It’s been said “the harder I work, the luckier I get.” While I agree with this statement, when it comes to managing your career, I prefer to say, “the harder I network, the luckier I get.” Networking hard is not about hounding your contacts for referrals and introductions into companies. It is about intentionally building and making authentic connections. How we create these connections in our current virtual world of work is different than before but not impossible. I would even argue that it’s easier now than it has ever been.
The days of work happy hours, employee resource group events, and meeting connections for coffee or lunch are less prominent than they once were. As an extrovert I mourn those times, but I am grateful that technology exists to support virtual contact with others—and it turns out to be truly enjoyable and effective!
Here are my top 3 tips for staying connected and building connections virtually:
Plan Your Networking Time
Schedule your networking activities each week and calendar them. When can you carve out time to foster connections on LinkedIn? This process can be as simple as commenting and liking on posts or articles. Or perhaps sending a personalized message to someone to ask how you can help them. While it can be easy to push these activities to the backburner, I advocate for scheduling 5-10 minutes of focused time on LinkedIn each day to foster your connections. As a bonus to you, the more you engage on LinkedIn the more views your profile will receive.
Schedule Virtual Coffee Dates
Reach out to schedule a virtual coffee with your contacts. It could be a friendly check-in, an informational interview or to learn more about what is going on in their life. Perhaps you recently connected with someone and want to learn more about what they do. Or maybe it has been a while since you sat down for coffee with a co-worker or former colleague. These conversations can be mutually meaningful and energy giving. When you reach out you make the receiver feel valued, nourishing the relationship.
Use Group Zoom Meetings to Build Community
We need community now more than ever! Consider scheduling a group happy hour to connect with co-workers or friends who you have not been in touch with for a while. Allow others to share about themselves and what would help them now. Create a safe space for people to gather and support each other; sometimes all we need is to be heard. Simple gestures can sometimes have a big impact. Zoom has a great platform for virtual group meetings, and you can get 40 minutes free per meeting.
Nurturing your network can pay dividends when you make the time to cultivate authentic connections. When we focus our networking on helping others, we often see our efforts come back to us ten-fold. While face to face networking has been put on hold, connecting virtually still allows us to authentically build our networks even though in person as often. Schedule 5-10 minutes a day to tend to your network and watch it grow!
About Kristie Winchester
Kristie is the Director of Client Services and leads SparkEffect (fka Torchiana) virtual speed networking event, Career Connections. As an avid networker, Kristie is passionate about sharing the value of meaningful professional connections. Having built a successful direct sales business and now a thriving career at SparkEffect leading the firm’s marketing efforts, Kristie works daily to support our clients and participants as they navigate their own career journeys.
