Emily Frantz: Notes on my Nuclear Network

This past July, I had the opportunity to attend the US Women in Nuclear conference in Chicago.  This was the first time I saw my network build from previous connections, especially ones from SWE!  But I'll get to that...  

I was one of 36 students of the 460 conference attendees.  WIN is a 5800 member organization of women and men who work in nuclear and radiation related fields around the country that focus on networking, professional development, and outreach activities.  The direction of WIN is different than SWE in many ways, but the stressed importance of continuously networking and developing all your professional skills is the same.

Group of students and I before we left to eat deep dish pizza and explore Chicago!

My roommate from the conference and I on the last day!

This incredible experience began when I received an email announcing the scholarship to attend the conference from the Nuclear Energy Institute.  I applied on a whim and was lucky enough to receive sponsorship to go to Chicago!  I would be travelling to a new city, by myself, and arriving without knowing anyone attending.  I didn't even know my roommate until I arrived at the hotel room.  While it sounds risky, I highly suggest doing it if you have the chance!  When networking is a survival technique, not just a professional skill, you will catch on much quicker.

The first night of the conference I attended the student and mentor meeting (as part of the scholarship, I was partnered with a mentor; this was when we met each other).  First of all, I would like to say that at least half of the students attending were guys!  I expected a few, but it was surprising to see so many at the WOMEN in Nuclear conference.  Sitting there, assessing the room, a girl sitting in the front looking very much like a collegiate I had met at the WE12 (the SWE national conference) in Houston.  I thought, "Eh, couldn't be", until seeing her later in the evening at the networking dinner.  I went up and sure enough I was right!  In Houston, she and I had chatted at the career fair at the conference because she was looking at many of the same companies as I, since we're both nuclear engineers.  Through her I met the other students from her university that offered advice on starting a WIN chapter at RPI.  Those students then introduced me to all of their supervisors at their respective internships.

The next day of the conference my mentor said there were a few people she wanted me to meet:  her coworkers and "someone who is looking for you".  Taken aback, it turns out that through the grapevine, she had heard that a woman was looking for Emily Frantz.  The mystery was concerning, but my pursuer ended up being an RPI alumni who had seen in the attendees list that I was from RPI!  I learned she graduated from the nuclear engineering department about 20 years ago when there were only eight in the major, three of which being women.  She joked that "the number was so small that the ratio was easy to beat"!  Soon she introduced me to colleagues who introduced me to colleagues who introduced me to a woman who was an intern program organizer, who turned out to be a woman I had sat and spoke with at dinner the night before!

The best part of travelling by myself is that I felt free to sit with strangers wherever I went:  meals, sessions, programs.  By doing so, I made more connections than I could count in the three days of the conference.  I suggest that even if you attend an event as a group, break away from each other and meet new people!  Set goals to always make a new connection, especially if you do so through a previously made connection.  The more you try, the bigger your network gets!  Just like on LinkedIn (if you don't have a profile, go make one), those you meet are your "first connections" and everyone in their network have the potential to be a new direct connection for you.  By putting yourself out there, you are giving yourself the opportunity to build and grow.

A summary and set of parting messages on networking:

• Use what you have (SWE, school, major, interests, etc) to make those connections.  The number of times I said, "I'm in SWE" and got the response, "ME TOO!" was significant
• Talk less and ask more questions, it shows you're genuinely interested in making connections (not just building a network) and will give you info that is easier (and more interesting) to remember than just a name and job title!  
• And write it down!  Name, contact, where/when you met, and what you talked about.  It sounds like a spy notebook of creepy notes, but it comes in handy so all your networking doesn't go to waste when you meet so many people you can't differentiate one from another
• Mentors play a key role in networking.  They help introduce you to the right people and want to help, so don't be afraid to solicit their assistance in making connections
• Go outside your comfort zone and take EVERY opportunity to network (there was a walk around the city every morning of the conference at 6AM and I'd drag myself out there; I met women who are truly powerhouses and as tired as I was, I'm glad I did it)
• Don't stress that you "have" to meet people and "make those connections" and "make it happen if you're ever going to get a job"... it is something you learn, so go at your own pace (its a marathon. not a sprint)!  It isn't the number of business cards you collect, its if the person you spoke with is going to remember meeting you

If anyone has further networking advice for those starting a network at their first conference (WE13 is coming up!) or how to build the network they have, please comment below or submit your own post (it can be a few lines, not necessarily a novella) to swe@union.rpi.edu!

More information on WIN can be found on the WIN website!  And if you are really interested in a nuclear career, I hope to start a chapter soon!