My entire life, I have been a natural conversationalist. I discovered this in middle school when my parents encouraged (*cough cough* forced) me to take my neighbor’s paper route. The only time I talked to adults was at church or school, so I was terrified to knock on a neighbor’s doors to collect each month.
I was clueless about this until I got past my fear and forced myself to approach my neighbor’s doors. Any former paper carrier will tell you that the collecting part wasn’t fun for their job, but for me, I had no problem talking to my neighbors while collecting after my first month.
It should have been no surprise I am this way since my dad is a pro at this. But all those years working as a paper carrier and later a restaurant cashier, plus networking in college, have prepared me extremely well for networking professionally and building my interpersonal skills.
But for those who had a goal this year (or decade) to network more, you were probably ready in January to get out there and meet people in your industry.
And, well, you know what happened.
While it’s not ideal, COVID-19 has brought about some drastic changes with networking. Most, if not all, professional organizations have moved all communications & events online and plan to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. Some organizations even have entirely new membership options that are solely online, like Together Digital.
And then you’ve got the networking platforms. The rules about content on them have made a complete 180.
Sweatpants every day while doing WFH? Completely normal.
Kids running around in the background while you’re on a Zoom call? NBD.
Not sure what day it is anymore? No one is!
With more people furloughed or on unemployment, networking is more necessary than ever, even if you are fortunate enough to still be working. We need to do everything we can right now to support each other because it is already hard enough to normally network. The addition of multiple stressors and doing this solely online makes it even worse. Quite frankly, it sucks.
But the good news is moral support during this pandemic couldn’t be stronger and the internet gives us options. While meeting other professionals in-person is still the best approach to networking, it is a great option for people who have a harder making connections.
As we navigate what I like to call this “current normal”, here is how we can network from a social distance.
Utilize LinkedIn
If you aren’t using LinkedIn, this is the time to use it. It is a great tool for networking, learning and finding a job. It is my favorite online networking tool out there and nothing else comes close. I prefer sending my LinkedIn profile versus my resume to potential clients because it dives deeper than your resume with recommendations, mutual connections and the option to embed files for specific roles.
The platform also has numerous search capabilities for job searching. You can make your profile visible to recruiters, message the job poster directly about the role and search for remote jobs. It’s no wonder over 675 million people use LinkedIn.
Connect with Professional Organizations
Most professional organizations have switched to being fully digital or are working on it. A professional organization I’m a part of, Together Digital, is offering remote memberships that are solely online. While I am terrible and have yet to participate, they have had events nearly every weekday since the quarantine began.
Most organizations are offering webinars and other virtual events like happy hours, coffee breaks and monthly events. While it doesn’t beat in-person interaction, it is a great way to stay connected, continue networking and not lose your sanity.
Be Open, Not Timid
If there was ever a time to be open as human beings, that time is clearly now. Share that job post, like a friend’s status about them looking for a job, post about looking a job if you were laid off and go to that virtual coffee break.
And if you’re that person that is too shy to attend an in-person event, take this opportunity to build your networking skills in a setting that’s much less pressure. Everyone is having to use technology to connect right now, and it may not always be the case, so take advantage of it while you can.
Communicate with Empathy
This pandemic is showing us that everyone is affected by this differently. Some people are doing well and have no problem paying their bills and can work entirely from home. Others are fine but are having to work immensely more now that their business is essential and booming, sometimes in-person. Then there are people that are either at reduced hours or are furloughed or laid off, unsure of where they’ll get their next paycheck.
And we can’t forget about the parents with kids at home who are losing their patience.
When you communicate with people, whether it’s through a virtual event, a private message or a post, think about what everyone is going through. I have a sign at home that says, “Kindness changes everything” and it reminds me each day what empathy can do for a person.
Right now, it can go a long way.
AFJ Digital 