The Art of Networking and Learning From Others

Last night, Digital Science hosted at our London office an Early Career research networking event, expertly organised by The STM Association Early Career Publishers Committee (ECPC).

The ECPC provides resources, mentoring, and networking for early career professionals working across STM publishing. The group is comprised of representatives from STM member companies interested in promoting outreach and engagement with both entry level and experienced publishers. The aim of the evening was to offer those interested in a future publishing career, and for those already working in the industry, an opportunity to meet like-minded professionals to discuss and develop their skills.

Ian Borthwick, ECPC’s Co-Chair, kicked off the evening of speed-networking with a thought-provoking introduction. Ian is a Portfolio Development Manager at IET Standards, part of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). He highlighted how networking can be an incredibly useful way to learn from those who can offer advice on how to land a dream job.  Although networking can be a challenging activity, as Ian noted, referencing a recent article in Harvard Business School on: How Successful People Network with Each Other.

Networking doesn’t just have to happen in person as Ian explained, the ECPC also have an online networking forum on LinkedIn that you can join here. The group enables sharing and discussion of resources and topics for career development in STM publishing.

As the night continued, the speed-networking got underway and it was great to see so many people learning from each other and the conversations even continued after event ended!

Juliet Harrison, Executive Publisher at Emerald Group Publishing Ltd and one of the evening’s organisers adds:

“Both the number of attendees and level of engagement were fantastic and we hope to make these events a more regular occurrence in the future.”

If you need any advice on how to find a job in publishing, do check keep an eye on up-and-coming events organised by ECPC, and you can also follow them on Twitter.