Building Your Professional Network in Barcelona

Brought to you by the Professional Women’s Network of Barcelona.

Barcelona is a great city to live in; with a temperate climate and delicious food, it’s no wonder so many people want to live and work here. But when it comes to work, can you live in Barcelona and still focus on building your professional career?

As unemployment numbers in Spain decrease, the city seems alive with opportunity for freelancers, startups, big multinationals and everything in between. You can access the next best thing for your career through networking.

Ugh, networking? Yes, but it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. When you’re truly interested in getting to know someone new, with no immediate purpose in mind, it takes the pressure off and allows for a more authentic connection. With so many opportunities in Barcelona to try it, it’s easy to focus on your work, and still have time for a social life.

How Can Networking in Barcelona Help You?

Get feedback on your work. If you’re already happily in a job, but need a dose of reality, your network can help give you perspective.
Find a mentor. Networking will open you up to people who share your interests, where you may find your next mentor. A mentor can help you grow and develop your skills, improving your chance of career success.
Find your next job. A little obvious, and a little difficult, networking is much easier when finding a job is a longer-term goal. If you’re thinking about next year, or the year after, your network can be valuable when you find the perfect job advert and already know someone who can assist you with your application.
Learn. Networking is not only for one-to-one conversations, there is also typically an educational slant, too. Knowledge is power.
Build confidence. The more you work on your network, the better it becomes, the more comfortable you feel, the better your network. The circle continues…

Finding Your Tribe: Where Can You Network?

Barcelona offers plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded professionals at a range of networking clubs:

PWN Barcelona

PWN is a global movement of people working toward diverse and gender-balanced leadership through professional development and international, cross-industry, online and in-person networking. PWN Barcelona is one of 29 city networks of PWN Global, connecting you to the wider world.

The Business Lunch

The Biz Lunch holds monthly meetings centered on networking and developing business contacts. Each lunch you attend gives you the opportunity to promote yourself and your business to other professionals in the city—all in a pleasant and stimulating environment.

Barcelona Activa

Barcelona Activa is a city-run initiative that helps boost local development by promoting employment, encouraging entrepreneurship and offering support to companies. Visit its offices or go online to see the latest learning and networking events.

SIETAR Spain (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research)

SIETAR is a platform for promoting education, training and research to enable, among other things, the adaptation and integration of expatriates and their families into a new culture.

Meetup Professional Networking

Meetup has a number of events, all run by individuals motivated by different interests. At present, there are 12 groups focused on professional development, with a number of sub-categories to suit just about anyone!

So, add professional development to your goals for the perfect life in Barcelona. Foster your career development through networking, and meet prospective clients, colleagues, mentors and friends. Business cards are optional.

You can learn more about the PWN Barcelona on the website at pwnbarcelona.net and follow the organization on Facebook @pwnbarcelona, Twitter @PWNBarcelona and LinkedIn.