Networking while studying abroad is one of the most important and useful things you can do as an international student. Networking is not just making friends, but also professional and academic connections which can help you in your studies or research as well as provide future career opportunities. This is not even to mention the possibilities they can give you for staying in your new country. In this blog article, we will explore the best strategies for networking if you find yourself as an international student.
But why have we decided to focus specifically on the context of studying abroad? Well, ignoring the fact that that is the main focus of our website, networking while studying abroad can be far more important than networking in other situations. This is mostly felt in two main ways:
1. Due to being away from home, making useful connections can make your life easier. The right people can tell you important information and save you a lot of time and effort in the long run when trying to get things done or figure life out.
2. Connections made abroad can broaden your horizons in unique ways due to being immersed in a foreign culture. Unique insights and opportunities can emerge from your relationship with these people!
Finally, let us get to the actual networking part. The first thing we will discuss is where we can meet these contacts. Note that a lot of these may overlap with our previously linked guide to making friends. Here are the best places to expand your network:
• Events (either cultural or academic)
• Libraries
• Campuses
• Social gatherings
• Volunteering organizations
There are probably more that come to your mind, but the point is that you want to try your best to be exposed to as many different people as possible. In the next section, we will take a look at specific practices which we recommend when going about networking as an international student.
Just because you now know the best places to go and meet your new contacts does not mean you also know what to do when it comes to creating and maintaining connections. In this section, let us go over some important things to keep in mind when networking so that no door will be left unopened:
• Join local clubs and organizations
• Accept volunteering opportunities that you think you would be interested in
• Prepare a resume in advance in case someone unexpectedly offers you a position
• Write down the contact information of everyone you meet
• Do your best the meet the friends of your friends or even their families
• Get better at the local language to break down barriers
• Maintain contact with people even after you stop seeing them regularly
• After you are done with your studies, consider creating an alumni network
All of these recommendations for networking while studying abroad should help you create a strong web of contacts that you can count on for opportunities as well as assistance whenever the need should arise. Taking care of your social life in this way can go a long way in giving you academic and professional success as well.
The main thing we want you to take with you from this article is how important networking can be when studying abroad alongside some hopefully useful strategies and recommendations for doing so. We wish you the best of luck creating your web of contacts and hope that they will transform your experience abroad as well as after your studies have ended.
Recommended Read:-
ALLEN Career Institute Pvt. Ltd. © All Rights Reserved.
Leave a Reply