Offline and Online Presence is the Way Forward

These days, if you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re either sitting on a large inheritance or seriously out of touch with the industry. For freelancers in particular and job seekers in general, having a digital presence is now perhaps as essential as being qualified to work.

A network of peers and industry members is essential in the offline era; does it not make sense that professional networking would be equally, if not more important, in the digital age? I remember starting online networking in 2004, which was particularly helpful.

As I moved cities and countries, I could remain in constant touch with my established network and leverage it for various purposes. For a Global Mobility Professional, a network that travels everywhere with them is priceless.

Looking back at that time and analysing the power that my digital professional network afforded me, I thought about how this could be used to empower job seekers everywhere. That is how the Global People Club was set up: to allow professionals to hack the Swiss Job Market with strong business connections, both offline and online.

Say you’ve joined a professional networking group like HireMe. How can you develop a digital presence that lets you take full advantage of the networking opportunities? Here’s the quick lowdown on how to do just that:

1- Pinpoint the Best Social Platform

LinkedIn may be the ‘de facto’ professional networking platform for the masses, but specific industries are known to frequent alternative digital platforms. Photographers and videographers have made their homes on YouTube and Instagram. The bottom line: Inhabit the right digital spaces to make the right connections.

2 – Play the Long Game

The internet era is rife with scams and fake profiles. Building trust with a stranger takes longer than it would through only real-world meetings. You can speed the process by creating your digital home, ideally a blog with a thorough resume for visitors. Once you’ve interacted with someone online, directing them to your blog would allow them to access your professional biography and provide a way to contact you. 

3 – Support Your Community

Self-promotion is a big turn-off. Instead, focus on promoting other people’s work. Endorsing others’ work (on LinkedIn or elsewhere) is a great way to influence your network positively. It benefits people who are modest or doubt their achievements (a condition known as impostor syndrome). You can build goodwill among colleagues and peers by fostering a communal, supportive network. It is essential to make the right image online.

4 – Meet People IRL (In Real Life)

A general assumption about digital presences is that they are heavily curated, cherry-picking information that may not represent the whole picture. Showing that you’re as lovely, if not nicer, in real life will be a pleasant and welcome surprise to all who meet you. Be genuine in providing help and be authentic, and good things will happen to you. I recommend meeting at least one person for lunch each week. 

5 – Join a Group with Potential to Meet Socially

It’s not easy to find and publish your digital identity. That’s why professional support groups like our Global People Club exist. We are building a community for our clients and former clients, and we also meet in person at events and cultural happenings.

We are currently still pulling together our 2026 program, and membership will cost you CHF 490 for the full year. In case of any questions, you can email diana@globalpeopletransitions.com. 

Go through the HireMeExpress Online Coaching Program

Dear all, since so many of you are unemployed and underemployed, and because I still feel that we are very privileged in my family, I have decided to open our #HireMeExpress program to you. Are you looking for a career opportunity in Zurich and still need help landing an interview?

Do you have a work permit and a Swiss address but still need help getting people to call you back? It’s not you; it’s us. You might search for jobs on LinkedIn and apply with 101 other applicants (only to receive an automated robotic rejection message within one hour). You use to jobs where you know the brand.

You take time to adjust your resume, key word optimize your profile, you follow all the tips you receive (and everyone gives you different advice.) You end up humbled and confused, and you indeed wonder whether it was the right decision to move to Switzerland for love. That is the straight path into the “Valley of Tears”.

What if I told you that…

🌎 Four (5) positions are sourced through “Vitamin B.” (which is a short form of “Beziehung” = relationship in German) and never even posted officially.

👩‍🎤 Hiring managers prefer to hire “mini-me” versions of themselves, and there are unconscious biases against rainbow talent and lifestyle expats worldwide. Your experience, skills, and qualifications are often misunderstood and must be “translated” for a Swiss recruiter.

🇩🇪 English is not an official language here, and you can’t learn German professionally in six months. (Just kidding, you know that.)

⭕ There is a “Circle of Trust”, and you are not in it (Thank you, Robert de Niro, for the term.)

But don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! You can learn all that and confidently enter the circle of trust.

👑 After years of working with expats in Zurich and the rest of the world, finding a job and getting successful through building professional networks, I consider myself the secret “Queen of Relationship-Building”.

👑 💫 In this free guide, I spill all my secrets. These tips are based on our extensive experience in the Zurich and Basel job market and will help you navigate the job search process.

💫 💡 My Top Ten Tips for Landing a Job in the German-speaking world

💡 My 21 Checkpoints for creating a fresh resume (Swiss-style)

💡 My Favorite Job Boards ✍

Sign up for your free #HireMeExpress guide and start your journey to a successful career in Switzerland. http://eepurl.com/hitraT

ONLY UNTIL 23 DECEMBER (and as long as I have open slots) YOU CAN BUY SINGLE SESSIONS WITH ME, and we have a special December deal on coaching sessions.