How to Network
Building your network is about establishing connections with people, typically in a field or an organisation you want to be a part of. These connections could be UC alumni and graduates, industry leaders, professors, friends and whānau. Building your network early sets you ahead for future opportunities. Here are five simple steps to networking at uni:
- Learn how to introduce yourself best using a Professional Pitch
- Participate in on-campus Career Fairs and get to know how to make the most of them
- Build your online brand: How to use LinkedIn for Networking & Top tips for sensible social networking (PDF 698KB)
- Be open to new connections: Top 10 Tips on approaching recruitment companies (PDF 521KB)
- Maintain your networks: The DO’s and DON’Ts of networking
Networking Strategies
Career Fairs 2023
Wondering what you’ll do when you finish your degree? Head to career fairs and events to gather information, ask questions, network, and build conversations with company representatives to be better informed about employers and opportunities.
- Business and Arts Careers Fair | Tuesday 14 March 2023 | 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Engineering Core
- Law Recruitment Evening | Tuesday 14 March 2023 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Engineering Core
- STEM Careers Fair | Wednesday 3 May 2023 | 10:30 am – 3:00 pm |Engineering Core
- Volunteering Expo | Wednesday 2 August 2023 | 11:30 am – 2:30 pm | Undercroft
Check out our tips on How to make the most of Careers Fairs & Events (PDF 373KB)
Employers on Campus
The UC Careers team host over 200+ employers on campus for recruitment presentations, info evenings, coffee chats, competitions and more (in-person and online). Join events for the opportunity to grow your network, meet new contacts and learn strategies to get the job you want right on campus. Keep an eye out on Career Hub to register for our events.
Networking in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Want to build stronger connections in the region? Ōtautahi Christchurch has a vast array of business meetups to help students and professionals get connected. Check out the latest events around the city:
Informational interviews are a great way to paint a picture of an occupation, company and the industry. They are also an excellent opportunity to expand your network and practise your interview technique.
Unlike a job interview, it's up to you to ask the questions at an informational interview, so be prepared. This is your opportunity to speak candidly with a professional and gain an insight into their work life. It allows you to get a sense of what a general workday looks like and the typical responsibilities they have in their role. You can also learn more about the company they work for, how it operates, what challenges it faces and what the workplace culture is like. Ultimately, the interview can help you to establish whether the profession or company is a good fit for you and, if so, how you might get to a similar position.
Whether emailing or calling, keep your request short and to the point, explaining what you're looking for and how you think they can help. If they're not interested, don't pursue it. If they're ok to help you, ask whether a phone, video call or email conversation is best and arrange a suitable time.
LinkedIn is a fast-growing professional network. Your LinkedIn profile can evolve as you learn new skills, achieve new accomplishments and enter new phases of your career. You can also use LinkedIn to identify opportunities by networking.
Follow these easy steps and tutorials to help you share your professional story through LinkedIn:
Set up your LinkedIn profile
- Tutorial: take the guided LinkedIn tutorial to set up your profile
- Doc: How to set up a LinkedIn profile (PDF 354KB)
- Read: Developing your LinkedIn profile (265 KB)
- Doc: Creating a great LinkedIn summary
- Doc: LinkedIn Cheat Sheet
Networking on LinkedIn
- Video: How to use LinkedIn to explore opportunities with your degree
- Doc: Quick tips: How to network on LinkedIn
- Video: How to connect on LinkedIn
- Video: Smart social networking
Top tips for LinkedIn networking: Add people you know and the industry leaders that inspire you. It's also worth getting in touch with UC alumni who work in the companies you're interested in to conduct an information interview and learn more about the employer or their career experience. Connect and follow company profiles on LinkedIn to update you with the latest employer insights.
LinkedIn for Job Seekers
- Video: LinkedIn for job seekers
- Slides: LinkedIn for Job Seekers
- Video: How do employers use LinkedIn
- Video: Optimising your profile for recruiters
- Doc: Easy Apply on LinkedIn
Boost your LinkedIn Profile
There's power in your personal networks. Ask your friends, whānau, lecturers, neighbours and former colleagues for introductions and referrals. If you are going to ask your personal networks for a favour, be specific about what you are looking for to enable them to help you more efficiently. The more you help them to understand what it is you need, the more likely it is that you will receive their help.
As well as leveraging off your networks to assist with your job search, you should equally be prepared to return the favour!
