living

I’m sure many of you are eagerly awaiting the next loan instalment to land in your bank account.  Hopefully you’re not still awaiting the first instalment after the student loans fiasco.

Now seems a good time to post another set of tips for keeping hold of your cash for as long as you can.

photo by Bashed

photo by Bashed

Some of these tips will sound like overkill, but they work if money is particularly tight.  You have to choose whether to save money any way possible, or to rack up some extra debt in the name of a good time. It’s up to you!

29 More Money Matters

  1. Work when everyone else is spending money – Friday evenings, for instance.  Or one of the popular student nights in your area.  You may miss a good night out, but while everyone else is bleeding money, you’ll be dancing to the tune of the cash register.
  2. Join an inexpensive club to take up some of your recreation time.
  3. Learn to say ‘no‘.
  4. Only attend major gatherings and special events. Anything decided off the cuff and all outings just for the sake of it can be turned down.
  5. Stop being proud and learn to accept money from your parents. If you are blessed with access to the bank of Mum & Dad, don’t turn it down because you want to pay your own way.  Seriously, there are some students out there who think they need to prove a point and go it alone.  If you have a cash problem, take off your stubborn hat and accept the offer.
  6. Don’t dwell on money as the reason why you’re not having fun – if you aren’t happy with your situation, blaming money is an excuse.
  7. Don’t think of loans as free money. You’re more likely to spend the cash if you don’t treat it with extra respect and recognise a loan as a loan.
  8. Be patient. Even if you can’t resist buying an item, surely you can wait until you can afford it?  Unless it’s a limited edition item that’s likely to sell out straight away, what’s the harm in waiting an extra week, or month, or year?  Let the initial excitement for the product calm down a little. Not only will the extra time help you gather the necessary funds, but you may also reach a position where the prospect of owning the product isn’t as exciting as you’d previously thought.
  9. Slap down peer pressure. Your money is precisely that…yours!  No matter how much your friends try to persuade you to buy that designer t-shirt, they aren’t the ones looking to buy it.  If they’re that bothered, ask them to buy it for you.  And don’t fall into the trap of asking mates whether you should buy something that you can’t afford…it’s an excuse.  If you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t buy it.  But you know there’s a fair chance your friends won’t see it that way.  You know that full well!
  10. Don’t take out cash. For some people, taking out a wodge of cash means the money is already spent.  A load of tenners in your pocket can last five minutes if you’re not careful.  If the physical presence of money makes you more likely to spend it, use your card when you can instead of taking out the cash.
  11. Do take out cash. For other people, using a card isn’t like spending money at all. If you fall into this trap, use the cash machine to take out a daily/weekly allowance and try sticking to it. When the lure of spending on the card is too great, don’t take it out with you. Then you can’t use it!
  12. Get a job. So many students need to work part time while they study. There’s nothing wrong with getting a job to make a bit extra. Work helps some people manage their time better, even if they end up with less time available.  That’s even more reason to consider a job.
  13. Don’t be stubborn…accept help. It’s not just Mum & Dad who can help. Generous family members may also want to boost your bank balance. Bursaries and hardship loans are also available at uni. Ask at uni if anything is available to you and check the government information on bursaries, scholarships and awards. Accepting help isn’t weak, it’s awesome. 🙂
  14. Don’t buy everything, even if you think you can.
  15. Consider every purchase carefully.
  16. Ask for a discount. Be willing to haggle. The worst outcome is simply being told ‘no’. In which case, walk away. No harm done!
  17. Use your NUS Extra card.
  18. Compare prices.
  19. Check the Web for reviews. Read them. Is it a good deal? Does it do what you want it to? Is a better version about to be released? Make sure all your questions are answered before you buy something.
  20. Use mysupermarket.co.uk and see if you can switch supermarkets to save money.
  21. Find vouchers. Vouchers and coupons are now hugely popular ways of saving money. If you don’t seek them out, you risk missing out on all sorts of bargains.
  22. Make MoneySavingExpert a regular destination. With a great list of vouchers, a regular money saving e-mail, a bot to find the cheapest MP3 music, and fantastic forums, I’m sure you’ll save loads. Just make sure you don’t spot too many good deals and buy everything just because it’s too good to miss. If you don’t need it, you can miss it!
  23. Do you really need to buy the latest edition of a textbook? If not, look for second hand bargain at AbeBooks, eBay, on campus book sales, and via your uni Intranet. Many people want to sell their old books when they’ve finished studying, so bargains are around.
  24. Sell your old books. Perhaps, like me, you want to keep your books. But if they’re now surplus to requirements, why not sell them to the next lot of students coming through? Even if you bought the books second hand yourself, selling them back on could be even more cost effective. Everyone’s a winner!
  25. Club together on a big purchase. If several of you can benefit from an item, try and work out a way of splitting the cost. This may not be practical, but it’s worth a thought.
  26. Swap stuff. You don’t want something, but your friend would love it.  Maybe you’ll find something valuable to you that your friend doesn’t want.
  27. Be Freegle! Give away what you don’t want and find freebies in your local area.  Sign up for regular e-mails offering all sorts of goodies…furniture, books, sports equipment, clothes, all sorts!  Before you can grab a free item, you need to offer one item first.  I think that’s fair enough.
  28. Consider renting expensive goods for one-off uses. It’s fine to buy something expensive if you’re making a relatively long-term investment.  But when you’re unlikely to use it more than once, see if you can rent it instead.  Do make sure the rental cost isn’t *too* high, otherwise it misses the point somewhat.
  29. Borrow stuff. Another cheap idea, because borrowing is free (unless your mate is out to make a quick buck).  Why bother keeping up with all your friends, when you can make use of their splashing of the cash?  Friends are unlikely to turn you down when you want to borrow something, unless you’re not good at remembering to give stuff back…

