Parsa Famili, PharmD, is a 2022 graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy.
Many student pharmacists struggle with networking because it is mainly a learned skill, and even the most social people can have a hard time networking. It takes a lot of time, practice, and a willingness to constantly step out of your comfort zone to meet new people.
Many students do not like networking because they know that they must do it, but not why beyond the idea that it’s necessary to network with other people to advance your career. Some good reasons to network could include assistance in attempts to find a job, residency, or fellowship. Or you could just love to interact with other people (as I do). Either way, we can all stand to develop our networking skills a little further.
Here are some tips to help you become more successful in networking.
Get the conversation started
You must step out of your comfort zone to introduce yourself to other people; for example, other students, residency directors, industry leaders, and/or pharmacists. You can best introduce yourself by saying your name and what school you attend. You can then extend the conversation to discuss the experiences and interests that you may share.
A great way to start is to establish common ground. When I network with students, I often talk about other students who attend the same schools as the person I’m meeting. I also mention other people who might have connections with my conversation partner besides students. When my conversation partner brings up interests that they like, I indicate whether I am also interested in the same things. Whenever they discuss experiences that they have had before or now, I also mention that I have had similar experiences. In this way, I may establish meaningful relationships with the people I meet.
Keep in mind that you can set your own pace. You can finish a conversation if you would like to meet someone else or if your dialogue is coming to a close. You can also continue to talk to people if you are interested in engaging with them more. However, you should stay in touch with the people with whom you interact. I always ask to follow my conversation partner on social media like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You could also ask someone for their email addresses, phone numbers, and/or business cards if they are not comfortable engaging on social media.
Once you have started networking with people, it gets easier to network with others over time because you better understand how the process works best for you. Because some people are not as proficient in networking than others, it is especially important to understand how comfortable you are with networking. You can then set reasonable expectations as to how many people you would like to network with at each event to avoid getting “peopled out.”
Keep in touch
You should also attend as many events as you can—whether virtual or in-person—in order to network with as many people as possible. If you interact with people virtually, make sure to use the same tips as you would in a live event. You should definitely make sure to network while on rotations because you could potentially work at the places where you do your rotations.
Keeping in touch with people after events and rotations is extremely important. Just because you have networked with a lot of people does not mean that they will remember you afterwards and vice-versa. You should continue to keep up with the people you meet to both enhance your personal relationships with them and benefit your careers.
Networking is hard for many people to do. But with the right mindset, a lot of practice and time, and dedication to developing relationships based on similar interests and experiences, you too can become proficient at networking!