Teaching internationals how to Network the Danish way
As a partner on the International Community and Aarhus University project “Retaining Talent in Denmark”, I had the pleasure to work with approx. 40 international profiles teaching them how to Network the Danish way.
As a Networking Expert ( https://www.networkingbyjunge.com/da/about/ ) I experience that there is a lot of misunderstandings regarding how to network – not just among internationals certainly also among Danes – one of the biggest being that people approach their network asking for jobs!
What network can do
Our network can not give us jobs, but they can help us get the knowledge, good advice and contacts, we need in order to dig up relevant job opportunities, within the areas that are interesting for each of us…
How to network in practice
It has been a great success teaching the participants on the networking courses about how to define their personal Job Goal areas, develop their personal Networking Strategy and then how they network in a practical way in order to achieve;
- knowledge about what is going on within the job goal areas that are relevant for them.
- good advice on relevant businesses and companies.
- contacts that can lead them to dig up job opportunities.
Along the way we came to discuss a lot of other relevant topics such as how job seeking in Denmark works, the Danes openness vs. privacy, the Danes values, way of communication etc…which all is important in relation to the networking effort….
Eyeopeners about Networking
Most of the participants found that there was several eye openers for them regarding how to approach Danes, what they can ask for/not ask for, how to network at events etc.
The participants evaluated that the course was of great relevance for them in their effort to integrate and network in Denmark.
I also think, that another reason, that this course was a success, is that I conducted the teaching in an honest way, telling the participants honestly about the Danish culture, do’s and don’ts, about the importance to speak Danish at least on “business level” and so on…
The project finale was a Networking seminar March 17th. 2016, where we had full house (80 participants) at Aarhus University, where I conducted an intensive speech about Networking the Danish way giving the participants the essentials about how to network in the many Networking channels.
Taking the project further
All in all the project was a great success and we hope to be able to continue helping the coming internationals moving to Aarhus and other regions in Denmark…