r/humanitarian • u/JesseWeird • 12d ago

Any advice for networking in UN conference?

I’m volunteering for a UN conference at my university tomorrow. There will be a number of international charities and UN staff in attendance all to discuss the future of the humanitarian sector. I’d love some tips for how and who to network with as I won’t have much time to talk to people and there will be a lot of people who would be willing to talk/connect. any advice or tips are welcomed as I’m new to this!

background of me: 30M Currently volunteering only for the admin side of a humanitarian evaluation charity (ALNAP) and in my first year of my humanitarian development degree. Preferably I want to work in evaluation and monitoring, write fictional books based in humanitarian effectiveness research and do as much good as I can, but overall still trying to figure it out.

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u/bushbandit1 11d ago

Hard to advise you who to talk to when none of us know who will be there and what you want to get out of the networking. If it’s career guidance you’re aiming to achieve then just walk around and chat to people.

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u/JesseWeird 11d ago

Because I’m so new, and the international orgs are like The Red Cross and Amnesty, ect, I was hoping theres be some general guidance like dos and don’ts. When I was a sales rep I’d make connections as a ‘in the back pocket’ situation where they may have things I could help with or know people I could help indeed sales opportunities. In the humanitarian sector I’m so new I just hope to have any contacts and see what I can help with/do. Any general advice when stepping into humanitarian networking or principles to follow would be greatly appreciated!

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u/bushbandit1 11d ago

If there’s a speaker list or organisations/agencies represented list then have a look through that beforehand and look them up online to get an understanding of what they do. That way you can be a bit more targeted with who you approach based on your interests and questions regarding your career. A good way to stay connected to people of interest afterwards is to follow on LinkedIn.

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u/JesseWeird 11d ago

Awesome really helpful ❤️ 

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u/jcravens42 11d ago

ALNAP is a terrific organization.

Pay attention to what is said, learn from what is being said. This is a learning event for you. And if you have a question for someone later based on what they said, by all means, ask - but be sincere. Don't do it just to get yourself in front of them.

Also, write down names of people that really impress you and, later, look them up on LinkedIn and other social media. You are looking for people who have the kind of career trajectory you would like to have, or are doing the kind of work you are doing. Follow them on social media and learn about their work. And at the conference, do your best, be reliable, be friendly.

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u/JesseWeird 11d ago

Really good framing thank you ❤️ ❤️