Networking In IT

In the U.S., you can grab coffee with a CEO in two weeks. In Europe, it might take two years to get that meeting. I ’ve spent years building relationships across both U.S. and European markets, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: networking looks completely different depending on where you are. The way people connect, build trust, and create opportunities is shaped by culture-and if you don’t adapt your approach, you’ll hit walls fast. So, if you're an executive expanding globally, a leader hiring across regions, or a professional trying to break into a new market-this post is for you. The U.S.: Fast, Open, and High-Volume Americans love to network. Connections are made quickly, introductions flow freely, and saying "let's grab coffee" isn’t just polite—it’s expected. - Cold outreach is normal—you can message a top executive on LinkedIn, and they just might say yes. - Speed matters. Business moves fast, so meetings, interviews, and hiring decisions happen quickly. But here’s the catch: Just because you had a great chat doesn’t mean you’ve built a deep relationship. Trust takes follow-ups, consistency, and results. I’ve seen European executives struggle with this—mistaking initial enthusiasm for long-term commitment. In the U.S., networking is about momentum—you have to keep showing up, adding value, and staying top of mind. In Europe, networking is a long game. If you don’t have an introduction, it’s much harder to get in the door. - Warm introductions matter. Cold outreach? Much tougher. Senior leaders prefer to meet through trusted referrals—someone who can vouch for you. - Fewer, deeper relationships. Once trust is built, it’s strong and lasting—but it takes time to get there. - Decisions take longer. Whether it’s hiring, partnerships, or leadership moves, things don’t happen overnight—expect a longer courtship period. I’ve seen U.S. executives enter the European market and get frustrated fast—wondering why it’s taking months (or years!) to break into leadership circles. But that’s how the market works. The key to winning in Europe? Patience, credibility, and long-term thinking. So, What Does This Mean for Global Leaders? If you’re an American executive expanding into Europe… 📌 Be patient. One meeting won’t seal the deal—you have to earn trust over time. 📌 Get introductions. A warm referral is worth more than 100 cold emails. 📌 Don’t push too hard. European business culture favors depth over speed—respect the process. If you’re a European leader entering the U.S. market… 📌 Don’t wait for permission—reach out. People expect direct outreach and initiative. 📌 Follow up fast. If you’re slow to respond, the opportunity moves on without you. 📌 Be ready to show value quickly. Americans won’t wait months to see if you’re a fit. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about how you build relationships. #Networking #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #GlobalBusiness #US #Europe

5-Step Networking Strategy *Anyone* Can Use Today: Everyone tells you that you need to network. But no one really shows you how to network. Let’s fix that. Here’s an easy 5-step networking strategy anyone can implement today: 1. Identify Your Target Contact Start by finding someone at your target company who can influence your ability to get hired: - A potential hiring manager - A skip level manager - A peer with the same title - Etc. Use LinkedIn to find them. 2. Find Something They’ve Shared Review their LinkedIn profile, Google their name, and check their other socials. You’re looking for something they’ve shared - a piece of advice, an article, a strategy. This can be as big as an entire talk or post, or as small as a comment. 3. Think Of Who Could Benefit Once you’ve found something from your contact’s side, think of who could benefit: - A friend? - A colleague? - A mentor or mentee? Send them the information your contact shared. 4. Let Your Contact Know What You Did Now you can reach out to your contact! The message can be short and sweet, simply letting them know how you found their advice, who you shared it with, and how they might benefit. Here’s an example template: 5. Example Template "Hi John, We haven’t met before, but I came across the blog post you wrote for [Company Name] on using AI to improve client retention. Our Client Success team just met to brainstorm around that exact topic, and I sent it to them because I thought the examples were great. I just wanted to reach out and let you know that your advice is making a positive impact!” 6. Why This Works Everyone wants to feel recognized for the work they do. This outreach strategy opens the door with positivity and recognition without making any big ask. That increases your chances of getting the reply and starting the relationship on the right foot :)

