The School of Pharmacy is pleased to offer alumni the ability to connect with fellow alums from around the world through a new online networking platform.
Share your experiences, exchange career tips and build your professional network using Brazen.
The Brazen platform enables you to speed-network from wherever you are through pre-scheduled events. You can sign in on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. During an event, you will be paired with other alumni for timed 10-minute text-based chats that will allow you to make a connection, get advice, exchange contact information, and leave with several new connections. A transcript of your conversations will be saved for you to access after each event, so you can look back at your chat history, review your notes, gather contact information, and follow up! Register for an event- it’s free, it’s only an hour and it’s fun!
Online Networking Tips
1. Prepare your intro ahead of time
Write a brief introduction for yourself before the event begins, one you can copy and paste at the beginning of your online conversation - one or two sentences about you, your experience, and your goals. This will keep you from spending the first few minutes thinking about how to best introduce yourself, so that you can jump right in and have a productive networking session.
2. Identify a few key questions
Come up with several questions you can use to start the conversation. Make use of open-ended questions in order to elicit responses that are meaningful. Keep in mind that open-ended questions tend to elicit the most insightful and beneficial responses.
3. Be engaged from the beginning
Introduce yourself right away. Don’t wait for the other person to begin the online conversation. Each minute is an opportunity to exchange and share useful information, so take full advantage of the time.
4. Avoid casual abbreviations
We understand that this is a speed-networking session and time is limited, but please refrain from using abbreviations like LOL, BRB, or others. This could cause confusion and seem unprofessional especially to those that may not use abbreviations. You will want to put your best foot forward, just as you would during an in-person networking event.
5. Make sure to follow up with your connections after the event
After the event, be sure to connect with the people you met. This is where the connections that you made during the event can be cultivated and fostered. Please also be sure to connect with those individuals on professional social media channels like LinkedIn, where the other person will be able to learn more details about your background and easily get in touch down the road. We hope that you will take advantage of this new offering from the School of Pharmacy.