John Parkes

Advice for engineering students: Growing and building a professional network

The Student Engineer

Building a network of contacts is the "secret sauce" of career progression. John Parkes, head of charity at Enginuity and co-founder of Get My First Job, offers some practical tips on how you can go about growing your network of useful contacts.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. So goes the proverb. This for me sums up the importance of networking. In an interconnected world where learning new skills to remain relevant in the workplace is vital, building and nurturing an effective network is the differentiator that will bring long-term success.

Your network along with your technical and soft skills are your recipe for continual employment and career progression. It’s the secret sauce.

But why is your network so important? In my own career I have worked for 10 organisations and had many more job titles, but I only made one job application that was not a referral from my network. The first one. The people you know now in junior positions, are, like you, the future industry leaders. In short, your network along with your technical and soft skills are your recipe for continual employment and career progression. It’s the secret sauce.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Student Engineer, to continue reading this article and other content and to sign up to our monthly newsletter register for free below

Benefits of registering

  • Find out about career opportunities at some of Industry’s biggest employers

  • Access practical career insights and advice from independent experts

  • Learn about the skills requirements, technology trends and opportunities in each major sector

  • Find out more from successful graduate engineers

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

networking