Networking, Applications and Resumes ... Who Has Time?

By Brittany Zick, second year MSc-GH student

In the spirit of the name of this blog, "Inside the MSc-GH" should be a window in to what is going on with us students right now as we pursue our studies at DGHI. And currently, that window will show a portrait of me, frazzled exhausted freaking out.

Although I’m not certain of the exact percentage, I believe about half of my fellow second year MSc-GH students are pursuing jobs, and the other half are pursuing further degrees. Regardless of which one each of us is doing, this means that throughout the fall and winter months, we’re trying to formulate our futures by applying to PhD programs, medical schools, and countless jobs within government, universities and non-profit groups. 

Application after application … filling them out is so tedious and takes time from our existing priorities to finish the degree that we have already committed lots of time, passion and money to. From someone who has been on the job hunt before, applying for jobs with an online application won’t get you too far. You could apply to 20 jobs per week and submit your resume and cover letter, fill out the work experience separately for each one (seriously—isn’t that what the resume is for?), share references and even write essays when asked. But when you are just another resume in a long list of good candidates, that two hours you spent in the application is so easily forgotten and wasted.

How can you increase your job search productivity? Networking! This is such an important and difficult skill that will really help you get noticed by recruiters and maybe get your resume to the top of the pile the next time you apply for a coveted position. It requires you to be presentable, engaging, an excellent listener, and rock at presenting your remarkable skillset. There is no shortage of conferences, career fairs, career conversations and networking opportunities this time of year. But who has time for this?

How can I look forward when I am already swimming in deadlines on completing my thesis, coursework, job-related work and other ongoing side projects? Each week I decide if I should prioritize going to a career fair/networking event to spend three hours hoping to meet a few people that might not forget me or spend that same three hours working on my thesis. No one will want to hire me anyway if I don’t graduate because I haven’t completed my thesis. And although I’m focused on jobs, I know many of my fellow students are thinking about the same time investment spent on their graduate school applications.

So what is it like to be an MSc-GH student right now?

As your average MSc-GH student, any day of the week I might be:

1. Trying to keep up with coursework
2. Preparing for my trip to Uganda in four three days
3. Teaching one of my six yoga classes per week
4. Writing Starting to write my thesis 
5. Working for one of my four on-campus jobs
6. Networking at a local event
7. Applying for jobs
8. Meeting with Linda Scovill, professional development advisor for MSc-GH students, to get some direction on my job search 

Why is pizza and movie time not on this list?!?

So it’s a little stressful to be us right now, but only because we are a group of extremely motivated individuals with our eyes on the future. We want to make a difference as global health practitioners … and we are on our way to doing just that.