If you’re early in your career, there’s a good chance you’ve been told to “build your network”. That’s not bad advice, but no one really tells you how to do it. Or where to start.

Network Like a Boss is our answer. Often described as a professional speed dating session, it’s a fast, informal way to meet people working across the drug discovery field. It’s designed for Early Career Professionals (ECPs) – undergrads, postgrads, postdocs, and anyone starting in life sciences – to network with each other as well as industry experts and talk to them about their jobs, their career paths, and the lessons they’ve picked up along the way.

Here’s how it works.

When you join, we’ll direct you to a table with a handful of your fellow ECPs. Each table has its own ‘Boss’, someone further on in their career who’s volunteered their time to share advice and answer your questions, but mostly the job of the Boss is to facilitate the conversation. So no more small talks or awkward silences.

You get five minutes at each table. That’s enough to ask a few solid questions and understand what that person does and how they got there. Then, at the blow of a whistle, you move on to the next table. And the next boss.

The conversations are casual. You don’t need to dress up or rehearse a monologue. But if you’re curious about a particular role or industry, it’s worth doing a bit of prep. Look up the Bosses (when we release the list), think about what you want to ask, and come ready to talk. This is your chance to ask the questions you don’t usually get to ask. And hear how other people have figured things out, one step at a time.

Plenty of people leave this session with new contacts, new ideas, or a bit more direction about where they want to go, and you can reach out to a few people later.

You don’t need to be confident. You don’t need to have a plan. You just need to show up.