Networking: how to unlock career insights and opportunities beyond academia

When exploring your careers options, connecting with people in sectors that interest you can be hugely insightful. The idea of networking can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable, but in this two-part session we’ll explore how it can be a powerful research tool, and help you to begin uncover opportunities.

First, Careers Advisers will share practical tips and strategies on – how to start networking to add value to the development of your career ideas. – how to utilise LinkedIn both as an incredibly rich resource for exploring options – how to connect with people with shared interests. – how to make your profile work for you by increasing your visibility to potential recruiters.

Next, the editorial team of ‘Research-Careers.Org’ website will share their experiences of successful networking strategies for finding and gathering advice from contacts who have forged successful transitions beyond academia. Using case studies from their 142 profiles across 44 employment sectors, they will cover the approaches that return the best engagement, the lessons that have been learned and share how often they get responses for the people they reach out to!

The Research-Careers.Org website has become an established and well-regarded resource for researchers exploring career paths beyond academia. It currently features 142 profiles of former academic researchers that have forged successful career paths across a broad range of employment sectors from a variety of subject backgrounds. The site has gained an excellent reputation, especially amongst other leading university careers services, which regularly direct their students to Research-Careers.