Building a strong professional network can open doors to new job opportunities, industry insights, and career growth. Whether you’re an experienced engineer or just starting out, making the right connections is key. Here’s how to do it effectively.

How to Build a Strong Personal Brand in Your Industry – Advance TRS

Attend Industry Events

Industry events are a great way to meet professionals, learn about trends, and showcase your expertise. Conferences and trade shows, such as Railtex, UK Construction Week, or Renewable Energy Conferences, attract key players in the industry. Attending talks, asking questions, and introducing yourself to speakers and attendees can help you stand out. Networking meetups and professional body gatherings, like those hosted by ICE, IET, or IMechE, offer a more personal setting to engage with peers. Workshops and training sessions also provide opportunities to expand your technical skills while meeting like-minded professionals.

Engage on Social Media

A strong online presence helps you connect with the right people and stay visible in your industry. Keeping your LinkedIn profile updated, sharing industry news, and engaging with posts from professionals and companies can help establish your presence. Engineering forums, such as The Engineer or Engineering.com, are great spaces for technical discussions and networking with others in your field.

Using social media and job boards to find your next role – Advance TRS

Make Meaningful Connections

Networking is about building relationships, not just collecting contacts. When reaching out to someone, start with common ground, such as a shared interest, mutual connection, or industry event. Being active in professional groups and contributing to discussions can strengthen your credibility. After meeting someone, following up with a short LinkedIn message or email can keep the conversation going and build long-term connections.

Leveraging Online Platforms for Digital Networking – Advance TRS

Offer Value to Others

Networking works best when it’s a two-way street. Sharing useful insights, job leads, or project updates can make you a valuable connection. Introducing contacts who might benefit from knowing each other also strengthens your network. Supporting others by engaging with their posts or attending their events helps form and maintain strong professional relationships.

Building a professional network takes time, but consistent engagement will help you get noticed and stay connected in your field.

At Advance TRS, we connect engineering professionals with top employers across the built environment. If you’re looking for new opportunities or industry connections, get in touch with our team today.

At this year’s British Water International Reception, keynote speaker Peter Simpson gave an engaging summary of successes and lessons learned in the water sector, in what has been another ‘exceptional year’ for the water network.

From the bitter weather with the ‘beast from the east’ at the start of the year, sending the UK into its coldest period for 27 years, followed by some of the hottest and driest months since records began in 1910, in addition to increasingly frequent and severe flooding the UK, water network has faced significant challenges.

Yet in the face of such extreme challenges, the Water industry is amongst one of the most trusted industries in the UK. 63% of household customers trust their water company, in comparison to 52% for the energy sector. (CCWater Water Matters Annual Tracking Survey, 5,110 total customers surveyed)

With a sector-wide focus on driving innovation and improved efficiency to ensure real benefit and cost savings can be delivered to the consumer, 2 litres of tap water is now 270 times cheaper than a 2-litre premium branded bottle of water, costing less than 1/3p. (CCWater; England and Wales, Apr 2016 – Mar 2017)

In real terms for the consumer, this means the average annual water and sewerage charges across England and Wales households stands at £405, compared to the average annual dual fuel (gas and electricity) bill of £1,066. (Source: Water UK; England and Wales, Apr 2018 – Mar 2019)

Peter also shared a brief insight into the preparatory work being done by water companies in the face of Brexit negotiations, emphasising the need for a continued focus on environmental and outcome-based measures, for success across the sector post-Brexit and touching on some of the contingency forecasting completed for all different Brexit negotiation eventualities.  

The event, hosted at the Institute of Directors in London, proved a fantastic opportunity to showcase the British Water Industry to support international trade. As proud members of British Water, Advance TRS were delighted to support the event as Silver Sponsors.

As a niche recruitment consultancy specialising in the provision of highly-skilled technical professionals, our specialist Water and Utilities consultants supply permanent, contract and temporary recruitment solutions to clients across the UK.

Operating as a trusted adviser to our clients, Advance TRS deliver an end-to-end recruitment service that provides complete peace of mind. From meter readers to senior managers on AMP6 framework projects and Thames Tideway, our specialist industry knowledge enables us to deliver expert, hard-to-find candidates for your business.

 

Get ahead of the January rush and view the latest opportunities in the Water sector here or call 01483 361 061 to speak to our expert Water & Utilities Consultants.