SGPsychStud: Preparing Yourself for the SPS Student Forum (as well as other events)

Image credit: http://www.eventnook.com/event/spsstudentforum

This advertisement was sent out to schools earlier yesterday.  This is for the upcoming SPS Student Forum, which was first advertised briefly during August this year.  I have even wrote a pre-event review on it previously.  As mentioned before, I hope these will be surfaced during the forum:

1. A greater understanding of the current situation in terms of Singapore registration in psychology.
2. A recommended pathway of studying psychology in Singapore. 
3. How students can be better connected to SPS and what SPS can provide to students in the near future. 

Based on the program:

Image credit: http://www.eventnook.com/event/spsstudentforum

It seemed that probably items 1 and 3 may be covered in the keynote speech, if not in the breakout sessions.  However, it is best to treat this event as an information and networking session, where you can find indepth information about the different psychology specialisations in Singapore and network with the experts in the field.

Did you know that the keynote speaker, Ms Clare Yeo (President, SPS) is also the Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist and Head of the Psychology Department of Institute of Mental Health?

Having the POWER of Networking and knowing people may lead you to your future employment opportunities, research or postgraduate opportunities, or even knowing people from other related field.  So this event is the PERFECT platform to do it!  However you need to have these three conditions of thirst for knowledge, curiosity, and a positive mindset to help you increase your chances to learn new things and skills and knowing new people!  This is what a new graduate like yourself must do!

So how do you to best prepare yourself for this important event of the year (or any other networking event)??

• Prepare your elevator pitch  -  it is a 30-second speech that summarizes who you are, what you do and why you would be a perfect candidate for a job.
• Considering the number of other students and participants who wish to talk to the few speakers or experts, the time allocated for each person is very limited, hence it would be best to consider the best things to say and introduce yourself in the best way you can.
• Here are some websites on what and how you can prepare your elevator pitch:
• http://www.businessknowhow.com/money/elevator.htm
• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/elevator-pitch.htm
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/02/04/the-perfect-elevator-pitch-to-land-a-job/  

How to Prepare a Self-Introduction (Elevator Pitch)

How to Perfect the Elevator Pitch

• Do your research and prepare your questions
• Similar to the above reason, time is definitely not on your side, so you have to ask the right questions.
• Do research on the psychology industry, the specialisations for the breakout sessions that you are attending, and the speakers (once the speaker list is out).  With these knowledge, this will make your questions more directed and focused towards your best benefits!

• Find out from the professionals and industry experts on what they are looking for in prospective employees
• Ultimately, your wish to get a job in the psychology industry.  So why not try to find out the characteristics (or even the KSAOs) in the employees or staff that they would hire?
• With these knowledge and understanding, you can then know the things to improve on to help you get that job!  

• Dress properly for the event
• Although it is not written, it would be best to dress at least smart casual for this event.  Some people do attend networking events in office wear or formal wear; with or without a blazer/coat depends on how formal the event is.
• Think of this as an semi-formal interview or chit-chat session with your prospective employer - this should help to guide you on your attire. 

• Email to those whom you have received namecards from
• This is a very polite gesture that many forget.  In the midst of many conversations, it is very likely that those who you have spoken to will have forgotten about you in a few days time. Sending an email will help them remember your conversations and probably help you to stay connected even in the future, which may help in your future career progression.
• Some people even go to the extent of connecting on LinkedIn immediately during the conversations so that the connection will exist in social media and not immediately forgotten.  LinkedIn is often the preferred choice as it is the leading social media for professional connections. 

The main ideas are to "Know what you want to achieve from this event" and "Create an impression"!

Extra note: I will most definitely recommend all of you to attend!!  Although there is a cost of $25, a good networking session (like conferences and seminars) often cost more than $25, and if you can learn something from this event, the money is definitely well-spent!