In Switzerland the shortest route to a job often runs not through a listing but through a person. Many positions are filled before they are ever advertised, and who fills them? Usually someone a person inside the company already knows or has recommended. That is exactly why networking is not a nice extra alongside applying but one of the most effective channels there is. This guide shows you how to network well in Switzerland, with concrete templates for the informational interview, for LinkedIn, and for asking someone to refer you.
Why networking counts for so much in Switzerland
The Swiss job market has a large hidden part, which we describe in our piece on the hidden job market. A significant slice of it, the pool of never-advertised roles, is reachable almost only through relationships. Add to that the Swiss culture of trust: a personal recommendation or a warm introduction weighs especially heavily here, because employers are reluctant to take a risk and would rather give a chance to someone a trusted person already vouches for. Networking is how you build exactly that trust before you need it.
Networking is not asking for a job
The most common error is confusing networking with begging. Asking for a job at the first contact puts the other person under pressure and usually earns a polite no. Good networking reverses the order: you ask for advice, not for a role, you listen more than you speak, and you give before you take, by offering a useful piece of information, a contact, or simply genuine interest. Relationships built this way carry on their own later, when a role actually opens up.
The informational interview: the most important move
The informational interview is the single strongest tool in networking. You ask a person for twenty minutes to learn more about their role, their team or their industry, explicitly not for a job. Because the request is small and flattering, most people say yes.
