Rebuilding your career in Switzerland? You're not alone.

Rebuilding your career in Switzerland? You're not alone.

It was a real pleasure to be back on the panel for the Capacity Access Fast Track workshop recently. Along with  @Mathias Vazquez Rodriguez and Sophia Biafora we had a great discussion about how to build a strong professional network here in Switzerland.

What's interesting is that all three of us on the panel have moved to Switzerland from other countries. This is pretty normal here – 40% of the people over 15 years old have come from somewhere else.

So, just like the people in the workshop, we understand some of the tough things about starting your career in a new place.

It can feel like:

→ Losing your work identity: Back home, people knew what you were good at. Here, you often have to show everyone all over again, which can feel like starting from zero.

→ Confusing job hunting: The way they hire people, the CVs they like, and how interviews work might be very different, and that can be annoying.

→ Feeling alone: Networking is super important in Switzerland, but it takes time. It's not easy to start with all the pressure on you.

Instead of looking at things we can't change, we talked about what we can do: how we think about building a professional network.

Here are thoughts I put in my bag:

⇉ Have your story ready: Think about what makes you special and interesting.

⇉ Think about what you can give, not just what you want: Don't just focus on getting a job or a connection right away.

⇉ Get ready before you go out: If you're going to a meeting or event, find out who will be there and what they do.

The people at Capacity do amazing work helping newcomers. Thank you so much for everything you do! Francesca Malvatani Evgeniya Vodolazova Caterina Meier-Pfister & team!

And thank you for letting me be part of this! Looking forward to continuing on EY Switzerland Day in May 💛

#change #careergrowth #networking #