The Telecom Industry in Transformation: Reflecting on three key challenges: Digitalisation and evolving consumer needs are transforming many sectors, with the telecom industry being no exception. In response to this dynamic landscape, I would like to share three technology challenges the telco industry must engage with over the coming years:   1) EMBRACING THE CLOUD: The development of cloud-native services for telecom functions such as voice and data is a huge challenge. This involves refactoring our traditional network hardware and monolithic telephony systems, moving everything into the cloud, and changing to devops working models. The payoff? Flexibility, faster service updates, resiliance, and the facilitation of personalised interaction options for our clients. Yet, we must overcome many transformation hurdles. The implementation of virtualisation and automation technologies requires a complete update of our network architecture, new product versions from our vendors, as well as a lot of skill and competency changes for our employees.   2) NAVIGATING THE AI WAVE The advent of #GenAI provides the telecom industry with an array of tools and services. AI can enhance efficiency across numerous areas from chatbots, AI-assisted call center agents, hyper-personalized marketing strategies, to optimized network maintenance. However, beyond efficiency, AI also holds the potential to introduce innovative services benefiting the end customer. Trust, privacy, and transparent handling of customer data are key to the acceptance of these new features.   3) ENSURING TRUST AND SECURITY The potentially most significant challenge ahead is maintaining robust security and customer trust. With hundredthousands of cyber attacks per month on our own Swisscom infrastructure and projected global damage from cyberattacks reaching USD 10 trillion per annum by 2025, security is paramount. In the future, trust-based innovation will be the competitive edge for telecoms and IT service providers. Earning trust is an ongoing, hard-pressed task that cannot be simply bought or created through marketing campaigns.   Achieving these challenges will require one crucial element - our employees. Developing the right skill set and a supportive corporate culture is key to handling such transformative pressures.   What challenges do you see for the telecom industry? How are these mirrored in your field? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Swisscom #TelecomIndustry #Transformation #CloudTechnology #CyberSecurity #InnovatorsOfTrust 

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 Does the thought of networking make you feel like you're just selling yourself? It's time to flip the script. Here’s how to network effectively without feeling 'salesy': 📍Seek Depth, Not Numbers Forget about amassing contacts. Harvard Business Review suggests that meaningful, in-depth conversations are far more beneficial than a vast network. 📍Become a Master Listener Effective networking is less about talking and more about listening. Show genuine interest in others' stories and challenges. This approach not only builds stronger connections but also makes your interactions more engaging. 📍Lead with Value Always offer help before asking for anything. According to LinkedIn, 80% of professionals believe that networking is most effective when both parties gain something from the exchange. 📍Customize Your Connections Skip the generic connection requests. Reference specific details about how you met or a topic you discussed. This personal touch transforms your approach from transactional to meaningful. 📍Make Memorable Follow-ups After meeting someone, follow up with something relevant from your discussion. Whether it's an article related to a topic you spoke about or a simple congratulation on a recent achievement, personalized follow-ups make you stand out. 📍Engage Thoughtfully Online Interact with your connections' content by sharing insights or thoughtful comments. This keeps you visible and valuable, enhancing your network's strength without overt selling. 📍Embrace the Long Game Remember, effective networking builds over time. Stay consistent and patient—American Express reports that 40% of executives credit networking for their success. 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨. 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙢𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨. ---------------------------------- Follow Surya Vajpeyi for more such content💜 #EffectiveNetworking #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalNetworking

Just because important people in the organization like you and are friendly towards you … doesn’t mean that you have a great network. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗟𝗧 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.  An effective network is one in which key decision-makers (those who influence promotions) know, like, and trust (KLT) your work. 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟱 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁: ↳  You’re connected to key influencers: Do you have 5-8 senior leaders who can impact your career on your radar? These are the people you need to focus on. ↳  Regular touchpoints with decision-makers: Are you intentionally connecting with these leaders? Regular interaction is key to building trust and staying visible. ↳  Your work is well-known: Do the people who matter know what you’ve accomplished? If your achievements aren’t on their radar, you need to fix that. ↳  You’re involved in high-visibility projects: Are you getting the right assignments that showcase your skills? Being in the loop on critical projects can make all the difference. ↳  You receive feedback and advice from influential leaders: Do senior leaders share feedback, guidance, or career advice with you? If so, it's a sign they are invested in your growth. An effective network is about strategically positioning yourself for success. I wish you a great week ahead!

