Freshly printed, typo-free resumes stacked neatly in a folder. Pinned-up conversations about work experience and academic accomplishments. Firm handshakes and correctly-timed eye contact. These are the elements of traditional networking. However, just as most things have been disrupted in the pandemic, so has professional networking. No more handshakes or physical resumes or in-person conversations. This, however, doesn’t have to be a disadvantage.
Leverage the virtual environment to make advances in your career by learning how to effectively network online. Make the most of all the access the Internet has to offer by using social media platforms to engage with brands, meet new people on niche platforms, and have career-making conversations without leaving your couch.
Before you go on the offence and reach out to prospective mentors or HR directors, you’ll want to make sure all of your profiles are polished and relevant. This means adding remote-friendly keywords to your resume and LinkedIn profile. Go through your personal social media accounts and evaluate your content with a critical eye– will this make a good impression? If not, then delete it. In the virtual networking environment, your social footprint is more important. With digital usage skyrocketing in the pandemic, it’s likely future employers will find your digital profile before reading your resume.
See These 30 Social Media Networking Blunders Will Derail Your Job Search
Once you’ve polished and updated your profiles to match the current work environment, you’ll want to self-publish content on LinkedIn. This is a frequently missed step. Once people have their resume, they jump to sending it out in the masses. However, you want to add value not be another email that crowds an inbox. To cut through the white noise most business people get flooded with, the best thing to do is write industry-focused, relevant analyses or data-driven projects. Perform industry research, competitive analysis, future trends and share your opinion on LinkedIn. If you do this consistently, you’ll get engagement and start to grow your network.
Infographic: Tips for Online Networking by GreatBusinessSchools
Once you’ve established a foothold by publishing focused content, it’s time to reach out. This doesn’t come in the form of a cold call email, instead, a gradual approach. Follow the brands or companies you admire. Observe their content strategy and social tactics, make notes of the things they do well and things they might miss. You’ll want to also comment occasionally on their posts to show your interest. Then, after a few weeks of following, observing, noting, and commenting that’s when you reach out. By this point, they are more likely to register your name from either your self-published industry content or commenting on their posts. Pitch your suggestions and credentials, and instead of asking for a job, ask for a conversation.
If you repeat this process enough times, you’ll find that not only is your networking growing, but people will want to have that conversation with you. If you want to learn some more tips on how to effectively network and how to turn that one conversation into a career opportunity read through this guide put together by Great Business Schools.
Now that you have explored how to network effectively online, what can you add? Let’s hear from you. Leave your comments below.
