How to grow your Network in a Virtual World

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world drastically. Our daily tasks and conversations have moved to the digital world as each and every one of us must maintain social distancing for our safety. As such, even schools, offices and other institutions have shifted their operations to the digital mode.

With the adoption of remote working, networking among people has become quite challenging. Yet in this global village, networking is one of the most important factors contributing to career advancement.

Gone are the days when you could just walk up to someone and introduce yourself during office gatherings or events. Now, face-to-face interaction is a risk that no one must take lightly.

“How do you network when you cannot go out?” “Where can you find new people to share and exchange your interests with?”

If these questions ever crossed your mind, trust us, you are not alone. In this blog, we are going to share a few tips on how you can expand your network in a virtual world.

Let’s begin.

Personalise your Professional Profile:

On job oriented social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, you need to showcase the professional side of you. From your profile picture to the information you provide, think of it as your digital resume and add your experiences, educational background, and other achievements in a chronological order.

Join Groups and Communities:

Based on your interest or professional background, there are many online groups and communities that you can join. Joining a group or community where members share the same interests will not only be enlightening, but will also be beneficial for making new acquaintances. To put yourself out there, you would also participate in the conversations. The harder you show your online presence, the more visible your profile will be.

Reach out to your Old Classmates, Ex Colleague and Ex Bosses:

Thanks to social media sites, finding someone is not that difficult any more. Connect with people you have met in your high school, colleges, or your ex colleagues and ex bosses. Try to find out how they have been doing and where they are now. When you turn to talk about yourself ask them if they could help you connect with anyone they may know who is in the same field as you.

Connect with Relevant People:

It’s always a good thing to have as many connections as possible. However, if you blindly connect with people you or your friends have no connection with or have a different career field, your profile will only be a cluster. Connect with people who you share the same interest and line of work with.

Have a good selling point:

If you want to connect with someone because you need them for your professional gain, think of what you could do for them and offer that. You could tell them that you could help them connect with an HR manager of a prominent company or introduce them to some freelancers. This way, you will get their attention and get a quick response. Do not make the message too lengthy though, just stick to the point.

Set some time apart:

Spend at least 15 minutes in a day to check your online messages and respond immediately to people who may have tried to reach you. If you can’t do it daily, you should at the very least go online thrice a week. You need to make your social presence known and to do that you must stay online and be engaging.

Well, there you go! We hope the above-mentioned tips will help you in expanding your network virtually.

We will leave you here with our best wishes.

Good luck!