How to build your Business Network? I think that a lot of people misunderstand how networking really works. Let me explain. First, exchanging cards is not networking. A lot of people attend conferences and exchange cards and call it networking. No, that’s wrong! Networking is all about helping others, for free. Money is merely a measure of the benefit that you have done for others. Networking is about helping people without expecting money in return. It is kind of a charity that you do today which will earn money in the future. Let me explain. Long back, my mentor connected me with a Founder and requested me to help him with some of his questions related to building his technical organization. I spoke with the Founder on the call for about 30 minutes and shared some of my learnings and helped him clear some of his misconceptions. The Founder was building a hiring solution for growth-stage companies. Fast forward to last year when I was hiring for various roles at my startup, I remembered speaking with him and so, I called him. He immediately agreed to help and put the best of his team members to work with us. In fact, he himself spent time to guide us. This is networking. When I helped him 4 years back, it took me just 30 minutes of my time to guide him. It helped him and also made my mentor happy that I could guide one of their startups. Did I get paid? No. Did I incur a cost? Well, if you count time as a cost, that was 30 minutes of my time. But I think the kind of help he provided to us last year was quite useful and totally worth the 30 minutes. So the way I network is that wherever possible, I try and help others. Here are a few ways where I network with others: 1. Connect 2 people who could be relevant. For instance, I have a few friends in the VC industry who are actively looking to invest in great founders. If a founder reaches out to me for any kind of help, I connect them to my VC friends. I don’t get paid from either side, but then I don’t plan to make money by connecting people. I just want to help. 2. Float the profile/resume in my network. A few days back, a friend reached out to me where she is offering consulting services to B2B startups. I told her to send me a short note about her and I floated it in my IITB Founders WhatsApp group. 2 people contacted me within 15 minutes. I don’t know if these people will end up working together. All I know is that I could help them get connected and that they will remember me. 3. Give 30 minutes of my time. Of course, this is unscalable for me and I am selective. But whenever possible, 1 or 2 times a week, I spare 30 minutes of my time to meet people who want my help. So many founders reach out to me for help with selling in BFSI, hiring, or acquisition. Either I meet them or I speak over a call and try and help as best as possible. To summarize: Networking is not about meeting people or exchanging cards. It is about helping others for free. #startups #business #entrepreneurship

Top managers don’t require #mentoring anymore? Wrong. The opposite is true. Still, it is something not disclosed too often. As to myself, I am learning from many people, but one person clearly stands out. Ralf Thomas of Siemens is a companion and counselor to me since 20 years and across several companies and development steps. We started our journey at Siemens when, as a “young” M&A project manager, I approached him on the occasion of a finance talent program. From there on, we kept the dialogue. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲? Through meetings and calls every now and then, sometimes shorter and more casual, sometimes longer and more concentrated. Always considerate of his extremely tight schedule. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀? Personal development, the role of a CFO, also vis-à-vis the management team, requirements of and people around new positions, the general state of affairs and the contribution of business leaders. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 on productive mentorship: Personal fit matters a lot, in terms of character, values, thinking, also to some degree the age difference (in our case 10 years). Don’t be shy, approach personalities you consider inspiring. If they have an edge for people development, they will be open. Clarify expectations and operating mode explicitly. Take initiative. As a mentee, always prepare. E.g. practically, until today, I sketch an update of my situation and potential discussion topics and share before our meetings/calls. Focus on the material points, don’t waste time. Be flexible on format. Openness is of the essence. Think reciprocal – (try to) offer information pieces of benefit to the mentor. Be persistent, do not let it slip away. As any personal relationship, it requires interest, proactiveness, investment. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁? The trust and “close to friends” relationship we have built. My mentor’s optimism … and: tolerance for my mistakes 😉. Thank you Ralf, I am grateful for 20 insightful years (and hopefully many more to come)! What are some of your mentoring experiences?

