Networking is traditionally associated with brushing elbows with people in your field at conferences, fundraisers, and other community events. However, you can still forge important connections with professionals in your field from the comfort of your own home. WFWE is here to provide you with some ways to network in remote ways.
Set your goals for your networking experience. Do you want to find like-minded people? Are you looking for a new workplace? These things are important to think about when searching for connections, and knowing what you wish to achieve will help these connections be more rewarding to yourself and others. You don’t have to make them set in stone, but give them some thought to provide some guidance in your process.
Check in with existing contacts that you’ve made over the years. The benefits of this are twofold: it’s an opportunity to both touch base and refresh these professional relationships, as well as develop new ones from those who may know others in your field.
Join outreach projects if your current place of employment has any. When connecting with partner organizations or firms, it’s a great opportunity to exchange background information and contacts that may be important when searching for a new challenge. Additionally, they can be important points of contact for future projects that may arise with your present employer.
Make a LinkedIn that’s up-to-date with your experience and education. It may seem cliché, but LinkedIn is a valuable resource in finding fellow professionals and employers that match with your expertise. If you’ve always meant to make a profile but haven’t found the time, now’s the time!
Explore other social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. LinkedIn’s reputation as the ‘professional’ social media platform doesn’t rule out your ability to create a career-appropriate profile on these apps. Many employers and professionals maintain profiles on these and more in order to keep a pulse on their community and communicate their work publicly, making it the perfect place for you to do the same.
Have any questions or any additional tips? Please contact: info@workforcewindsoressex.com
Taking Your Job Search Online is developed in partnership with South Essex Community Council and funded by United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County and the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund.
