Network Smart, Pitch Confidently: Your Strategy for Landing the First Role

Networking is no longer optional but is now a core career skill. Studies from LinkedIn and MIT show that “weak ties” (people you don’t know well yet) often open the most doors to new opportunities. In Singapore’s fast-moving job market, where young professionals actively use LinkedIn and live events to get ahead, the ability to network confidently gives you a real edge.

In this highly interactive workshop, students will learn a simple PREP framework: Prepare, Research, Engage and Practice, to help build meaningful connections and speak to employers with clarity and confidence, especially in the midst of preparation for NUS Career Fest 2027.

Participants will learn to:

• Enter any networking event with clear goals, a targeted list of employers/contacts, and a 30–60 second elevator pitch that sets you apart.
  
• Introduce yourself with confidence using effective verbal and non-verbal communication tools to make a strong first impression.
  
• Navigate real networking conversations smoothly, start conversations without awkwardness, ask thoughtful questions, sustain engagement, and follow up professionally on LinkedIn.

This is a pre-event workshop for NUS Career Fest 2027.

Speaker(s)

Kum-Hoong KONG Career Advisor
NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates

Kum Hoong has more than 20 years of corporate experience in the public service and private sector, mainly in the travel, hospitality & lifestyle industries. A many-year voluntary stint with the FASS Mentorship Programme ignited his interest to pivot into career coaching. He now places the students’ passions and skillsets at the heart of his current core work and delights in helping them land internship and job roles.

Lakshmi Ramachandran (PhD)
Senior Manager, NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates

Dr Lakshmi Ramachandran is a LifeSkills Specialist at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG). She designs and delivers life skills courses and workshops that build students’ confidence and future-ready capabilities. She leads the design and delivery of key CFG modules including CFG1600 (Public Speaking) and CFG1500 (Women’s Professional Development), specialising in communication, emotional intelligence, confidence-building, and team culture.

She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), recipient of coach awards bronze 2023, Singapore 40-over-40 inspiring woman, and a published author. With a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology and over 20 years of experience in the biomedical sector, she brings a strong research-informed approach to developing human skills in future-ready graduates.

Register by 2 February 2027.
(Registration will close once all slots are filled)