Networking isn’t socialising for the sake of schmoozing. It’s first and foremost how a business finds customers, how freelancers get gigs, how professionals get referrals, and how headhunters meet talent.
A side benefit to relationship-building in your own industry is that you can also meet experts outside your field. A degree or two of separation, and you might find a corporate lawyer who comes highly recommended or an accountant who specialises in filing expatriate business tax returns.
We did some digging and came up with 27 groups on LinkedIn for IT workers across the globe. Usually based on location as well as profession, these groups and their in-house discussions are the easiest way to start networking with local experts in the industry.
IT Professionals
Headed by Intikhab Alam, a configuration and change manager at Airbus Defence and Space, IT Professionals is a group for information technology professionals that is focused on jobs in Dubai and new certifications. The 533 members share IT news, documents, tutorials, jobs, and events.IT Professionals, Lancashire UK
For IT and communications professionals and consultants in Lancashire, United Kingdom, this 357-member group is led by Jason Sweet, the regional manager at Allegis Group International. You’re welcome to network and share information, whether you’re looking for a job or seeking talent to fill a position. Sweet started two other UK-based groups as well: one for Merseyside IT professionals and one for those located in Manchester.IT Professionals — Infrastructure and Technology Job Opportunities
With nearly 2,500 members, this IT group is one of the larger ones on LinkedIn. Hailing from Israel, Jack Bezalel is the group owner. An IT specialist and security expert at the cloud expert company eMind, he describes it as a derivative of the main group, focusing on job posting opportunities for IT professionals.IT Professionals Africa MEA
This LinkedIn group, with more than 1,350 members, is for IT professionals in the Middle East Africa region. The group owner, Amine Hamdi, is with Acelium, an information security and compliance management consulting firm, and there are four administrators, including Niels Groeneveld in Amsterdam, who is a threat intelligence analyst at RedSocks.IT Professionals Australasia
The 767 members of the IT Professionals Australasia group are encouraged to share and discuss ideas as well as the latest news and market trends. Group owner Jules Pedersen, a channel director at Australian telecommunications and information services company Telstra, writes that the group fosters the growth of its IT members in Australia and New Zealand, and provides opportunities within the IT sector.IT Professionals Auckland
Founded by John Wyatt, the CEO of New Zealand’s Recruit IT, IT Professionals Auckland’s nearly 700 members are encouraged to network. The reason for this is stated on the group’s homepage: By connecting with IT professionals with a similar skill discipline, members can build a professional network around their area of expertise.IT Professionals Bratislava
Eva Baluchova, owner of this 1400-member strong group, writes that it is for professionals in Bratislava, Slovakia, working in IT and related fields. The goal of IT Professionals Bratislava is to be a hub where recruiters and IT professionals can meet to discuss issues, ask questions, and post and review job offers.IT Professionals Forum
Powered by the UK technology recruitment firm Greythorn, this IT professionals forum has 1,160 members and is a place to discuss industry trends, get and give career advice, and share ideas. The group’s owner, James Gold, is a member of the Greythorn team, managing marketing strategy and budget in the UK and Ireland.
IT Professionals Ottawa
With just more than 800 members, IT Professionals Ottawa is a network of information technology professionals in and around Canada’s capital city. Group owner Mark Dill, who is an account manager at Procom, an IT staffing company, welcomes new members.IT Professionals and Technical Support Engineers
This is the largest IT group on LinkedIn with 24,000-plus members, and when we reached out to owner Alex Turovsky, who is based in Israel, he confirmed that IT workers from around the world are welcome. The discussions and jobs are not limited geographically in any way: Everyone is encouraged to share knowledge, discuss technical issues and work procedures as well as seek career advice.IT Professionals World Wide
Another group that welcomes IT professionals from around the world is IT Professionals World Wide. Its nearly 8,400 members are welcomed by owner Bala Subramanian to connect and share everything from achievements to job opportunities, as well as ideas and experiences. There is a designated section for jobs and one for promotions, and members are asked to post accordingly.IT Professionals and Executives
The objective of IT Professionals and Executives, a group with 5,600 members, is to collaborate and network, sharing ideas and opportunities, in Turkey and beyond. Group owner Bülent Akyildiz, a telecommunications professional, writes that topics can include everything from emerging technologies to application development, e-business, ICT, and more.IT Professionals in Malaysia
Mohantilak Palaniandy, project manager and business analyst with SEB Pension, a pension solution provider in Copenhagen, founded IT Professionals in Malaysia. He says the group’s nearly 3,500 members are able to connect to talented IT professionals from around Malaysia and the Asia Pacific Region for purposes of discussion and obtaining professional advice.IT Professionals in Mining
The owner of IT Professionals in Mining is Lino Cafazzo, the vice-president of information technology at Agnico-Eagle Mines, a Canadian gold mining company. He writes that the 1,800-member group is for tech people in mining, and is “meant to be a collaborative platform for sharing ideas, knowledge and best practices specific to the mining industry.”IT Professionals in Scotland
With nearly 8,000 members, the IT Professionals in Scotland LinkedIn group is one of the larger ones. Its purpose is to share knowledge across the Scottish IT community, and it is managed by Ray Bugg, co-founder and director of Scot-Tech Engagement, Scotland’s independent, peer-led IT users forum.IT Professionals in South Africa
All IT professionals who live and work in South Africa are welcome to join this group, which currently has more than 1,000 members; however, recruiters and tech salespeople will not be approved for membership. Furthermore, the owner of IT Professionals in South Africa, Bridgetti Lim Banda, who is program manager of CIO Forum, writes that even those IT professionals not currently in the country, but who intend to return to South Africa within the next year, are welcome to join.IT Professionals Looking for Work in New Zealand
The name of this LinkedIn group is self-explanatory: If you’re an IT professional and you’re looking for work in New Zealand, you can apply to join 2,117 other job seekers. Administered by Randstad Technologies NZ, the group posts jobs for developers, testers and architects, project managers, business analysts, engineers and consultants.IT Project Managers London
This group, headed by Garry Renton, head of systems at Penta Consulting, an IT and Telecoms staffing company in the UK, is specifically for IT project managers living or working in London. Relevant recruiters may apply to join, but all posting must be in the applicable section. IT Project Managers London is a place where its 875 members can network with other local IT project managers, discuss ideas and opinions.
