I just graduated with my master’s in communication – what could I possibly have to teach a class of Neuroscience students at Johns Hopkins?
This is the question I was asking myself at 9am on a Monday morning as I walked into the classroom to guest-instruct my first of 10 sections of Scientific Communication and Mentoring. This course, which is mandatory for all undergraduate Neuroscience majors at Hopkins, focuses on helping students effectively articulate their findings and communicate about their research throughout their careers. For one week of the semester, I have the opportunity to step in and couch students on how to reframe networking in the following ways:
- Networking = about curiosity (not favors): Conversations driven by genuine curiosity are richer. Asking someone if they are hiring creates opportunities for rejection, whereas asking someone about their journey leads to interesting insights (and everyone is an expert in their own life!)
- Networking = reciprocal (not one-sided): Even as a student, you never know what someone you are interested in talking to wants to explore!
- Networks = require maintenance (not ghosting): It’s on you to maintain your network – follow up! Find an organizational method and stick to it!
While I was helping students practice their networking skills, I was also learning a thing or two from them to keep in mind for my future networking/mentorship work:
- (Some) students don’t think of networking as negatively as we assume: When asked what their initial associations with networking were, many students had positive things to say about the potential for connection, growth, and learning. While a handful were willing to admit that they found the process of networking nerve-wracking or off-putting, many did not come in with negative associations.
- Remember the power of loose ties: the first few times I ran through our partnered exercises, many of pairs of students had trouble thinking of someone in their network that might be a helpful resource for their partner. This was often because students in the same department tend to have overlapping networks of peers, professors, and graduate student mentors. I used this as a learning opportunity to talk about the importance of reaching out to folks that they are less closely connected to. This allows them to expand their networks further and avoid running into the roadblock of talking to other students who have their same knowledge gaps or points of contact.
- Hearing your story helps students feel comfortable sharing theirs: At the start of the week, I kept my own introduction to a minimum. I reasoned that these students probably couldn’t care less about my career path – but boy was I wrong! As I talked them through how it feels to “play the numbers game” when applying to jobs vs. taking a more exploratory approach, I could see students light up with recognition whenever I tied points in the journey to my own story. These stories provoked interesting questions and helped the students feel more comfortable opening up about their hopes, dreams, and curiosities.
So yes, I had a thing or two to share with my students that week based on my personal and professional experience – but as it goes with networking, the learning was a two-way street.
And for those of you who skipped class this week – your homework is to have a curiosity conversation (informational interview) with someone doing something you think is cool or interesting. I promise you won’t regret it.