photo by HowardLake

photo by HowardLake

Get ahead and become futureproof

Graduates are getting a bad deal right now.  Upon graduating, not only do they owe tens of thousands of pounds (usually), but they also face an unforgiving job market.

photo by .Jennifer Leigh.

photo by .Jennifer Leigh.

You should, as a student, have taken notice of this.  It’s worrying, yes, but you can do something about it.  Stand up and be counted.  What’s stopping you from thinking about your professional future?

Whether you have a clear career in mind, you want to start your own business, or if you don’t have a clue where your future is headed, you can start taking bold steps toward futureproof strength.

You may be sick of hearing me say that a degree in isolation isn’t enough to walk in to the job you want, but it’s true.  You need to show more commitment and drive before getting where you want to be.

Whatever stage you’re at as a student, you can build up your profile while learning more about yourself and understanding how to get what you want.  Here are 10 things you should do:

  1. Join professional associations – Hobbies, interests, career goals…there are professional associations for most things.  Even if you don’t know what your passions are, you won’t be arrested for checking (and even joining) the associations that may become a regular part of your life in years to come.  If something interests you, get looking for relevant associations and get involved.
  2. Get the lowdown on other interesting trade associations and membership groups – If you know what field you’d like to pursue a career in, check out the Trade Association Forum’s Directory, which lists the trade associations out there.  Not sure what the future holds?  Well, you can gain experience from groups such as Toastmasters International, which helps people develop their speaking and presentation skills.  And since you’re almost certainly a member of the NUS, why not get more involved in the wonderful work they do for students?  Joining groups and causes are fun, they help you develop socially, and you’ll have a much punchier set of credentials to list on your CV.
  3. Go to conferences – One word…Networking.  Conferences bring together leaders in numerous fields, amazing minds, and like-minded people.  Get talking, share ideas and learn from one another.
  4. Go to the online equivalent of a conference…Twitter – I’m simplifying Twitter here, because it’s more than a mingling opportunity.  However, if you want to network from the comfort of your desk (or library, or phone, or whatever), it’s good to Tweet.  Just find relevant people to follow and get involved in the conversation.
  5. Work on your CV as a rolling document – If you only update your CV when you need to send one off, it doesn’t give you much time to big yourself up as well as you deserve.  Add to your CV whenever you join a new association, you gain a new qualification, you learn a worthwhile skill or language, and keep thinking of examples to outline the skills and experience you already have.  It’s never too early to start working on your CV!
  6. Read up further on your specialist subject – Whether your specialist subject is related to your degree, or based on something you do in your spare time, do more reading up on the subject.  Find out the latest news and keep abreast of what’s going on.  Check the library to see what journals they have access to (including online access portals). If you don’t stay updated on the latest developments in your field, it won’t look good to a potential employer.  The sooner you start exploring, the easier it will be in the long run.
  7. Keep tabs on updates in your field – As well as reading, what events are taking place near you?  Find out who is contributing most and explore what their take is.  Do you agree with them, or do you have a totally new idea?  Make notes, argue, engage.  Active involvement helps an active mind and could even help get you noticed too.
  8. Consider further relevant education – It may be too early for this one, especially if you’re only in your first year at uni.  However, you may be required to study beyond your current degree in order to make a go of some careers.  Before you get too excited, find out what you need to do to reach your goal.  The careers advice peeps should be able to give you more information and advice.
  9. Spend at least 10 minutes every day on becoming a bigger part of your field – You may be busy, but 10 minutes won’t hurt.  It’s not much, but if you did something small each day (write, read, have a conversation, plan, whatever!), you’d get slowly closer to building a reasonable platform.  From finding 10 minutes difficult to achieve, you’ll either discover that 10 minutes is just another (important) part of your day, or you’ll commit more time to the cause without even noticing.  Once you start, there may be no stopping you!
  10. Assess your position on a regular basis to avoid going stale – We all get into a rut at times.  Sometimes for silly reasons.  Other times we don’t realise that we’ve progressed as far as we can go with the current setup.  As you work through uni, you can be forgiven for taking your eye off the more distant future.  But keep tabs on what’s working for you and be prepared to move onwards or move upwards.  And if you’d rather drop things now you’ve got as far as you need, that’s just as positive.  But make sure you continue using the time wisely on the important things in your life.  If I hear you’ve been watching daytime TV or spending longer in bed…
photo by SeRVe61

photo by SeRVe61