Making the most of your veterinary career connections how to make and maintain your network
It’s a known fact that professional network is influential in all occupational fields and veterinary medicine isn’t an exception. A research study done by the platform LinkedIn has found that 85% of job opportunities were tied to previous connections. The ability to create these connections varies greatly between individuals, for some it’s something almost natural while for others it can become an arduous task.
Social activities, like networking, can be associated to an uncomfortable feeling for some of us. A way to avoid this initial feeling is to replace the idea of networking as a task by perceiving it as an opportunity for professional growth. A tool for professional growth is more appealing than a task.
Initially, we must analyze the connections that we’ve already made in the past, this includes all professional connections but don’t forget connections outside of the veterinary medicine field, coming from hobbies, for example. Through the exercise proposed by the article and some thought we can easily conclude that our potential to provide connections for our contact net is tremendous and that vice-versa is also valid, even if we there is a mix of different occupational fields.
When we find ourselves in a networking prone environment, the approach: “Be interested over interesting”, can be very useful. One of the lessons about networking is that we shouldn’t think about ourselves, but instead think: “How can I help others?”. Showing genuine interest for topics that are exciting to the other person will improve interaction massively. Other tips you can use are keeping a positive body language and using the 3P’s rules: positive, personal, and pride-evoking moments, to keep the conversation flowing.
Once the connection is done, it’s important to follow up in at least 48h, for example with a nice message. Later, social media can be a helpful tool to help you keep contact and create interaction opportunities in key moments.
Using these strategies, you can build an organic network while at the same time develop soft skills that will be valuable for the rest of your career.
Escalona, E. (2022) ‘Making the most of your career connections: how to make and maintain your network’ In Practice, 44(1), pp. 57-60
