Members of the AGI Early Careers Network (ECN) committee spoke at GEOBusiness last week, delivering an informal session focusing on helping early career professionals build confidence and practical skills for networking.
Delivered by ECN committee members Cerys Butterill, Jamie Heath, Olive Mandalasi, and Tom Perks, we kicked off with a quick introduction to the AGI ECN, sharing our mission to support and connect those at the early stages of their careers in the geospatial sector.
To get a feel for the room, we asked attendees to vote on their confidence levels when it comes to networking. As expected, confidence levels varied, but this proved to be the perfect starting point for a discussion on how to approach networking in a more relaxed and purposeful way. We then asked the audience to introduce themselves to their neighbour to practice ‘breaking the ice’!
Top Networking Tips
Next, we shared a series of practical tips to help attendees feel more comfortable and confident when networking:
- Start with simple conversation openers – a friendly introduction, a comment about the event, or a question about someone’s role
- Use LinkedIn ahead of events – See who will be attending and prepare a few people who you would like to speak to
- Go in with a goal – Whether it is meeting three new people or learning about a specific topic, having an aim will keep you more focused
- Don’t overthink it – Most people are in the same position and open to conversation. Just go for it and be curious!
- Actively listen – Showing a genuine interest makes conversations more engaging and memorable
- Follow up afterwards – A quick LinkedIn message or connection
Putting it into practice: Geo-Bingo
To bring these ideas to life, we introduced a 10-minute icebreaker: ‘Geo-Bingo’ Participants were encouraged to mingle and find people in the room who matched certain geo-related criteria, such as self-proclaimed ‘FME God’s’!
Whist no-one managed to tick off all 16 options (perhaps a sign that conversations were flowing a little too well!), it was great to see the energy in the theatre and the range of discussions taking place.
After the Session
One of the most rewarding parts of the session came after it officially ended. Many attendees chose to stay on after, continuing conversations with the people they had just met. This is exactly why we run sessions like this, so we can create a welcoming space where people can build connections and feel more confident engaging with the geospatial community.
Thank you to everyone who attended the session and thank you to GeoBusiness for hosting us. We are planning on hosting more in-person networking events for the early career geo-community later on this year – check out the AGI ‘upcoming events’ page and join our LinkedIn group to stay updated!