If you are a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher or professional in higher education, you probably know that attending academic or professional conferences is good for you: You can share your knowledge, learn from others, add a line to your CV and explore new places while participating in them. But you may be less familiar with the best ways to make the most of such conferences during different phases of your career—especially the early ones or when you are seeking a new job.
Attending conferences is particularly crucial during periods of career transition, since these gatherings and their sponsoring organizations serve as communities of practice, offering a built-in network of more experienced colleagues and resources to assist you in your new role. When you are a jobseeker or exploring a prospective career path, you should first attend conferences as an audience member to grasp the central conversations of the field and expand your professional network. Even if you are not presenting an original research project at the conference, you can reap the benefits by listening to sessions, attending related programming like receptions and speaking with attendees about their work.
Attending conferences as a listener was personally beneficial to me as a career development practitioner with a humanities background. When I began a transition from writing faculty to graduate career development several years ago, the Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) and Consortium on Graduate Communication (CGC), along with their virtual conferences, became essential lifelines into these new professional communities. I initially attended each organization’s respect summer conference to listen, choosing sessions that aligned with my then-current work in co-curricular graduate writing programming management or that piqued my interest.
Over the next few years, I drew on my new knowledge and connections to develop my leadership skills, to get involved and increase my participation in both organizations and their conferences, and to land a new role in health sciences graduate/postdoc career development at my alma mater. Flashing forward to this summer, I was proud to present at these conferences in multiple capacities—as a session presenter, poster presenter and newly elected GCC Professional Development leader—and to connect with old and new colleagues.
Drawing on my recent conferencing experiences and building on Megan Poorman’s classic conferencing advice, I’d like to share some tips for getting the most out of conferences as a job seeker or new professional.
Plan ahead. Read the conference program, and make a list of sessions you want to attend. Look at abstracts and presenter bios, or research the presenters via LinkedIn. Which presentations sound most relevant to your current or future career goals? Who are you most interested in meeting? Do the presenters hail from colleges and universities, companies or organizations that you are curious about working for?
For example, when I was a graduate student, I scoured conference programs for experts in 19th-century British rhetoric to align with my dissertation and teaching interests at the time. Now, when I go to conferences, I look for presentations related to instructional design, career development and STEM trainees—areas that align with the emphases of my current role. Create a personalized conference schedule before you go, but remember to be flexible and allot time for breaks, meals and spontaneous conversation.
Find different ways to share your knowledge. Conferences often offer multiple ways to participate in addition to the traditional presentations and poster talks. Lightning talks and works-in-progress sessions are excellent ways to contribute when you are a first-time attendee, in a new career role or in the early stages of a project. Leading a session where you teach the audience how to do something can be another rewarding, low-stakes way to share your knowledge with conference-goers, particularly if you have skills from a previous career or degree that members of the new organization are interested in learning.
For example, at this year’s GCC conference, I facilitated a workshop with colleagues about writing for “Carpe Careers,” drawing on my background in writing instruction. The experience felt less like delivering a formal lecture and more like leading an engaging class discussion due to the practical goals of our session and high levels of audience participation. Start small to begin sharing your knowledge and career story with conference attendees, so you can build relationships and contribute to future conferences in larger roles.
Grow your network by helping with the conference. Some people find networking less stressful and more authentic when they collaborate with others for a shared purpose. If you can, help by planning the conference beforehand, moderating a panel or checking in participants at the event. By contributing to conference operations, you will meet a broad cross-section of attendees and expand your network by working with others on a concrete goal. You might also feel more comfortable attending an event that you had a hand in creating.
As a new GCC member, for instance, I joined a committee to plan a conference webinar for mid-career professionals, which allowed me to meet more advanced career-development leaders and learn about the challenges and opportunities of this career phase. Plus, when you assist with conference planning, you can add the experience to your CV or résumé.
Appreciate and take advantage of different conference modalities. Whether your conference is live or virtual, you should use the medium to connect with people. Explore the destination city and enjoy spontaneous interactions with colleagues over coffee and meals at live conferences. For virtual conferences, by contrast, you might appreciate the cost-savings and flexibility of attending panels via Zoom.
For instance, while I find live conferences the most energizing, the virtual CGC conference this summer introduced me to the Gathertown video chat app, and I even got a free book by attending a reception in Gathertown. As we continue to understand the most accessible, inclusive and cost-effective ways to present conferences in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, try to appreciate the best parts of both live and virtual events to gain practice interacting in different modalities and grow your network.
Find the “conference within the conference.” If possible, connect with a smaller community of attendees who share your interests, background or career stage. Review the conference program for sessions for first-time attendees, special interest groups focused on specific research topics, affinity groups and/or meet-ups for attendees with shared hobbies. Finding your people at a conference can be particularly crucial when the organization is large and the conference covers a broad scope. If the “conference within the conference” does not exist for your event, try organizing a session or meetup on a small scale.
For instance, last year, I proposed a special interest group about professional development and writing support at a conference centered on academic writing and was surprised to learn how many graduate writing practitioners were interested in career development, leading to new collaborations. Creating your “conference within the conference” might be as simple as organizing an early morning run or dinner at a local restaurant for foodies to connect with like-minded attendees.
Follow up. Keep up the energy and community of the conference. Connect on LinkedIn with the people you meet, schedule virtual coffee chats or informational interviews to build relationships. Get involved in the organization, such as joining the next conference planning committee. Who knows? You might just land your next job or be inspired to run for a leadership position.
Admittedly, it can be challenging to attend a conference as a newcomer exploring your next career, but following these tips can help you to get the most out of it, as well as make the experience less intimidating and more enjoyable. As the new professional community becomes more familiar to you, you can take on bigger roles in the conference as a presenter, organizer and all-around insider welcoming the next generation of attendees. Try out these tips for your next conference to connect with your professional community, share your knowledge and explore career possibilities. Happy conferencing!
Discussion about this post