Working from home has presented challenges for career seekers and employees that are used to being in the office and now working from home. Not being "in the loop" of company conversations or seeing their peers has made them a bit nervous.
Are they performing up to par? Is the company planning a shift or lay-off? These are some of the questions that create uncertainty.
Strategic networking skills will help you keep the momentum for your career search.
My team and I also work from our home offices. Some of the practices I use everyday include strategies for engaging with a growing network of professionals. This is a special time and it's imperative to keep career activity going. When we can return to a new normalcy and
opportunities abound, you will have made tremendous progress toward reaching your career goals.
3 Networking Habits That Will Pay Off for Your Job Search
OUTREACH: Set goals for how many professionals you want to reach out to on a daily basis including reconnecting with your current connections and growing your network. Can you commit to 10 people each day?
STRUCTURE: Use a system for your outreach and track your activity on your own templates in Excel or Google sheets. Schedule focused time for your outreach, say 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes for follow-up in the evening.
COMMUNICATION: By reaching out and making the first move, some new connections will say "yes" to having an introduction. Preparation for your call will ease anxiety in meeting someone new.
What are the results of networking?
Referrals directly to Hiring Managers for Career Opportunities
Being prepared, confident and practiced in conversation during interviews
A strong network of resources & an opportunity to be a resource for your network
New ideas on how to advanced your career
A more fulfilling way to look for a job
Get our GUIDE for networking conversations and our article on setting your routine!
Consistency leads to long-term results, and building your LinkedIn connections is no exception. It’s important to create a plan in order to build your career referral network. Without a regular routine, you might only be connecting with a few people here and there and not following up with them. So it is
essential to establish an action plan with a consistent schedule to generate a lot of career activity. In this article, we discuss some tips for how you can accomplish this.
Why Build a Network?
Networking leads to job referrals and puts you in a stronger position with hiring managers. Watch this video to see how one candidate got the job and left all the other hopefuls behind!
