The OITE starts preparing for the large events (like the NIH Career Symposium) about 9-12 months in advance. When we can, we like to form committees of NIH fellows eager to help plan, organize and execute these events. It helps us to get fresh ideas from the fellows’ perspective, and it gives fellows the chance to build valuable skills to highlight on their resumes. Here are three ways to take full advantage of committee membership.
- Leadership – Being on a committee gives you a chance to be a leader. However, you have to take the initiative make that happen. Vocalize your ideas by making suggestions for speakers, session topics, themes, etc. Volunteer for tasks (especially if an organizer is needed), host speakers or moderate a session.
- Administration –There is quite a bit of administrative work that goes into large events at the NIH. Determining the number of rooms you need and how many chairs you need in each room; Deciding what sessions or speakers to put in what rooms; setting schedules and agendas for the whole event and the people participating in the event are only just a few examples. Actively engage with the OITE advisor to make sure you can understand this process.
- Networking –Networking is about laying the foundation for a relationship with someone. Participate fully in all committee work and find common ground with your fellow teammates. Make sure to greet and host speakers. After the event find ways to cultivate networking connections with your fellow committee members, other event attendees, and speakers.
We have had a lot of people who serve on a committee later ask the OITE advisors for a letter of recommendation. We love to write strong letters for our committee members, so make sure that we see all the work that you are doing and how you pulled your weight in the team. These are only a few of the skills you can establish while working on a committee.
There are others like writing, editing, advertising, analyzing and evaluating the event, and many more. However, you won’t get the ones you want by just signing up to be on the planning committee. Work with your OITE advisor to talk about your career goals and to identify which jobs on the committee will set you up for success.
We want you to have a great experience on a committee. Do the best job you can, but make sure not to over-commit yourself. Together we make the events that make training at the NIH special.
