Networking

There is no question that good relations and networking in a professional environment are invaluable.
Networks facilitate and promote:

• dialogue among like-minded individuals
• assistance with professional matters
• formation of partnerships and joint projects
• broadening of perspectives
• strengthening of one’s motivation on the job
• career advancement

What is a network, or networking?

Networking is about establishing and cultivating professional contacts with colleagues or external partners at meetings or in your everyday working environment. Building and maintaining contacts serve to promote exchange and support. Networking is an exercise in give and take.

Below you can find information about existing networks and their upcoming meetings. Can’t find a network that fits your interests? Then start your own, and we will support you!

Target group: Female employees in technical vocational fields, such as electricians, precision engineers, gardeners, IT experts etc.

Participants in this network discuss on-the-job experiences, share information and cultivate professional ties. Lunch discussions are organised on a regular basis.

Contact: Carina Bücker and Beate Tollkühn

Target group: Laboratory staff

The network currently operates a mailing list which provides members with important information on a regular basis.

The goal of lab-x-change is to strengthen the networking activities between the participants, share expertise on a long-term basis, offer mutual professional and methodical aid and support, familiarise participants with new working methods, and find relevant professional training opportunities or develop them if necessary.

The participants jointly determine the topics of discussion and coordinate dates of upcoming meetings themselves.

Contact: Madeleine Supper und Beate Tollkühn

Target group: All secretaries at the University of Münster

The aim of the network is to increase the visibility of university secretariats and their constantly growing tasks. The university secretaries working here are above all the production site and transshipment point for information that can be used by everyone at any time. The colleagues themselves form a connecting element in the departments for students, scientists and the units of administration.

Against this background of dynamic changes in tasks, networking within this professional group makes sense in order to discuss new topics and to become visible oneself. In the SUN - Secretariat Office Network you have this opportunity to contribute to the topic and to use the collegial exchange for yourself (e.g. via Mattermost chat). All new and interested university secretaries are cordially invited to simply get in touch.

Contact: sunetz@uni-muenster.de

Target group: Doctoral candidates and postdocs

The Graduate Centre offers a series of orientation and cultural events targeted at doctoral candidates and postdocs who are new to Münster, as well as those who would like to meet new people. The events include welcome evenings, city tours and organised theatre and museum visits. To promote networking among international doctoral candidates and postdocs, the Graduate Centre regularly organises country-specific cultural evenings and intercultural luncheons. For more information, click here.

Contact: Münster Centre for Emerging Researchers (CERes)

Target group: All women academics at the University of Münster – from doctoral candidates to assistant professors

Women academics face a number of very unique challenges: high demands in self-organisation, uncertain financial perspectives and enormous time commitment, to name just a few. When encountering new problems or questions, exchange with other women academics and colleagues can sometimes provide the most fruitful answers and prospective solutions. Engaging in a cross-disciplinary network can open one’s eyes to unusual and even surprisingly obvious solutions. And mutual support helps to bolster and encourage these early-career academics to continue pursuing their chosen path.

The Support Circle is professionally coordinated and supervised. Each semester there is a kick-off event which provides new participants with an introduction to the methods of collegial consultation. Following the introductory event, the participants meet up every six to eight weeks in groups of five to eight women for about two hours to give feedback and discuss ideas for dealing with questions, problems and strategies concerning academic career matters.

For more information and dates for upcoming kick-off events, click here.

Contact: Lena Kowalewski, consultant on equal opportunity matters

Target group: Internal trainers of the continuing education programme at Münster University

As an internal trainer, you are an expert in your field and disseminate your knowledge at Münster University through training courses. You may sometimes wonder how this can be done even better and how others do it. Then this is the right network for you. Here you have the opportunity to exchange ideas with like-minded people, broaden your own perspectives and get new input.

Contact: Kathrin Becker, Personnel Development Department