Are you at ease walking into a room full of people you've never met before?

Do you realise that, according to research commissioned by AMBA*, 48% of post-MBA jobs are found through networking?

The impending job hunt is, not surprisingly, very much on the mind of most business school students (and careers advisors!). But do you realise that they can’t simply rely on the contacts nurtured by the School, job ads or search firms? And how many of them understand that, once they’ve found the perfect job, consistent, confident and effective networking is key to their future success?

The time to start networking, though, is ideally not when the end of the year looms, and panic rears its ugly head. The time to be developing new contacts is when students are more relaxed, and able to put out feelers and meet key contacts in their industry or sector.

Doing a good interview, or writing an impressive cv are important - but not sufficient - skills. Creative job hunting is about finding the right person to speak to; it's about nurturing and maintaining relationships; it's about making effective cold calls and follow up calls; it's about meeting people and doing something productive with that contact ... it's about finding out what really makes people tick and recognising that giving is often better than getting.

All these skills are also crucial to students' success once they return to the business world. Research study after research study has shown that networking plays a vital role in post-MBA career progression, business development, team building, entrepreneurial success, and general business leadership.

The good news is that these are also skills which can be codified, taught and put into practice with immediate effect. A typical workshop schedule would be as follows:

• How Networks Really Work - Harnessing the power of your network
• Face to Face - Making a good impression and getting the best from events and meetings
• Back At The Ranch - Effective follow-up and contact management are essential
• Firing On All Cylinders - The place of the phone and written word in the networking process
• I Saw This And Thought Of You - Networking for long-term benefit
• Plan The Flight, Fly The Plan - Setting goals and making it happen

This workshop offers ample opportunity for 'role play' to try out new techniques and approaches in a safe, supportive environment, and to discuss and resolve any specific issues students may have. The course leader demonstrates tips and tricks for creating and getting the best from networking opportunities.

This full day workshop is held at the school's premises or at a venue booked by the school. We provide a comprehensive workshop manual and offer immediate post-event email and telephone support to attendees. Six hours teaching (approx.) plus lunch and tea/coffee breaks. Workshop led by Judith Perle or Tony Newton.

Minimum 6 participants, maximum 30.

Guide Price: £1,525 per full-day workshop.

Travel and subsistence expenses (charged at cost), travelling time (£25 per hour per presenter, to the nearest hour) and VAT are additional to these prices.

* AMBA Salary & Career Prospects Survey, 2003