What does Networking mean?
Networking is the process of bringing people to know and connect. It is about building relationships for mutual benefit. As an international student, relationship building becomes essential for a person to have a comfortable stay. Networking is important for personal as well as professional development in today’s age with opportunities being generated in abundance
So, first, let’s understand why networking is so important?
Once you have arrived in a foreign country, you’ll need people to help you with a variety of things like figuring out from which supermarket you can buy food from, how to pay your bills, grasp the traffic system, and so on. Although these are minor reasons for networking, the main reasons can be that it will help one to be relaxed in a foreign country, the more friends you try to make the less lonely you feel. Interact with people and get to know them. Doing this will most likely help you open up. Speaking with new students will help you settle down quickly and easily in the new environment.
You can also see increase in job prospect since when you start interacting with people, you start building contacts i.e. you start networking. This puts you into contact with people who can help you get a job. Networking will not only increase your chances of securing a job, but will also help you to understand which career area will be more useful for you, or rather help you to understand how to pursue a career in order to build the right path for you.
Moreover, when you start interacting and building contacts, exchange of ideas take place. It will expose one to a number of ideas, enabling him/her to understand different peoples thought processes. Exchanging ideas also helps develop and broaden one’s mindset which allows an individual to think holistically.
Now as we have seen what the advantages of networking are, you must be wondering how to network?
Well, initially, networking might seem like a difficult task but allow you to get into a habit. Once you get a knack of it, it will become a fun activity. There are various ways to network with people. Attending events such as annual school conferences, tours, courses, lectures, etc. opens the doors for you to meet new people from within the college as well as from outside the college.
Another way to connect is by joining Committees, Communities, Clubs, and Societies. Many students attend Local Fests of The City/Locality i.e. the city you study in might have a local fest in which the entire city’s residents participate. Attending these events will help you get a glimpse of the local culture making it easier for you to build relationships with those belonging to that city itself. You might also end up talking to a few locals and also make friends with some.
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