Places to frequent
Binational chambers of commerce:
- Franco-Swiss, Italo-Swiss, Hispano-Swiss, Germano-Swiss
- CHF 100-200/year membership
- Monthly apéros, thematic lunches, conferences
- Profiles: business leaders, senior expats, executives
Professional associations:
- Swico (IT and digital), swissstaffing (HR), ASIP (IT)
- Swiss Society of Engineers (SIA), Swiss Pharmaceutical Society
- Marketing Club (Geneva, Zurich)
- Memberships CHF 200-600/year, monthly events
Alumni:
- HEC Lausanne, EPFL, ETHZ, HSG, IMD, IHEID
- Quarterly meetings in major cities
- Very active community on LinkedIn too
Service clubs:
- Rotary, Lions Club, Soroptimist
- CHF 1,500-3,000/year, weekly lunches
- Senior network, decision-makers, leaders
Toastmasters:
- Clubs in all major cities (French, German, English)
- CHF 150-200/year
- Public speaking improvement + qualified network
Thematic meet-ups
- Meetup.com: search by city + theme
- Eventbrite: paid + free events
- Tech meetups: Zurich Web Dev, Geneva JS, Swiss AI Meetup
- Marketing: ProductTank, GrowthHacker Geneva
- Finance: CFA Society events, Swiss Finance Networking
Apéros and afterworks
- Zurich: Frau Gerolds Garten, Bauschänzli, Hilton Wave
- Geneva: Bains des Pâquis (summer), Edelweiss, Geneva Marriott
- Lausanne: Lacustre, GreenSpot
- Basel: Volkshaus, Bar Rouge
Company apéros (especially Thursday evening): essential attendance even if you are introverted.
The Swiss networking code
To do:
- Prepared business card: sober design, essential info
- 30-second pitch: who you are, what you seek, what you offer
- Listen 70%, talk 30%: golden rule
- Open questions: "What are you working on right now?"
- Give before receiving: useful info, contact, recommendation
- 48h follow-up: LinkedIn or short email
To avoid:
- Distribute 50 cards without conversation
- Ask for a job at the 1st conversation
- Heavy self-promotion: "I am the best expert…"
- Excessive alcohol: moderation is the rule
- Politics and religion: absolute taboos
- Disappear after getting a useful contact
Ideal frequency
- 2-3 events/month sustainable and effective
- 5-10 new qualified connections/event
- 6 months for a network to start bearing
- 2-3 years to become a recognised player in your niche
Capitalise over time
- Personal CRM: Notion, Airtable, or Excel
- Fiches: name, contact, meeting context, last exchanges, birthday
- Re-contact every 3-6 months: useful message without ask
- Active recommendations: introduce your contacts to each other
- Birthdays and events: short, memorable messages
A good offline network generates 40-60% of your opportunities after 3 years. It's the most profitable career asset in Switzerland.
