HRA Promovierendentag on 19 May 2022Go with Your Gut: Networking While Doing a Doctorate

Using time and energy purposefully

Networking and networks are essential to academic careers. This includes both actively building and maintaining contacts and staying engaged in existing (e.g., professional) networks. How do I get started? How much and what kind of networking makes sense while pursuing a doctorate? “You can really network to death,” said Ingrid Gogolin at the outset of her keynote speech. The Universität Hamburg professor researches the social impact of networking. As an academic supervisor who also oversees staff, she also specifically encourages her charges to strategically develop their own networks from the beginning of their academic careers. Instead of investing just a small amount of time and energy into too many networks at the same time, she recommends focusing on just a few. To judiciously choose networks, it helps to ask the following: Will it lead to joint projects or publications? Will it help pave the way for my next career steps? How much time and energy am I able and willing to devote right now?

Choose networks in which you feel welcome.

Do not underestimate the value of truly trustworthy contacts and—also often underestimated—an environment that makes you feel welcome. “Look for a network that really interests you and people you like to work with,” advises Ingrid Gogolin. Gogolin explains that, on the one hand, we profit most from trustworthy contacts, but, on the other hand, networking with other people should definitely be fun. For all the planning, your gut feeling is also important. Peer activities such as the HRA Promovierendentag and professional societies that allow for shoptalk and cooperation are good places to start. Ingrid Gogolin also has one concrete tip: “Inform yourselves about offers from professional societies for doctoral and early career researches and get involved in these areas.”

“You have to know your way around.”

Anyone who wishes to pursue a university career should think about getting involved in a university committee. The better you understand the organs of the university, the better you can navigate them. These can also include committees at faculty level. However, even here you need to ensure that you have the time and energy and do not get bogged down in committee work. The 7 newly elected spokespeople for the Hamburg Research Academy Doctoral Council grabbed the bull by the horns. At the evening get-together, they were elected for a 2-year term of office, during which period they will undoubtedly gain useful insights in the infrastructure of Hamburg’s university landscape.

What next?

The Hamburg Research Academy is well underway with this year’s networking theme. See our website for new contributions and events. If you enjoyed the relaxed exchange with other academics, join, for example, one of the HRA city tours. Not only can you network with people from different Hamburg universities, you can also get to know Hamburg from a different perspective. The HRA at the Park series also focuses on cross-university exchange. Each meeting focuses on a different topic and takes place in parks near the member universities. Finally, we would already like to invite you to 2 large events: the 3-minute thesis competition on 28 July organized by the HRA Doctoral Council and the careers event Karrieresprung on 6 October. The latter focuses on networking and career paths both within and outside academia.

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