Strong networks, diverse opportunities
CeMeWE Project, funded by the Central Baltic program (Laurea University), together with Auroras mentoring, organised an event in March 2025 that reminded the participants, unemployed women, about the importance of creating new connections in their professional fields. “Strong networks, diverse opportunities” gathered a total of 100 participants on-site and on the Zoom platform. The main focus of the event was the networking process and the exchange of experiences between both speakers and participants.
This event featured various speakers who have their own experience in searching for a job or who are consulting job seekers. The key speaker was Laura Lindsberg. As networking is based on authenticity, interest, and mutual appreciation, it is essential to seize opportunities to connect professionally. Furthermore, Laura noted that networking does not always happen in professional settings. In Finland, professional connections are often formed in informal settings, such as a coffee queue. Thereby, the participants were encouraged to overcome their social fears and attempt to network whenever possible.
Then, Maria Okhrimenko and Katharina Reissing spoke about the impact of cultural background on networking. As they had previously conducted research, Maria and Katharina had shared their findings about the cultural influence on communication in the workplace. To establish new connections, it is essential to resist the temptation to conform to stereotypes and remain open to diverse cultures. Even such nuances as direct and indirect speech could influence the communication and change it rapidly from good to bad.
Afterwards, Essa Hukkanen touched upon the topic of social and cultural capital. As the creation of new connections can occur at any step in a career path, it is essential to establish personal expert branding through networking. Such an approach opens doors for many career opportunities ahead.
The last speaker, Daria Galina shared her valuable insights. She touched upon her own experience with networking in Finland and shared valuable tips with the audience. However, Daria’s main insight was related to the maintenance of the created connections. She believes that networking is not a short-distance run, but a marathon that requires time and dedication.
As this event was suitable for women who wanted to improve either their network or their networking skills, participants learned how to ensure that their networking is truly valuable to them. Moreover, the encouragement to create new connections allowed participants to mingle within the event.
To conclude, even though networking is only one part of the career journey, it is nevertheless important. By taking into account the cultural background and seizing opportunities, a person can create a truly valuable network and open the doors to the career opportunities they never considered before.
This event was a part of the Interreg Project – Central Baltic Mentoring for Migrant Women seeking Employment – CeMeWE (CB0100070). The content and materials shared during the event reflect the views of the organizers and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Union, Interreg, or any of the project partners.
