Career Zone EN

Networking

Another way to gain more insight into a job or organisation is by holding (informative) conversations with people from the work field. This is called networking.

When you think about applying for a job, the first thing you often think of is to write a good CV, draw up an enthusiastic motivation letter or perhaps update your LinkedIn profile. All very important things, but make no mistake; networking can also be crucial!

Since the majority of jobs are filled through networking (without any vacancy), a strong network is very valuable! Nevertheless, networking is a term that is not always seen as positive, and that is a pity. After all, networking can be very valuable and yet easily accessible. It can provide a lot of information. Are you curious how you can apply networking to achieve your goals?

> Read more about Networking and Networking questions.

Assignment:

1. Networking in my current network.

Convinced of the power of networking? Discover your current network and determine your three network action points.

Choose three people in your current network who (used to) work in one of the fields you are interested in. Be creative! Think of; friends, family, (former) teammates, someone from the sports club, fellow students, someone from the student association, someone from primary school/high school, a friend from the family, parent(s) of a friend, etc.
For example, check out on LinkedIn who has done which internship or (side)job.
Think of 3 questions you would like to ask this person and approach this person for a network discussion.

Please note: you are networking for information, not for a job. Therefore, keep the invitation to the network interview simple by stating that you are currently orientating yourself on the labour market and that you are looking for information on a particular field of work/sector.

2. Expanding the network

In addition to discovering and using your current network, it is also important to expand your current network. This can be done in various ways, including

via the Mentor network
and via the alumni database on the company page of Leiden University on LinkedIn.

3. Networking in my new network

Take a look at the profiles of mentors on the Mentor network and look for mentors with an interesting and inspiring profile (for you). Who works at an organisation where you would like to do an internship? Who has done an assignment within a sector that has caught your interest?
Then take a look at the alumni database on the company page of Leiden University on LinkedIn, filter on your bachelor/master and look at the profiles of alumni with the same educational background. Which profiles appeal to you?
Then choose 3 new contacts with whom you will have a network conversation. Think about which questions you would like to ask in advance. And make an appointment with these alumni.

You have now completed step 2 Explore the labour market.

Make an overview of the most important findings based on the results from Exploring the labour market. By putting the various aspects together, you will create a total overview which, together with the results from Know yourself, form a complete Personal Career profile.

Assignment:

Fill in the components of the Personal Career Profile (in your working document) for what you can already determine on the basis of the current information and Personal Profile. Put a question mark if you do not yet have an idea of something such as "working conditions" or "role". These are matters to explore further.

With all this information, it is time to focus on Step 3 Develop your application skills.

Continue > Step 3 Develop your application skills

Mentornetwerk

Via het Universiteit Leiden Mentornetwerk kunnen studenten en jonge alumni in contact komen met ervaren alumni en hen eenvoudig benaderen voor advies.