Networking: how to play the game
BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0307254 (Published 01 July 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:0307254
- Charlotte Allan, third year medical student1,
- Timothy Rittman, third year medical student2
- 1University of Leeds
- 2University of Nottingham
You arrive in Estonia. Faced with 460 fellow medical students from 56 countries you are keen to start a sex education project in your medical school. Overwhelmed by the acronyms, faces, and languages, how can you tap in to the wealth of experience that is the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations? The answer is networking.
Why bother?
Success in the networking game leads to a wealth of prizes; the winnings are resources, information, and skills. These benefits are valuable on a personal level and for the organisation you work with; they are more readily attainable if you play by the rules. Knowing who can pass on information puts you a step ahead of the competition and is an important aspect of work in any field. Rumour, gossip, and hearsay add up to become hard facts and form the basis of crucial decisions. Knowing news is important, but finding the right person for a job can be tricky. Finding a sounding board for advice and troubleshooting helps to clarify scattered thoughts and bring reality to the outline of an idea.
Time it well
Playing patience at first rather than hard poker is …
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