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Networking Thursdays - Volume 23

6/29/2017

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David Herzog is internationally trained in Renewable Energy, Computer and Electrical Engineering. He is now working towards the transformation of the electrical grid to incorporate new energy systems. 
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Networking was a big unknown for me until two years ago. It all started when I moved to Canada for my master’s degree and joined a student club at my university. This club organizes conferences and industrial visits related to the energy sector. It was at this precise moment, I realized the effectiveness and usefulness of networking. With our participation in networking events and seminars, I was able to invite several executives and technical experts from the energy industry to come give conferences at our university, free of charge. Furthermore, I have been able to invite the most famous businessman of the city to give a talk. We kept the student club alive and our calendar full of activities, thanks to networking.

​Networking can provide you a lot of opportunities, for example, we did an exploratory mission of the energy sector in Iceland, thanks to Icelandic panellists we met at a major economic forum in Canada a year before. Nowadays, most of our communications are done through electronic devices, doing networking in person gives you real advantages. Since the person you have talked with will remember you more easily, you will also have the opportunity to properly explain your approach and exchange business cards to keep in touch afterwards. Those connections you create while networking can become opportunities for future employment.


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Networking Thursdays - Volume 22

6/22/2017

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Pei Jin Tsai is an EFL teacher, a fun auntie, and an enthusiastic backpacker. She believes in varieties are just as important as routines for both children and adult learners. She enjoys bringing new projects and experiments in the classroom to help learners to connect school subjects with the real world. She is currently teaching in an elementary school in Taiwan.

I think it's often the information holder that opens the door of opportunity for us. One of my colleagues used to be the one who processed all paperwork/announcements in my school. Most teachers in his position would emphasize announcements from the government and disregard those from the private sector. They are supposed to put everything online but you know how bureaucrats work and sometimes they just have to be selective. My colleague saw this flyer for a competition hosted by Cambridge Press and thought I might have a chance. He personally delivered the document and brought it to my attention.  I got lucky and won the competition and that turned out to be the start of a string of opportunities. I was recruited to a local teacher PD group afterward. I also won another competition hosted by OUP a few years later. I guess it's like a good start of everything. People started to know me and I was invited to give presentations, not to mention that I began to feel more confident and secure in my place at the school.
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I wouldn't have noticed that announcement if it hadn't been for him and I've since asked a lot of teachers who work at public schools just like me if they heard about the contest. None of them had.



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Networking Thursdays - Volume 21

6/15/2017

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Joohee Park is doing advanced design at the Samsung R&D center. Her job is about envisioning how people will live and how technology can possibly support users' future lives.

I’ve been thinking about a story where someone helped me out and picked my work BFF, Joon, a senior designer with 10 years of experience, as the most influential person at m company. Since I am only a rookie, Joon helped me a lot to adjust to my work. She has helped me with little things and more serious issues as well. As an example of a little thing, Joon let me know how to request approval (결재) from a supervisor or what kind of processes I have to go through for contracting out projects. These can seem trivial but they are important because a big company like Samsung has hundreds of internal systems and, unfortunately, there is no master guideline document about what kind of systems/rules I have to follow.
 
As for more serious issues, last year I worked with one VERY strict, meticulous person who is a senior designer. Obviously, I was lucky to work with someone who works so diligently, but on the other side, as a novice, it was quite hard for me to work with her. She asked me to manage the outsourcing agency in Boston. I did everything from writing legal documents in English to emailing them about feedback on their research outcomes. I was even sent to Boston ALONE for a business trip and it was only seven months after I started my first job. I was so worried that I would mess something up because I didn’t know a single thing about managing an agency.  I drove myself crazy trying to do every single thing right. During that time Joon really helped me out. She told me that it is very rare that a new hire does outsourcing management by themselves and she also said that I didn’t need to feel guilty or excessively pressured. Before Joon said this, I didn’t know the situation was exceptional because I had no experience.  Looking back, I was lucky that they trusted me so much and let me get so much practical experience that quickly.

This isn’t a story about someone helping me to get hired, but rather how important it is to find someone who can help you after you get a job. They will help you become more confident, or at least less negative, after you work with them.
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Networking Thursdays - Volume 20

6/8/2017

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For the twentieth installment of Networking Thursdays I'd like to share a personal story of patience and perseverance.

Five years ago there was a guy who owed me a favor and to pay me back he invited me to an elite gathering in Seoul.  One of the reasons I went was the cheap beer but four years later that night really began to pay off in other ways.

In 2012 I was halfway through my eight-year tenure at KAIST.  My business card usually elicited a noteworthy response in Korea but at this event it merely qualified me to be there.  I was rubbing shoulders with international reporters, heads of non-profit groups, and respected academics.  As the social lubrication began to kick in I exchanged more and more business cards and joined many interesting conversations.  When it ended, I was very satisfied and considered the favor to be repaid.

Looking back, the smartest thing I did the next day was send emails to many of the people I had met, telling them how nice it was to have met them and suggesting we stay in  touch.  I also added several of them on Facebook.  Things began to pay off after I left KAIST in early 2016 and was conducting a workshop in a smaller city south-west of Seoul.  One of the people I met saw that I posted where I was and mentioned that the government training center where he worked wasn't that far away and I should drop by and say hello.  I visited the next day and met his boss.  They were always looking for experienced freelance trainers and gave me a short course a couple of months later.  More importantly, when a training center in Jeonju contacted them about recommending a new trainer they suggested me and I have been working with that training center very regularly since last fall.

About a month ago I started working with another person that I met that night in Seoul.  We had kept in touch via Facebook and a few visits to her office over the years and it finally paid off professionally.  She actually offered me an opportunity to work with her several years ago but I couldn't commute to Seoul so I recommended someone local that she has been very pleased with. This time when the opportunity arose for some online work she contacted me again and I jumped at the opportunity.

The moral of this story is threefold.  1. Make a good first impression.  This can be a challenge when cheap alcohol is present but it's smart to prioritize the networking opportunity.  2. Use social networking platforms wisely.  Mixing friends and business associates on one account can be tricky.  Consider editing who can see certain posts and try to maintain a professional appearance for potential employers and clients.  3.  Be patient.  There may not be an opening for you just when you meet someone and it takes time to build trust and a strong reputation.  Think long term and don't waste the chance to meet new people when the opportunity presents itself.


If you have a networking story to share, please send it to archerengcon@gmail.com.
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Networking Thursdays - Volume 19

6/1/2017

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Matt Gaddes is an ESOL programme coordinator and teacher with TAFE NSW in Australia.

Where I work you don't get opportunities unless you are a coordinator. That pretty much means you stay part time. The person who handed those opportunities at the time had her favourites and, even though she put an email out "advertising" a position an hour later we were notified that that position had been filled. Anyway, after giving up and trying to get out of teaching and my marriage breaking down I went back to teaching...through necessity and worked for a just a few part-time hours. This colleague knew of my situation and approached me. I knew that she found it hard to deal with the mounting paperwork and the hyper accountability that teaching in Australia involves. I was hungry and organised and so I jumped at the chance that came up. I wasn't really looking toward the future. I had just wanted to make the best of the opportunity and do a good job. I'm full time now but I can't say I'm happy due to the way the system has moved. The government is defunding education and there is more paperwork required which undermines the core business of teaching. I guess I have to accept that this is the job. At least I still get to contribute to people's journeys and contribute to society in a positive way.

If you have a networking story to share, please send it to archerengcon@gmail.com.

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    Tim's Thoughts

    Here are some short ideas that probably don't deserve to be published but I felt were worth sharing.  

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