Networking Prework Activity Career Development Prework

Mapping Your Network

Whether you have a lot of networking experience or little, you do already have a network! This activity will help you assess who is currently in your network and how you can strengthen your relationships with them to help you in your new career.

Learning Goals for this Activity:

  • Recognize your support systems and ensure that you have the right supports in place
  • Document current and new connections as you build your networks
  • Track your networking in one place

How to Complete the Activity

Make a copy of this tracker

  1. On the first tab, take stock of your support network and how they support you. Use this information to understand what supports you have and what supports you might still need as you continue through Turing.

  2. On the second tab, think about who you’re already connected with from your background and previous experiences. While you tracked your closest ties in the first tab, this tab is for your “weak ties” or “dormant ties” aka people who are not necessarily the folks you talk to every day, which is the point – these are people whose knowledge and networks will be relatively new to you! These are people you may have worked with previously, people you know through friends/family/co-workers, or simply people you haven’t connected with in a while. They may or may not have a direct connection to the tech industry, but they may know someone who is in the tech industry or at a company you’re interested in or they may have professional advice that will be helpful for you. You won’t know until you map this out and understand the connections you do already have.

  3. On the third tab, you’ll track the connections you are making while at Turing. This is where you can log the information in later networking activities while in Mod 1 and 2 – you don’t need to fill this out now! Make sure you save this Google doc in a place where you’ll be able to find it again and use it in future networking activities. Also bookmark the tips and networking groups listed here.