How to develop a professional network in Glasgow
It is often said that, in terms of your career, it's not what you know, its who you know. In Glasgow, there are many opportunities to meet people in business and industry that may help you advance your career and climb the professional ladder.
Professionals in Glasgow
Educated professionals make up the largest proportion of the Glasgow workforce. The most popular jobs are in the finance and health sectors while growing industries include biotechnology and sustainability science. If you do or want to work in any of these fields, Glasgow is a great place to find those all-important business connections.
General advice for networking in Glasgow and the rest of Scotland can be found on local business guru Colin McKeand's website. As for the networking opportunities in Glasgow, there are a few established groups, of which you can become a member, as well as regularly held events.
Networking groups in Glasgow
The Hub Club Network is a Glasgow based business collective that runs regular business lunches, guest presentations, and even buffets. However, it has a competitive membership and only allows certain professionals to join. Additionally, it costs £25 a month to become an official member.
Perfect for people new to the area is the Glasgow Young Professionals network. Despite its name, they have no age limit. It's a relatively informal group, who specifically encourage those who are new to Glasgow to join. The network runs seminars and workshops, as well as the occasional pub quiz. Membership is free to all, and there is no limit on the number of members.
If you want to start a small business in Glasgow, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce can help you. It is a group dedicated to helping businesses from all sectors in the city. Membership will get you access to networking events as well as courses to help hone your skills and those of your employees. The cheapest membership program costs £300 per year.
Networking events in Glasgow
For any computer science professionals, Code Clan have useful information about networking events for coding and technology in Scotland. Some of these events are hosted in Glasgow, but the majority are held in Edinburgh. Fortunately, Edinburgh is only around an hour from Glasgow on either the train or bus or by car.
General meetings for business people are held by First Wednesday Glasgow. Anyone is welcome. They advertise the events as a way to meet new people in an informal atmosphere. If you want to meet new people in a less-business orientated environment, there are many ways to develop your social network in Glasgow.
If none of these examples is what you're looking for, try searching Eventbrite for networking events in Glasgow.
Online networking
Much like many other places, LinkedIn is popular in Glasgow. Simply use the search function to find people in Glasgow you may want to connect with. Using LinkedIn is also not an uncommon way of finding a job in Glasgow.
4Networking is a networking site for the UK, specifically. They run meetings regularly, and all over the country. If you're looking to make national connections, this may be a good option for you.
The networking etiquette in Glasgow
The formality of any in-person networking event may be specified by the organising parties. So, do check for any information posted online. Learning more about the Glasgow networking etiquette should be helpful in navigating the varying levels of formality.
Some tips for online networking include spell-checking, not pestering people to connect with you, and not linking personal social media accounts to your professional profiles.
