Introduce Yourself with Confidence and Purpose

Learning to define and communicate your professional brand is an important skill and can provide a competitive edge.

Watch the Networking Playlist

Relationship Building

Networking is about building relationships over time. In practice, this means having conversations with preceptors, residents, faculty, peer students, and alumni to understand their career paths and gain insights on your next steps.

Build your Professional Network

Your existing relationships are the best place to start. Faculty, former preceptors, and clinical supervisors have their own networks and are often happy to make introductions. Alumni share your training background and frequently want to give back.

• Ask faculty and advisors if they can connect you with colleagues or former students working in areas that interest you.
• Reconnect with former preceptors who already know your work. Let them know what you are exploring and ask if they would be willing to talk or suggest others to contact.
• Use LinkedIn to search for professionals by job title, employer, or location. Use the Alumni tool under any school's page to find graduates with similar training. Send personalized connection requests that mention your UCSF affiliation and briefly explain what you hope to learn.
• Try Doximity for health professionals in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, or PT. Search for clinicians by specialty and training background to find professionals with similar career paths.

When reaching out to anyone, keep your message brief, be specific about your request, and make it easy for them to say yes.