{"id":418,"date":"2020-01-14T12:37:50","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T12:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/?p=418"},"modified":"2020-01-14T13:32:32","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T13:32:32","slug":"bath-connection-access-and-share-careers-expertise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/2020\/01\/14\/bath-connection-access-and-share-careers-expertise\/","title":{"rendered":"Bath Connection: access and share careers expertise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that as a Bath graduate you\u2019re part of a community of more than 120,000 alumni, spread across the globe? Our mentoring site, Bath Connection<\/a>, enables you to build your network of contacts, tap into their\u00a0wealth of expertise and share your own careers experience from wherever you are in the world.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve created an account, you can activate your profile as an \u2018Expert\u2019 to indicate you\u2019re happy to be contacted for advice by other graduates and students. This could range from offering advice over email, through to reviewing CVs and job applications, or meeting a mentee face-to-face over coffee. You can even just answer the occasional quick query online: what you offer is entirely up to you.<\/p>\n

As well as engaging with fellow graduates, the platform also provides the opportunity to give back to our students, who benefit greatly from being able to learn about a wide range of industries from those who\u2019ve experienced them first-hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cEvery interaction I\u2019ve had on Bath Connection<\/a> has been positive,\u201d says Gold Scholar Tianna Reeve, who is currently a second-year BSc Sociology and Social Policy student. \u201cI can\u2019t praise the alumni volunteers enough for all the advice, answers and thoughtful comments they\u2019ve given to help me make some important decisions about my future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Bath Connection<\/a> boasts experts across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania \u2013 in fact, we\u2019ve got 45% of the world\u2019s countries covered! You can search for contacts by location, as well as by industry, job title or company. Tianna found this particularly useful when narrowing down her placement search, as she knew she wanted to spend a year abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to a few alumni currently working in Canada and Germany,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey gave me some ideas regarding the job market for graduates in my area in their country, as well as some interesting graduate opportunities that were currently available.<\/p>\n

\u201cI've spoken to an alumnus who viewed my CV, gave me advice for applying for opportunities in Canada and suggested alterations to make it more targeted towards the roles I was looking into,\u201d she continues. \u201cAnother alumnus gave me advice for acing interviews and gave me some useful links to the kinds of examples I should use to demonstrate my skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just guidance on career paths, applications and interviews on offer \u2013 the benefits of an international network also include practical advice around locations, logistics and local culture, all of which Tianna found helpful thanks to Bath Connection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tianna\u2019s top tips for networking on Bath Connection:<\/h3>\n