How Overseas Students Can Build a Professional Network in Taiwan: Online and Offline

In Taiwan, a substantial share of job opportunities surface through people who already know you, or through word of mouth, rather than through résumé platforms. For many overseas students who have recently arrived this is an unfamiliar concept, and it is a major reason job search results vary so widely.

This article covers several practical ways to build a network, online and offline.

Start with LinkedIn, but actually engage

Plenty of people set up a LinkedIn account and then leave it untouched with almost no activity. A LinkedIn profile like that does essentially nothing for you.

A few things that make LinkedIn genuinely useful:

• Fill out your profile completely, including photo, summary, and work history, in both Chinese and English
• Follow the companies and industry figures you are interested in
• Comment on other people’s posts with something substantive, not just a like
• Post something related to your field or job search every two to three weeks so people remember you

In-person events are the fastest way to build connections

Taiwan hosts a large number of career, industry, and startup events every month. For overseas students this is the most natural and most effective way to build a network, because meeting someone face to face in a shared setting is far easier than messaging them online.

How do you find the right events?

• Search Accupass, Hypelink, or Eventbrite for your professional field or topics that interest you
• Your school’s career fairs and alumni events
• Career and AI skills events that WPORT runs regularly around Taiwan, such as the Charging Station series

How do you meet people at an event?

You do not need to force yourself to “network”. Start with a genuine conversation about something that interests you. Asking “what do you do?” or “what brought you to this event?” feels far more natural than opening with “is your company hiring?”, and the connection is more real.

Afterwards you can add the person on LinkedIn with a short line such as “Great to meet you today, let’s keep in touch.” No long message required.

Make use of your school’s alumni network

Many overseas students studying in Taiwan do not realise that their school’s alumni network is a very direct entry point. You share a school background, and alumni are usually willing to give you 15 to 20 minutes.

Things to try:

• Search LinkedIn for “your school + the industry you want to enter” to find alumni working in Taiwan
• Message them explaining your background and purpose, and ask for an informational interview, online or in person
• Prepare three to five meaningful questions and spend the time understanding their career path and advice

Stay in touch, do not only appear when you need help

A network is a set of relationships, not a tool. If you only message people when you are job hunting, they will notice, and the relationship will not last.

In between, occasionally share an article you found valuable, or give a genuine response to someone’s post. These small actions add up until you are someone who is clearly engaged with the field, rather than just someone who wants a job.

Summary

Nobody is born with a network. It accumulates gradually. For overseas students the first step is the hardest, but once you start it gets easier. Attending one event, sending one LinkedIn message, or contacting one alum is enough to begin.