Tutorial: How to ask my network for help
Careers fairs participants
STEM Careers Fair 2023
STEM Location 1: Rātā (formerly Engineering Core)
Booth Number: Company / Organisation:
- 60 Abley
- 16 AECOM
- 17 Aurecon New Zealand Limited
- 40 Beca Ltd
- 15 Contact Energy
- 26 Cook Costello
- 29 Cortek Ltd
- 39 CPB Contractors
- 30 Crossfire
- 41 Cuttriss Consultants Limited
- 8 CWF Hamilton & Co Ltd (HamiltonJet)
- 23 Davis Ogilvie & Partners Ltd
- 9 Dawn Aerospace
- 43 Downer NZ
- 44 DTCE Structural Engineers
- 48 Egis
- 49 Engenium Consulting Engineers
- 18 ENGEO
- 38 Engineering Design Consultants Ltd
- 1 ENI Engineering Ltd - Christchurch
- 6 Enphase Energy
- 37 EQ Struc Ltd
- 98 Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
- 19 Fletcher Construction
- 100 Fonterra
- 36 FRAMECAD
- 47 Frequency NZ
- 35 Fulton Hogan
- 20 GHD
- 21 HEB Construction
- 42 Hilti New Zealand
- 91 HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury
- 45 Inovo Projects
- 34 Kotahi Studio
- 14 MainPower New Zealand Limited
- 5 MEL 2020 Ltd
- 13 Mercury NZ
- 96 Methanex New Zealand Ltd
- 33 MSC Consulting Engineers
- 4 New Zealand Defence Force
- 97 OceanaGold
- 46 OCTA
- 56 Oji Fibre Solutions
- 3 Osho
- 25 Pattle Delamore Partners
- 95 Pocket
- 93 Powell Fenwick
- 12 Powerco
- 94 Quoin Structural Consultants Limited
- 55 Richards Consulting Engineers Limited
- 28 Riley Consultants Ltd
- 54 Robert Bird Group
- 7 Rocket Lab Ltd
- 53 Schick Civil Construction
- 2 Scott Technology
- 52 Silvester Clark Limited
- 24 Stantec New Zealand
- 51 Structex
- 11 Switch Lighting
- 22 Tonkin + Taylor
- 10 Transpower NZ Ltd
- 32 Tui Technology Ltd
- 90 UC Careers
- 92 UC Engineering Management Programmes
- 57 Waimakariri District Council
- 58 Waka Kotahi - NZ Transport Agency
- 59 Wellington City Council
- 99 Winstone Pulp International Limited
- 27 Woods
- 50 Worley
- 31 Wyma Engineering NZ Ltd
STEM Location 2: Ernest Rutherford
Booth Number: Company / Organisation:
- 62 Allied Telesis Labs
- 71 Analytics and Research in Government
- 85 Boffa Miskell Limited
- 72 Citadel Securities
- 83 Cookie Time
- 73 Datacom
- 84 Energy Skills Aotearoa
- 75 Ernst and Young Group Limited
- 76 FAST NZ (Fast Enterprises, LLC)
- 89 Firstgas Group
- 63 FIS
- 81 Fisher & Paykel Appliances
- 61 Fleetpin
- 68 FNZ
- 74 IMC Trading
- 88 IPONZ
- 64 Jade Software Corporation Limited
- 70 KPMG
- 66 Lumin
- 69 Nemesys Limited
- 67 NZOHS
- 65 Optiver
- 87 Paihau Robinson Research Institute
- 77 PwC NZ
- 78 Seequent
- 79 Summer of Tech
- 80 Trimble
- 82 Volunteering Canterbury
- 86 Water New Zealand
Business and Arts Careers Fair
- ANZ Institutional
- Audit New Zealand
- Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland Limited
- BDO Christchurch
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
- CPA Australia
- Defence Careers
- Deloitte
- Dept of Corrections
- Ernst and Young Group Limited
- Faculty of Education
- Findex
- Fluid Recruitment
- FNZ
- Fonterra
- Foodstuffs South Island
- Fulton Hogan
- Grant Thornton
- Hays Recruitment
- KPMG
- Mainfreight
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Hīkina Whakatutuki
- Ministry of Social Development
- Nexia Christchurch Limited
- PwC New Zealand
- Ryman Healthcare
- Streamliners NZ Ltd
- Volunteering Canterbury
Law Recruitment Evening
- Anderson Lloyd
- Anthony Harper
- Buddle Findlay
- Chapman Tripp
- Community Law Canterbury
- Corcoran French Lawyers
- Defence Recruiting
- Deloitte
- Denton Kensington Swan
- Department Of Corrections
- DLA Piper
- Ernst and Young Group Limited
- Government Legal Network
- Harmans Lawyers
- ILANZ
- IPLS (Institute of Professional Legal Studies)
- Lane Neave
- MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Mortlock McCormack Law Limited
- Parry Field Lawyers
- Public Defence Service
- PwC New Zealand
- Russell McVeagh
- Ryman Healthcare
- Saunders Robinson Brown
- Simpson Grierson
- Tavendale and Partners
- The College of Law
- Volunteering Canterbury
- Wotton + Kearney