From discovering new job opportunities to meeting a mentor, networking can play a key role in your career. However, the word alone can make people nervous. Alumni at our recent ‘How to Network’ event discussed different parts of networking and gave their tips for how to do it well.

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Top tips from our speakers

• Come prepared with ice breakers and try to establish an immediate personal connection.

• Take the word ‘networking’ out of the equation; it’s all about having conversations. You network every single day

• Put yourself in a position that allows you to network; become a member of an institute or professional body

• The key thing with networking is listening to others; it’s about building genuine reciprocal relationships

• Use LinkedIn and send a personalised follow up message using what you learned about the person you spoke to, thanking them for meeting you

• It’s not just about now, relationships take time to build