Desi Atomic Habit Tip #2: Master the Art of Effective Networking "Rishte banao, sirf card nahi baanto." (Build relationships, don't just distribute cards.) In the bustling world of business, your network can be your net worth. But it's not about collecting business cards – it's about fostering genuine connections that can propel your career or business forward. Actionable Steps for Entrepreneurs & Young Professionals: ✅ Quality Over Quantity: Focus on making 2-3 meaningful connections at each event rather than trying to meet everyone. ✅ Follow-Up Mastery: Within 24 hours of meeting someone, send a personalized message referencing your conversation. ✅ Give Before You Ask: Offer value (insights, introductions, resources) before seeking favors. Here's how I've applied this in my entrepreneurial journey: 👉 Initiated monthly catch-ups with key industry peers, leading to collaborative projects. 👉 Created a 'connection nurturing' system in my calendar, ensuring regular touch-points with valuable contacts. 👉 Volunteered my expertise at startup events, expanding my network organically. 🎯 Result: A robust support system of mentors, partners, and potential clients, crucial for navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. Your Networking Challenge: This week, reach out to one person in your network you haven't spoken to in a while. Share an interesting industry insight or offer help with a project they're working on. How has strategic networking impacted your professional journey? Share your stories and tips below! Stay tuned for more entrepreneur-focused insights in the Desi Atomic Habits series! #DesiAtomicHabits #StrategicNetworking #Entrepreneurship #CareerGrowth #StartupTips

Your network isn't just 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄, it's 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳. I learned this the hard way. When I relocated to Ireland, I had to start from scratch. New country. New market. New everything. No local connections. No established reputation. No safety net. But I had one thing: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Here's what most people get wrong about networking: They think it's about: → Collecting business cards → Attending events for the sake of it → Only reaching out when they need something But real networking is about: → Building genuine relationships before you need them → Adding value first, not asking for favors → Being consistent in your connections 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? In a remarkably short time, I was able to achieve success stories that would have taken years without the right connections. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 "𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱" 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹. This is exactly what I shared when I was a guest on the 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗠𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 with Jean Evans - Networking Architect, in the episode titled "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴." Ready to discover how networking can transform your trajectory? You can catch the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gxpaN6dF #Networking #NetworkMePodcast #PowerOfNetworking #RelationshipBuilding #BusinessNetworking #ProfessionalDevelopment

How could I build a career if I couldn't even handle a "simple" networking event? Twenty years later, I'm CHRO. And I still hate networking events. But I cracked the code. Traditional networking assumes collecting 50 business cards equals success. For introverts? One deep conversation beats 50 shallow hellos. Quality over quantity isn't just our preference. It's our superpower. So I built my own system. ——————————————— → The 100-Point Energy Budget Every event, you start with 100 energy points: • Random small talk: -15 • Meaningful conversation: -5 • Pretending to laugh at bad jokes: -20 • Finding a fellow introvert: +10 • Strategic "email break": +5 Hit 20 points? Leave. That's not quitting. It's resource management. ——————————————— → The 3-Deep Rule While extroverts collect 50 cards, I build 3 real connections. They get names. I get allies. They get LinkedIn adds. I get coffee meetings. They get forgotten. I get remembered. One meaningful conversation > 50 forgettable handshakes. Tell people you're "gathering insights for research." Now it's an interview, not small talk. Arrive 15 minutes early. Quieter room, better conversations. ——————————————— → The Opener That Works "I'm testing a theory that admitting you're an introvert at networking events creates better connections. You're participant seven." People lean in. They want in on your experiment. Ask what matters: "What problem are you tackling right now?" "If you weren't here, what would you rather be doing?" ——————————————— → The Lighthouse Strategy Don't circulate. Plant yourself somewhere visible. Let people come to you. Or volunteer at check-in for 30 minutes. Meet everyone, defined role, then disappear. Set 45-minute alarms. Energy check. Below 5? Bathroom break. ——————————————— → Permission Granted You can officially: • Leave after 52 minutes • Eat lunch alone at conferences • Say "I need to recharge" • Build your network through LinkedIn • Skip events that don't serve you My biggest deals came from 1-on-1 coffees, not cocktail parties. My best hires came from deep conversations, not speed networking. ——————————————— → The Truth Successful introverted executives didn't learn to act like extroverts. They learned to network like strategists. My record? 12-minute holiday party appearance. Two conversations. Both mattered. Still got promoted. Once had my assistant call with an "urgent client matter" 45 minutes into a dinner. The client was my cat. Zero regrets. Your quiet nature isn't a bug — it's an executive feature. Your energy management isn't high maintenance — it's self-leadership. The revolution isn't about becoming louder. It's about quiet leaders writing the rules. From a comfortable distance. Through screens or deep connection. Like the evolved professionals we are. ♻️ Share to save an introvert from networking hell 📩 Get my Networking Energy Toolkit → https://lnkd.in/dfhfHWe5