Whether you’re a shy, introverted person or confident and bubbly, networking for most isn’t easy and especially when it’s not in person. It’s hard to have a long-lasting impression on someone from a phone call or even over Zoom. It’s just not the same and while some might wait until things go back to normal, that job you want or that person you want to speak to might not be available down the line, so why wait?
If you’re looking for a new job or just want to keep your head on the swivel networking is an important tool to help you on your career path.
Soren Rosenmeier, CEO of the rightpeoplegroup.com and onsite.com, gave us some advice on how we can network remotely and how to leave a big impression even if we can’t meet someone in person.
Soren’s top 5 tips for networking remotely:
- Attend virtual events: A great way to network externally is to attend virtual events and approach interesting people or customers. This is new for most people and you can get new customers by being a first mover.
- Suggest virtual lunches: Many people are looking for social interaction, and a great way to do it is to set up remote lunches both with your colleagues, customers, or people in your network.
- Call people: Super old school, but this is more relevant than ever. Add your colleagues but also your customers on WhatsApp and Slack and give them a call to catch up.
- Conduct webinars: If you have the relevant knowledge to share, then set up a webinar and promote it on social media. It is easier than you think and now is the right time to start. Connect and interact with your attendees afterward.
- Ask professional questions on LinkedIn: Asking a professional question on LinkedIn and let people help you and share their thoughts. Examples could be book recommendations on a certain topic, and then call and set up virtual meetings with the most interesting contributors.
