Networking and Forging Academic Contacts

1. Networking and Forging Academic Contacts Jean-Marc Dewaele Deptm of Applied Linguistics & Communication

2. Networking for a Successful Career in Academia By Dr. Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/) • Academics like to look down their nose at colleagues who are committed networkers. But they fail to understand that connections are essential for a successful career in academia too.

3. Networking for a Successful Career in Academia By Dr. Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/) • Being bright & studious is not enough to make it to the top of the career ladder • Applies to jobs in private sector, & academia • Apart from performance & productivity, it is above all cooperation & network relations that determine path of academic careers • 5 years after the PhD: no longer productive performance (publications) alone that decides whether applicant will receive a professorship • Being well connected & carrying out research in cooperative partnerships triples your chances

4. Why do we need networks? • Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers: The story of success- characteristics of the lives of very successful people: • a combination of having a natural ability and a willingness for “hard graft”, plus being in the right place at the right time • “What is so striking about …success stories is … some kind of unusual opportunity. Lucky breaks don’t seem like the exception with software billionaires, rock bands and star athletes; they seem like the rule.”

5. Networking for a Successful Career in Academia By Dr. Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/) • What rules apply for academic networking and what strategies of action have proven effective?

6. An immodest note to establish my “credibility” on the topic • 1 monograph, 5 edited books, 5 special issues, 160 refereed papers & chapters, 200 conference papers, 25 plenary papers • General Editor of International Journal of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism • Former president of the European Second Language Association • Current vice president of the International Association of Multilingualism

7. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 1. Never confuse networking with “old boys networks” • => entirely different things • Old boys' networks = getting certain people into very specific key positions, usually irrespective of qualification or performance: 1) taking care of each others' interests & maintaining power 2) closed shop which from the outset only accessible to a select few individuals • Networks = based on voluntary collaboration & principle of reciprocity. They luckily work in both vertical & horizontal direction Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

8. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 2. Embrace the concept of giving and taking • Let others share in your successes & contacts • Give willingly, but not carelessly • Ask others for advice & support • Most importantly, make sure to thank others when you have received help or information • Politeness, reliability & genuine appreciation are important factors in networking Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

9. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 3. Give your network partners & yourself time to get to know each other • Good networks are not created overnight; they take time & need to be maintained & developed over the longer term • Start early with creating your network • Conference dinners, receptions, coffee pauses, post-conference tours are good places/times to approach colleagues • Random events: sharing a cab from/to the airport Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

10. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 4. Do not leave your contacts up to chance; set yourself clear & realistic targets • This requires a little reflection on your own position: Where do you stand right now in your career & what do you want to achieve? What support might you need in order to do so? And don't forget: What do you have to offer in return? • Get more information Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

11. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 5. Don't focus only on highest level contacts • Horizontal contacts: just as valuable as vertical ones • When planning your network, consider your own qualifications & don't aim too high • As a doctoral candidate, it is extremely exhausting & often futile to independently attempt to enter into conversation with an important figure in your field at a conference => Interesting researchers never stand alone but are usually involved in conversations with others • It is better to try & make contacts with other PhD students & postdocs, maybe you will be introduced by a colleague at the conference in the following year Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

12. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 6. Concentrate on common goals & synergy effects • To successfully cooperate with somebody, you do not need to be great fans of each other or fully agree on your views of the world • Networks are based upon basic sympathies & esteem, but are not to be mistaken for cosy corners Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

13. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 7. Work on your communicative & social skills • Networks function based on mutual exchanges • Emotional intelligence determines impression you make on your interlocutor • Don’t be too shy, don’t be overbearing, read body language (do they start looking over your shoulder?) • Develop communicative skills & learn to recognise subtle differences between various types of conversation & situations • Become sensitive to needs of others (some like flattery, others hate it) • Talk about yourself (but not too much) & listen carefully when others are telling you something Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

14. Building your network - a few rules of interaction 8. Learning by doing • This rule is especially important for successful networking. Reading clever books about networking is not enough to develop a good network. Therefore, make use of every opportunity to enter into contact with your colleagues • Attend presentations, conferences & colloquia: ask good questions, present clear interesting papers • Get involved in bodies & commissions at your deptm/university • Write book reviews Margarete Hubrath (http://www.academics.com/)

15. Building your network: establish your reputation • Reliable & honest researcher (always acknowledge your sources, respect deadlines) • Give constructive criticism together with your honest opinion • Don’t be pretentious, don’t take your work or yourself too seriously • Be optimistic & friendly with colleagues • Be able to talk about other things but work • Never be nasty or dogmatic • Better not to get drunk at parties! • Better not to flirt with the president’s partner

16. Do’s and don’t’s • Do ask questions • Do talk to speakers • Do show your interest in other people’s work • Do seize every opportunity to tell others about your work (but don’t bore them) • Do have your own work ready to present • Do have an opinion; do join in the debate • Don’t make claims without evidence • Don’t boast; don’t over-kill • Don’t say “I’m right; you are wrong”; do say “what I found was that……” • Don’t patronise: “Your work is so interesting”

17. Create your own network • If you work on a novel topic: organise workshops, colloquia at international conferences • Have contributors agree on submitting their papers for special issues in international refereed journals, or an edited book • Plant the flag & establish your own little turf • => one criterion for later promotion is whether you are recognised as a leading figure in one (sub)field

18. Become a “node” in networks • Become a member of professional organisations • Be present at their annual meetings • Stand for election of executive committees • Accept invitations to become member of editorial boards of journals (after regular reviewing) • Accept invitations to become actively involved in the running of journals & bookseries (but don’t overdo it) => will impress future / current employers