Sheconomy – 10.12
Networking and salary, fee, career?
Networking is on everyone’s lips and as a woman, you probably feel bad if you don’t belong to at least one group.
What’s the point of standing around somewhere, not knowing anyone and feeling out of place because you don’t like ‘small talk’. Or, if you hang out online in a breakout session with complete strangers and would rather like to shut down your computer.
On top of that, isn’t it much better to focus on your job and hang out with your girlfriends?
In all honesty, who doesn’t know these thoughts?
Of course, it’s important to focus on your professional tasks, and when it comes to socializing, nothing can beat meeting your girlfriends.
Important reasons why you should give it a try with at least two or three networks:
- Make friends for life with whom you can go through thick and thin.
- In your company’s own network get a better feeling for your company’s culture, customs, and opportunities: ‘Behind the scenes’ information is much more interesting than official communications.
Once you know your colleagues better, you can even get tips how to handle more confidential topics such as career advancement, professional opportunities or salary increases.
- Meet female employees/founders of other companies and talk about corporate culture, working conditions, possible benefits, entrepreneurial challenges, subsidies, pricing, etc. The better you get an overview of similar or completely different industries, the easier it is to estimate your own market value
- Exchange ideas about professional topics with sparring partners who work in similar fields or get new perspectives how to handle your own challenges. This often helps to create added value in one’s own work environment.
- Very important: strengthen your self-worth through nice encounters and recognize that most people struggle with similar challenges.
It is usually surprising how much one’s own assessment changes when one gets enough exciting input from outside. And by the way, you improve your self-worth, learn to assess your market value more clearly, and can generate added value for your own company because you can use suggestions from other companies or industries. These new perspectives are the most important pillars for your next salary, price or career negotiation.
The following networks which all have a very specific focus, particularly caught my eye:
BalanceUp, the digital platform to help entrepreneurs find their balance between kids and business
Making it in Austria, podcast, and personal network for those who – coming from abroad – successfully made their way in Austria and who want to further accompany each other in their professional and personal growth
#TheNewITGirls, a team of industry experts that connect women in IT across job titles and positively shape the social image of women in IT.
PWN Vienna (learn connect share advance globally) and WU Executive Academy Female Leaders’ Network (inspire care connect), English-language communities for professional women.
When considering one or the other network, one thing should not be forgotten: you will only benefit from it if:
you give yourself time, attend meetings at least two or three times before deciding whether to stay or not,
approach other people with an open mind and curiosity, and
do not put your own advantage first but consider how you could be an asset to the network.
After all, the win-win rule applies not only in career and salary negotiations, but almost everywhere true to the motto: People First!
